The Scranton chronicle. (Scranton, Miss.) 1897-19??, 1900-11-03
CHICAGo'S FRUIT BILL.
Millions Annually Change Hands
Paid Out for Orchard Products
Far and Near.

Chicago consumes = .00o ear loads OF
/ fruit every year, paying more than
| S5,ooo,00o for II. II eats pineapples
from Hawaii. oranges from the Med.
iterranean. apples from Wisconsin and
bananas from the West indies. Every
parallel of latitude and every degree
| of longitude contributes 10 its tables.
There are figs from smyrna and lines
from Italy, grapes from France and
winter strawberries from southern
Mexico. Steamships sailing . miles
an hour. refrigerating cars travelling
one.third faster. and the universal use
of ice and ice machines in all climates
have made these things possible for
Chicago palates. Chicago markets
| know no seasons from the coming of
| the Christmas strawberry from south
ern Mexico to the browning of its own
russet apple in northern Illinois, says
the Tribune.
And, incidentally, of all the fruits
consumed in Chicago the apple is first
in quantity and value. Every section
of the east, north and west is drawn
upon for the supply. and tens of thou
sands of barrels soon will begin to
crowd the already crowded markets of
South Water street
In the minds of most Chicagoans
the fruit trade with California is ex
aggerated to first place. - a matter
of fact, however, more cars of straw
berries may come into Chicago in one
day from Michigan than come from
California in week. The same is
true of Michigan peaches, and the sea-
son of the Michigan peach is now com.
ing on in its fullness.
An average of IS cars of California
fruit day are disposed of the year
round in the auction rooms at the
Dearborn street bridge. In their or
der the fruits so shipped rank;
Oranges, lemons, pears, peaches,
grapes, plums and cherries. These
cars range from an orange car, worth
S70O, down to a load of spoiled fruit
that will not bring freight charges.
BY reason of the long shipments and
cost of refrigeration the California
fruits, in value, stand above their car
fifth of the fruit cars received in Chi
cago are loaded with California prod
ucts, but in value these shipments are
placed at one-third of .he value of
Chicagos total receipts.
The California fruit trade in Chicago
Is perennial. From December to July
the orange crop is received, while
from May to Move Der the deeiduous
fruits are coming steadily. No tastes
in the market control in the matter
of fruit received: the extent of the
crops and their relative prices as laid
down in Chicago determine whether
more pears are sold than peaches OF
more grapes than cherries.
OF late years, however, the Califor.
MIA cherry trade has grown immense.
ly. The fruit reaches the market
about the last of March, and It is one
of the few California fruits that is not
considered fiat by connoisseurs OF
the northern-grown article. The Cali.
fornia plum too, has an active mar
ket.
But as compared to these. both in
flavor and quantity fruit now coming
from Michigan, southern Wisconsin,
Ohio and Illinois oyershadows them
completely.
1t begins to do so in June. when
the first northern berries begin to
come from Illinois. When the Michi-
gan crop ripens few days later one
days receipts often reach 60 cars or
their equivalent quantity. Nearly all
of the Michigan berries, of course,
come by water.
Following the strawberry come the
raspberry and blackberry, and before
these are gone, about the last of July,
the early peach has arrived from
| Michigan.
Twenty thousand bushels OF peaches
from Michigan alone may be landed in
one day. Five thousand pickers may
have gathered them from the Micbi-
gan orchards, and 5000 men may be
needed to receive them and unload
them and transport them from the
docks at the mouth Of the river. One
boat may come In with 10000 baskets,
holding one-fifth Of bushel each, and
such picking represents whole
frult farm OF moderate proportions.
And from mid-JuIy till the first SHOWS
Michigan peaches keep coming.
Concord grapes from Ohio and west
ern New York are in season, and the
prices at which the consumer buys a
fiye-pound basket of his grocer often
leads him TO wonder where the grower
got his profits. Often they are as low
as ten cents basket, yet of excel
lent quality. Cold storage methods
have prolonged the life of these grapes
until they may be had for Christmas
tables.
In the whole fruit business cold
storage methods have done wonders
for the trade. Apples are kept almost
from one harvest TO another. Almost
every other fruit has its life prolonged
for weeks by the storage warehouse.
When these houses have been exhaust
ed rapid transit is drawn upon for the
supply.
The czsr's Most Trusted servant
Gen. Alexei Nicolaievich Kuropat-
kin, the Russian minister of war, is