The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-11-16
TASTE OF CITY FRUIT.
How the Lack of Flavor of whicl
some People Complain In
Accounted For.

Everywhere about this great fruit
eating city the comparative tasteless
ness of some of the fruits which in the
memory were among the most lus
cious of former time is deplored now
adays by men, women and children
alike, that is if the children hav,
had the good fortune to eat frui,
where it is grown for home consump
ton. Some complaints of the disap
pearance from city markets of the
fruit that had a taste" and some
what is offered no longer is of the
tasteful variety have appeared from
time to time, says the New York Sun
According to some growers of fruit
these writers have not nit upon the
real reason why the character of the
fruits in the city markets has sc
greatly changed. 1t used to be SAID
by New Workers who ate shad in
other places that there was no shao
to equal those taken from the North
river, just as Baltimoreans would as
sure their friends from other parta
of the country that they must come
to Maryland to enjoy terrapin, and
Philadelphians spoke ever of the SUI
periority of Shrewsbury oysters. The
philosophic reached the conclusion
that these various statements merely
meant that the several gustatory de.
lights mentioned were to be best en-.
joyed nearest the habitat of each;
and men have lately risen to remark
that fruits, too, must be eaten neal
where they are grown to have their
excellence properly appreciated, and
that the enlarging city has put the
fruit belt too far away for the mar
kets to get the fruit in all its fresh
ness. But the fruit growers say tina,
these men have not arrived at the real
explanation Of the matter
The growers point out that the city
patrons demand of fruiterers not only
fruit that is perfectly souna, but that
also looks well. To supply the city
demand fruit must be shipped here
from considerable distances. The
prime requisite, therefore, is for fruit
that will stand transportation and
reach the city market sound and in
shape attractive to the eye. The
effort of growers, therefore, has been
to produce fruit Of good keeping
qualities. This has necessitated get
ting fruit of firmness of texture and
firmness Of skin. These qualities have
been cultivated, with the result of the
production of fruit of a somewhat
coarse pulp and thick coating. In
peaches this is the more readily no.
ticeable, but it is true also in apples
and pears. Strawberries as raised fof
the city markets have suffered in
the same way. As loveapples, toma-
toes might be classed with the fruits,
and no vegetable has suffered as to-
matoes have suffered from the same
causes as those that have produced
the all but tasteless peach. Many
farmers in the garden belt Of New
York, not large fruit growers, but the
men who used to send the pro-
duce of their orchards to town, no
longer make an effort to sell their
fruit to buyers for the city, since
they cannot get good prices for fruits,
which though superior in favor, will
not keep in condition long enough to
! meet the demand. The city pur-
veyors are not willing. and probably
it is true that they are not CONNER
cially able, to stand the losses en-
tailed in the handling of the deli
cate varieties Of fruit which are SO
quickly perishable.
Such is the explanation advanced
by some growers of fruit, at any rate
for the disappearance of '.the fruit
that had TASTE" from the markets
of New York city.