Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-18
IN THE LOCAL MARKETS
strawberry POSES AS LEADER
AMONG THE FRUITS.
Lettuce and Green Peas - Prices of
Marine Products-Butter and
Egg Supply.

At this season OF the year there are but
few attractive features about the city mar
kets, and dealers find Il q difficult matter
to make much OF display of their goods.
There is nothing particularly striking in the
line OF fruits and vegetables Strawberries
being the leader among the fruits. The ber-
ries being received from Norfolk are much
better than those that were shipped here
from points farther SOUTH and they are
cheaper than the others. Freight charges
upon shipments from Florida. Georgia and
the Carolinas are usually SO high that the
margin of profit is very narrow, and some
times the money received for the fruit will
not pay the freight. Norfolk berries have
the genuine strawberry flavor and they are
in better condition than those that have to
be shipped from more distant points. The
prices quoted for good stock range from 10
cents to % cents quart. Pineapples are
more plentiful and cheaper but the demand
for them is not SO great on account or
strawberries being plentiful. Apples are
scarce and high, oranges are about as they
have been during the past month and lem
ons are plentiful Bananas are cheap, sell
ing at from to 20 cents a dozen. They
have been unusually numerous during the
past month and have been CORRESPONDENCE
cheap.
Leaf lettuce is 50 plentiful that dealers
have trouble getting rid of their stock. Let
and commands a higher price Spring
onions and radishes are cheap. Green peas
are not SO available as they were week
ago and are selling at 81 peck. Wax
beans are IN demand at 50 cents a peck, be-
ing used by persons who do not care for
early cabbage. Florida celery Is still in
market, but Its quality Is not so good as 1t
was earlier in the season. The warm
weather causes the celery to decay and deal
ers have to trim it down so much that it is
not attractive. 1t is to be had at from 5
to 10 cents stalk. Asparagus Is more
plentiful and cheaper. the long green grass
being in great demand. There was a time
when most buyers insisted upon having the
white asparagus but now the green Is
wanted. Dealers are procuring asparagus
from Norfolk growers and from those en-
gagged in the business in this section, The
vegetable that Is grown in this section is
usually put up IN punches to sell at 10
cents. while the Norfolk shippers put up
their stock in much larger and more ex-
pensive punches Cucumbers are more plen-
tiful and cheaper, selling al from to 10
cents each and egg plant is quoted at from
to Is cents each.
Perch, Herring and Crabs.
Dealers in marine products are not receiv-
ing much stock from the Potomac river.
practically all the big senes having been
taken from the water. They say that the
fishermen hardly made money enough dur
ing the shad season to cover expenses, the
catch of shad having been very small.
What white perch are being caught In the
smaller nets the Potomac small. and
they therefore command the small price of
only 10 cents pound. Rock are more plen-
tiful than they were and are to be had for
Is cents pound Most of the shad
that are now being handled in the local
markets are brought here from Havre de
Grace and are caught in the Susquehanna
river. They are selling at from 30 to 65
cents each.
Herring are not so plentiful and dealers
are getting II cents a dozen for them.
Crisfield soft crabs, the largest soft crabs
received here, are selling at 81 a dozen.
Others are selling as low as 20 cents. Crab
meat, fake crabs and turtles In de-
mand and the stock is sufficiently large to
supply the trade at moderate prices. Sal
mon is Is cents pound halibut 20 cents
and fresh cod 10 cents pound.
Butter, Eggs and Poultry.
Practically no change in the butter and
egg market has been noted since last week.
With the decrease in the price of butter
is greater demand for the dairy product
and dealers correspondingly pleased.
Eggs are retailing at about 20 cents