The St. Johns herald., 1900-11-03
MILLIONS FOR FRUIT
Annual Bill of Chicago for Oranges,
 Lemons, Etc.
Eaoenoaa Outiay ef a Large citE z0R the Various PR0dusts of OR- ehaxds Far aAa Near
 Sources of sappiy.


 from Hawaii. oranges from the Med iterranean, apples from WiscoIAin and bananas from the West Indies. Every parallel of latitude and every degree of longitude contributes to it's tables. There are figs from smyrna and Hines from Italy, grapes from France and winter strawberries from southern Mexico. Steamships sailing 25 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 it's oVn russet apple in northern Illinois, says the Tribune.
 And, incidentally, of all the fruits consumed in Chicago the apple is first fD 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 t0. crowd the already crowded markets ot South Water street.
 In the minds of most Chicagoana the fruit trade with California is ex- aggerased to. first place, As 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 l5 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 90 shipped rank: Oranges. lemons. pears. peaches. grapes, plums and cherries. These cars range from an orange car. worth s700. down to 6 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 numbers by comparison. Scarcely one 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 the value of Chicago's total receipts.
 The California fruit trade in Chicago is perennial. From December 10 July the orange crop is received. while from May to November the deciduous 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 determins whether more pears are sold than peaches or more grapes than cherries.
 Of late years. however, the Califor- mia cherry trade has grown immense ly. The fruit reacheA 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 overshadows them completely.
 It 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 50 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 ae s--s.f
 Twenty thousand bushels Of peaches from Michigan alone may be landed in one day. Five thousand pickers may have gathered ttksn from the Michi- gan orchards. Axd eco men may be needed to reexsves them aNLl unload them and, trzns.ors them from the docks at ths mouth of the river. One boat may soE< :a with 65.o0o baskets, holding cne-hfta of a bushei eaeb, and such a picking represents whole fruit farm of roderate proportions. And from mid4July till the first snows Michigan peaches keep coming. -
 Concord grapes from Ohio and west eFn New York are in season, and the prices at which the consumer buys a five-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 frnit 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. -s
 The Csar's MG=i Truated ssrvane
 Gen: Alexei GtsolaissiaA Kuropat~ kin. the Ressisa mIniseer of war, Is probably she ra~<. tr-s.ed, tho most powerful and meet faithful servant of tho czar. His rise to rank and power was gradual bus Lsrs. ssnd in 1898 he was made a5solete master, under the czar, of ths armies of aQ the Russias: He began his military career in Fur. keStan. when a youtb and has served