The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-31
NO FRUIT HERE.
Kansas Has Little or None
This Year.
The Late FrOsts Made a Clean
Sweep.
ALL is SHIPPED IN.
Commission Men at Wits Ends
to Supply Demand.
An Abundance Of Vegetables
Partly AtOnes.

house wife who in the past has filed
her cellar shelves with evidence of her
skill in the shape of long rows of glass
jars filled with homegrown fruit will
be compelled to exert her energies
along other lines or take a vacation
| for a season.
Late frosts and freezes did the work
and orchards that last year yielded
| thousands Of bushels of fruit are as
| barren as Il weed patch and Will not
| return enough fruit for samples. Kan
Sas has experienced fruit failures in
/ the past, but none which will be felt
| as the shortage of the crops Thu year.
| In the past when the failures came,
| nearby states made up the deficiency,
| but the trouble this year Is that the
1 failure has been common all over the
| United States.
Arkansas had a fair fruit crop this
year. but it was the only one OF the
western states to escape the late frosts
| and already all their surplus has been
| exhausted. Oklahoma gave promise
of good season for fruit and did ship
quantity of early peaches and then
came the high temperatures and lack
peaches dried up on the trees.
Nearly every bit of fruit that has
found its way to the local market has
been shipped in this season an right
now the commission men are a. their
wits ends to supply the demand, hich
fruit, including bananas. are higher
than usual and it is certain that the
shortage in the fruit crop in nearly
every part of the country will result
in a sharp advance in the price of
California produce of all kinds.
Plenty of Vegetables.
In the vegetable lire there is an
abundance and some to spare, but at
that the prices asked are unusually
high. There are plenty of tomatoes,
,fv-sr
purposes, and a little later there will
be pumpkins and water melon rinds,
which can be used as a substitute FOR
the fruit which is missing. AID
though the season II, this locality has
been an excellent one for gar'len pro-
duce tomatoes are selling at IS cents
a hushel, when at this season Of tie
year the prevailing price has always
been around 80 cents.
Watermelons have been on tho mar
ket for several weeks. though they
were shipped in from the south and
east, and have commanded n high
price. A few home grown melons
have commenced to find their way To
of a cent a pound. which is higher
than usual The sale of melons py
the pound is a new thing in this part
of the country, as this is the first sea-
son that it has been attempted. though
the commission men look with favor
on the plan.
The potato crop of the Raw vall..y
has been an exceedingly large one,
though three-fourths of all the pnta-
toes grown have been marketed and
that at a price ranging from so 10 20
cents per bushel, though in an ordi-
nary year they do we'll to command
half this price. Sweet potatoes arc |
yielding well. and there is large
acreage in this section and the demand |
has run the price up to $3.50 per
bushel. or just about double what they
were selling for at this time last SEA
SON.
s E. Lux. who has been in the COM
mission business in Topeka for a nufI-
Der of years. has left for the north ard |
east for the purpose of purchasing |
seventy-fiVe Or a hundred car loads of |
eastern apples for the local markets
Speaking of the shortage in the fruit |
crop, he said: Never in my expert
ence in this line of work have 1 seen
a season just like this one has been. |
Kansas has not grown any fruit this
season worth mentioning, but this Is
not the worst of it. for all over the
United States the fruit crop has been !.
more or less of a failure. There are
a few localities where they have had
a good season, but they are few ard
far between.
For instance, in Arkansas, the fruit
crop has been fair to medium, but
every state in the west has been draw
ing from there until the supply Is ex-
and that, before the season
of the year when we generally begin
to store apples. When the season
opened we expected to draw from Ok
lahoma, but The hot winds and dry
weather ruined an excellent prospect
CT a fruit crop and apples and peaches
dried up on the trees
The grape crop is praclc9liy
failure in Colorado and Michigan
where we generally find a supply at
this season of the year, and grapes
that usually sell at % cents a basket
at this season are commanding 90
cents, and we are not able TO get many
at any price. All California fruit is
bound to be higher this season than
for years. on account of the failure IN
other parts of the country.
First Complete Fruit Failure.
There was a fruit crop failure in
Dlete as this year of course, but fail
lre; but we did not feel 1t a great
Zeal, as the crop was a bumper IN
lther states and we drew our supply
rom them. 1t is not so this year, as
he failure has been general all over
he west. and we will be compelled I"
70 east for the little fruit we are able
o get.
ago, then to New York. ard theu
through New England, and VIII take
swing back through the CanaClhn
PROVINCES and during the trip -N-
-ect to buy at Least 10000 barrels IL
lpples and such other fIuit as l can
ret. paying particular attention TO
grapes. The apple and grape crops in
Vew York and the New England states
$ said to be exceptionally fine. and
igure that if I EXPECT to get in on the
that I had better be on
he ground. and that early.
Il haven't been able to get -
cent apple so far this season. and what
have been able to get hold of had to