Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-24
FORTUNES SPENT IN FRUIT.
Astonishing Figures Showing What
the Desserts Of the Wealthy Cost.
From, Pearson,a Weekly

In some Of the very expensive London
restaurants you can order a special des
sert that will cost you anything from f5
to ESQ These desserts will consist of DAM
ties in the way of fruit, for which 1t Is
not too much to say that the greater part
of the world has been ransacked to pro-
vide. Peculiar apples from Zanzibar, look
ing rather like turnips; pears, in appear
ance strongly resembling oranges, from
Northern Africa; grapes from English hot.
houses; and Australia will most likely be
represented by the Eiffel Tower pineapple.
OF all fruits, Zanzibar apples are, per-
haps, the rarest. Dozens of trees together
will only bear few of these apples, and
the time for picking them has to be care
fully selected; they must be gathered just
a month before they would ripen, otherwise
they will very quickly go bad. These apples
have been sold in this country at EGO apiece,
and, of course, have to be specially ordered
for no fruiterer would ever dream of keep
ing them in stock
Custard apples are another expensive lux
ury. They can be purchased at prices rang
ing from shillings to Is each, according to
quality, and, according to those whose judy
ment in such matters is considered to be
absolutely correct, must be eaten with pep
per and salt.
winter months are the muscat grapes and
strawberries, and until the end of January
the latter are beyond the reach of men of
moderate means. A gentleman not long
since went into well-known fruiterers in
Regent street and offered ESQ to the man
ager Ii he could provide enough straw
berries for five people that evening. The
manager undertook to deliver the fruit
within seven hours. and then promptly pro-
ceeded to wire forty different fruit gardens
within thirty miles OF London for straw
berries. ~ f9y
Seventeen gardens provided the required
80 STA rr{o
twenty-three not being able to produce q
single one), and by $3.50 that evening the
fruit was delivered at cost Of nearly los.
Cd. for each strawberry. There are several
grapes at this se&son runs to never less
than f20. They ply 2osA per pound for the
best muscat graphs. cpd receive at least
three pounds per day. At dinner party
given some time ago at Marlborough House
the bill for grapeE AMOUNTED to s45, while
the cost of each apple at the royal table
was exactly 5s- 1t 70. however, by no
means the most distinguished or wealthy
people who spend fortunes In fruit There
is, for instance, a=Retirad bootmaker living
near Brixton, who=Was Informed by a friend
that pears from Aigiers have a distinctly
pleasant favor.
cares Incidental to his calling, the retired
bootmaker had time to pay attention to
such delicate matters, and promptly pro-
ceeded to order from his fruiterer's some
of these pears which he found would cost
him 1Os each. His weekly bill for these
delicacies now amounts to f6, while muscat
grapes and pineappies at Il apiece bring his
fruit bill In the week up to at least ITO
just $500 year in fruit alone. Curiously
enough. except in the matter OF fruit, he
lives in a very moderate. though comfort
able, style.
The manager Of weii-known fruiterer,s
establishment In the West End informed
the writer that lots OF people who see bioh.
priced fruit In the window Will buy 1t just
to see what 1t tastes hke." and In this
way these ''samplers,' as they are called
by the trade, are q considerable source OF
These samplers Will cheerfulIy spend Sc.
on m apple or . pear TO enjoy tho ex-