New-York tribune., 1900-03-25
NEW-YORK'S WINTER FRUIT

IS POOR.

ana mas been asked especially often throughout
the last few months concerns the supply of fruit
that has been offered for sale at most of the re-
tail places particularly at the grocers and gen
eral provision dealers.
why is it,, runs the inquiry, that oranges
apples, bananas and other popular fruits are
generally poor, in spite of the reports that
large and fine shipments of them all have been
regularly received by the wholesale dealers and
importers? Where can good fruit be bought at
retail?'
1t is doubtless true that the average grocer
and small marketnan does not provide his GUS
toners with choice assortment of any of the
fruits. In the first place, the man who deals as
grocer does, in a great variety Of articles can
not usually spare much time either of his own
or of his clerks, in buying and selecting any
one class of them. He goes to the wholesale
merchants and orders, sometimes almost with
out looking at it, bunch of bananas box of
oranges or a barrel of apples. If, as is un-
fortunately probable, these things make bet
ter showing the outside or on the top layer
than they do underneath, he finds himself pro-
Vded with stock considerably poorer than he
expected to get The fair fruit the first comers
happen to get The rest, while it is inferior of
course must be sold, too, In order to protect
him from serious loss, and this is the kind of
which complaints are heard.
Even if he has succeeded in buying an excel
lent quality, In fine condition. he often allows
this TO be injured by his carelessness or igno-
rance about keeping it, Oranges bananas and
grapefruit are susceptible to cold. and if the
grocer displays them outside on day when the
temperature is down below the freezing point
they are pretty sure to turn dark. become
spotted and begin to spoil Even before
actual decay begins the flavor has been i'm
paired by the frosty air. Apples are most often
hurt by sudden changes of temperature
he +y~o
stores, there is little doubt that the small places
Kept by Italians have the best fruit Of all kinds
that can be bought at retail. The Italian who
mas been brought up in country where it
grows IN plenty, is a natural judge of fruit. He
VIII take nothing except what is good, and he
can tell the good varieties from the bad He
knows whether the stock he looks at is too
green or too ripe for the length of time he will
probably have to keep 1t. and he declines to
buy upon anybodys word but insists upon
picking over and examining before he purchases
tie Is able to give his whole time and thought to
the selection Besides this, he is always modest
IN his ideas about storekeeping and living and
is contented with small profits Still another
advantage of his. which is a part of his knowl-
edge of his wares, lies in the fact that he knows
now each kind Of fruit ought to be kept
AS far as the wholesale market is concerned
the quality of most fruits brought to New-Yor.
this year has been exceedingly good The Cal
norma oranges have never before been so fine
ROT so PLENTIFUL Owing to the falling off in the
supply of oranges from Florida and from Sicily
the California varieties have been chiefly used
ana nave been able to command good prices at
IeaSt Tor the better grades. They have their de-
fects, 1t must be admitted; for besides the
thickness of the skin. they lack the pungent
orange flavor and fragrance of purest strength
which characterize Mediterranean and Florida
NUT Jamaica oranges are thin skinned iuicv
3nd delicious in flavor, and throughout the win
Ser there was a ready sale for all that arrived
but the season for them is about over now The
Florida product has always been great favor
lie, and good specimens OF il still bring the
highest prices of any orange in the market but
she supply has been small in recent seasons
as to cut an unimportant figure. Several sue
cessive cold winters in the State have dealt the
even under the most favorable conditions in
recovering from it. The same thing is true of
the Florida grapefruit that while the small
consignments of it that come here in their per-
fecton sell for three times much as the grape
fruit from California, the latter supplies prac-
ucally the whole market. Lemons and bananas
have been excellent.
Apples. the great domestic winter fruit form
the striking exception to the general good quail
uy of all the other kinds just mentioned The
crop in most parts of the country was inferior
to its usual standard Besides this, the mild