Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-08
In THE LOCAL MARKETS
LATE FROST AND DRY SPELL AZ
FEcTED CERTAIN CROPS.
shad and Herring Out Of Season After
Recommendations Large
In Size.

The late frost and the long dry spell that
followed greatly affected the strawberries
and pea crops in this section and market
dealers are now feeling the effects of the
shortage. Peas are usually plentiful and
cheap at this season of the year. but they
are now scarce and high. Ordinarily peas
are to be had for from to cents q
Quarter-peck. but 10 cents Is now charged
and dealer remarked to-day, they
are scarce at that price. With continued
favorable weather conditions, however. we
will probably have a second crop later and
prices may then be lower
While the prices charged for Strawberries
have not been regarded as exceptionally
high, they have been greater than usual,
with the demand correspondingiy small
Early in the season the supply from the
south was larger than usual and consumers
were plentifuliy supplied before they nao
to depend upon nearby growers for the
fruit. BY the time the local growers had
their fruit in market the demand was not
great and buyers were willing to do with
out the berries rather than pay exorbitant
prices. During most seasons the berries
were obtainable for as little as cents
a box. and there were plenty OF good ones
sold as cheaply as cents. Ten cents a
box has been about the lowest price charged
for good berries this season. however, with
Is cents as the average.
First Failure in Years.
1.-THE failure of my crop of berries"
grower from the neighborhood of Suitland,
Md. remarked to Star reporter. means
the loss of about 5000 to me- My vines
were in splendid condition and were in full
blossom at the time OF the frost. 1t Is the
first time, however. since L started in the
business that my berry crop proved fall
ure.'
What some of the growers lost on ber-
ries they are partly making up In other
ways. but very few of them hope to be
able to make good their entire losses. The
lettuce crop has.Abeen an Improvement on
past years and much of the stock has been
shipped to other cities. A second crop OF
lettuce has reached the market, headed and
otherwise in better condition than usual.
The best are selling at five cents mead
today Large potatoes from Norfolk are
plentiful and dealers are selling them TO
the trade at the rate of sixty cents peck.
1t Is said that they are much better than
some of the potatoes from points farther
south and are in greater demand. Toma-
toes from Mississippi are in the local mar
ket, but the first shipment. dealers say, does
not compare favorabiy with those from
Florida Fifteen cents pound Is the price
charged Dor both the Florida and Mississ ppi
product.
Celery from Florida is still In the market,
but 1t is smaller than the stock that was
to be had a few weeks ago. 1t retailS at
now supplying the local market with string
beans, and they are selling at twenty cents
a quarter-peck. WatermeIons and cante-
loupes from Florida are not much more
plentiful than they were last week. The
former are selling at from fifty cents TO 81
EACH and cantaloupes are to be had at from
five to fifteen cents each. Oranges are
scarce and high. the prices ranging from
forty to sixty cents a dozen.
Shad and Herring Season.
Shad and herring will be out of season
after tomorrow and those who want
planked shad will have to go out of this
jurisdiction to satisfy the desire. The sea-
son has been poor one for shad the catch
In the Potomac river having been far be-
low the average. 1t is said that some of
the men who operated the big seines did
not catch fish sufficient to pay for the food
that was consumed by their employees.
Early in the season the dealers had to
send away for fish in order to get enough
to supply their trade, patronizing the fisher
men along the Susquehanna river. Shad
have not been cheap this season. the supply
from the Potomac being nothing like large
enough to meet the demand The last
of the season finds the dealers asking 60
cents for roe shad and 10 cents for others
and We are glad to get rid of what we
have on hand at the close of the season."