Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-14
CONDITION OF The CROPS
REPORTS ARE EXAGGERATED
ACCORDING TO A DEALER.
Unreasonable Weather Has Not
Ruined Everything Plenty Of
Fresh Vegetables on Hand.

| Many exaggerated reports are being
| made concerning the condition of growing
| crops produce dealer in the Center
| market remarked today. Some Of tho
| truckers have right to complain, how
| ever, but II is not true that the unseason-
able weather has ruined everything. 1t Is
true that the season is backward and that
some produce is higher than It would
otherwise be. but there is plenty to supply
| the DEMAND for most vegetables and tho
| prices are not anything like high aa
| people imagine.
| 1t seems probable that the cantaloupo
| crop will be extremely short in this
| ton, the speaker added. and unless there
| Is change In the weather conditions in
| the near future there may be no canta-
| loupes grown in this section. We are get
| ting plenty of fine ones from Florida.
| however, and the prices charged very
little in advance of the prices for the best
| melons grown in this section. They are
| to be had at prices ranging from to AZ
| cents each, and are of the finest quality.
! Watermelons." the dealer declared. are
/ hlgh but there is every reason that they
| Will be as cheap as usual a little later IN
| the season. The melons that are to be had
! at this season are brought all the way
| from Florida, and the prices range from 70
| cents to Sl.50 These prices are high and
| the melons will probably not be much
cheaper until the Georgia growers begin
| to ship their crop here. Pineapples are
| about as cheap they ever were at this
season, selling from 81 to $50 a Dozen
May Lose-a Great Deal.
The dealer further stated that many
| truckers in this section will probably lose
| hundreds of dollars this season, but that
i their losses will be nothing like what was
anticipated. 1t IS believed that their losses
| will be principally upon the corn and
cantaloupe crops, it is stated, but they
may have late season for the corn crop
| and reap more than they will lose by tho
| delay. They hardly expect to recover much
| or their losses from the cantaoupe crop.
| however, as a little cold weather early in
the fall would probably end the growing
| of the vines and cut the season short.
Dealers in the market and country peo-
pie along the line. did not show any evi-
dences of scarcity of green vegetables to-
day. They had from the nearby farms
plenty of new beets at cents bunch. car
| rots and turnps at cents bunch. and
, early spinach and new kale at % cents a
! peck. New cabbage is plentiful at from 5
| to 10 cents head; asparagus to be
had at from 10 to 30 cents bunch, and
| lettuce radishes and onions were more
than plentiful. There plenty of beans
and peas in the local market. They are
| from Norfolk, and are in good condition
| as If they were grown nearer the city.
| String beans are 20 cents a quarter peck.
| and peas are % cents peck. Potatoes
from Norfolk are also getting more plent.-
full and cheaper, the best of them selling
at ID cents a quarter peck. Florida toma-
toes are still being relied upon to supply
the local trade, selling at from 10 to 20
cents pound. Egg plants are quoted at
from ) to 10 cents.
Strawberries in Splendid Condition.
The crop of Strawberries in this section
has been surprisingly large for the wet sea-
son, and the berries have been in splendid
condition. Had there been better weather.
the growers think the crop would have been
larger. and the berries would have made
much better showing. Speaking of the crop
of berries and the prices charged for them
a local dealer told Star reported that he
thinks there reason for complaint.
The berries of fine quality. and the best
of them are to be had for 10 cents quart,
good fruit selling at three boxes for
quarter. Reports from all along the ATTAIN
tic coast Indicate that there is no scarcity
of berries in that section. 1t is feared that
other fruits, such as apples and peaches.
| will not do well this year as the berry
| crop is doing. 1t is believed that black,
berries, raspberries and huckleberries will
be plentiful.
Apples are scarce and high, 81 a peck
being charged for them. Fancy fruit is
selling at cents each. Oranges are scarce
and high prices ranging from 30 to GO cents
a dozen. Lemons 20 cents a dozen. and
bananas are plentiful at from 10 to 20
cents.
Displays of Marine Products.
Dealers in marine products in the local
markets are making effort to arrange at
tractive displays on their benches. On one
bench today display of the mere ex-
pensive products from the Potomac, Chesa-
peake bay and other bodies of water which
| was calculated to increase the sales The
| display included soft crabs. brook trout,
frogs. swapping turtles and the more at
| tractive varieties of fish. Crisfield soft
| crabs are being received in large quantities
| by local dealers and they are getting larger
than they were a short while ago. With
| a few warm days, dealers say, the crabs
, will be more plentiful and larger, and they
will also be cheaper than 10 cents dozen.
the price asked for them this morning.
| Hard crabs are in demand. although the
| wet season has interfered with the business
| at the resorts Where thousands of them aSe
| used. Crab meat is still in demand at 81
and 81 % gallon, 50 being charged for the
flake. Brook trout are 20 cents pound.
| Frogs are selling at from 10 to - cents
| each and are in demand at the prices quot
| ed Earlier in the season the dealers de-
pended upon shippers for their supplies or
frogs for the trade but now they are get
| ting them from ponds and streams in this
section. Some fine white perch have been
caught in the Potomac this week and they
! find ready sale at u cents a pound.
This is the season for fresh Boston mack
! erel and some fine specimens of the fish
are to be had at 40 to 20 cents each. Blue
! fish are better now than they are later in
the season, and they make an attractive
| appearance on the market benches. There
! is large demand for them at ID and 70
| cents pound.
Not Buying Much Meat.
No i'm rovement is noted In the meat
market since last week, nor has there been
any Improvement in the sales
| People are not buying much meat"
butcher said Most Of the orders for
meat are being curtaied, and many per-
sons are eating a greater number OF eggs
than usual 1t would be a good thing il
nobody would buy meat tor a short while
| and give the members of the meat trust an
idea that they could also lose few doll
! lars. So long the trust has control OF
| the market. however. the question of sup
ply and demand Will not determine the
! prices
| The dealer said he thought the high
| prices would not prevail much longer.
| Poultry also remains high. but there is
| every prospect of decrease in the near
| future. Spring chickens are getting moro
| plentiful, and wholesale prices are a trifie
| lower than they were last week, but there
| has been no decrease in the retail price.
| The butter and egg market is about in
| the same condition that II week ago.
! Creamery butter is selling at 81 cents a
| pound, the dairy product from the country
| selling low as IS cents. Eggs SELL
ipp at from ~