Semi-weekly herald., 1910-04-04

last year handled $500 900 boxes from
florida. 100000 boxes from califor
MIA and about 800, 900 boxes from Cuba
Porto Rico. Jamaica and other parts
of the West Indies This makes a to
tai of s,s00.000 boxes. which sold foi
ar average of 1925 box, which makes
about s19.s00, 900. A considerable part
OF this fruit was distributed 10 diff
ferent parts OF the country, but it Is
estimated that al least 81 900, 900 worth
was consumed In New York city.
Last year 1,e50,000 boxes OF lemons
| were received from Cicily, and 1O0-
900 boxes from California. which sold
at an average of $3.50 per box, making
the total business $i,375,000.
The grape business is very nncer.
| tain. The imports of foreign grapes
amounted to 100000 barrels. which
sold at an average of $3.50 per barrel,
and that amounted to sl.750,000, but
probably more than half these grapes
were distributed through the western
and central states, because nearly all
the imported fruit comes into New
York city for reshipments. To this
must be added at least s2,0GOOO0 worth
Of domestic grapes sold during the sea
son.
New York is also the distributing
point for dried fruits, such as currants,
figs, Drnnes, raisins, etc. and it is es-
! timated that the business amounts to
about $4,000 900 year. If one-half
of the fruit handled is consumed in
hat city, which is considered probable,
the annual bill would be about &c.
600 600
About s12.000,000 worth of bananas
were imported into New York last
year aud it is estimated that one.
fourth of them were consumed in the
city.
There is no way of telling how many
vegetables and melons, pears and
peaches and other fruits were con
sumed. but 1t is estimated that the
average consumption is about LOO
600 per week. which means about $780,
10000 a year IN round numbers.
The figures that have been given rep.
resent the wholesale prices, for the
retail prices vary in different parts
of the city according to the location
and the character and condition of the
customers. There is also very great
difference in the quality of the articles
but the estimate is based upon what
Is considered a fair average.
The fish. oyster, clam ard lobster
markets handle about $4,000, ,OOG
worth of sea food during the year. all
of which is consumed in the city. Very
little sea food is shipped from that
point.
The bread bill amounts to about as
| much as the fish, and II we include
| confectionery as food at least S25, 900.
000 must he added
A farmers wife from Illinois. who
speaks from experience. writes: "rhe
suffering consumer might easily gel
the impression that the farmers pros
| fN''eN - 'hS lAiiudiitHlui cduSt Oi tut
| increased cost OF living. and that the
farmer has just deliberately raised the
price of farm products so that he him
self may have more money and al
sorts of comforts and luxuries. The
average consumer is so ignorant o.
conditions on the farm that it woult
be just like him to think that the
case. He seems to think the prod
ucts of the farm just came out of the
everywhere into the here when noih
ing could be further from the truth.
| Farming is hard work, and always
viii be, for the man who perform:
the actual labor; and II takes a smal
| fortune to buy and keep in repair the
machinery used on the up-to-date farm
II is mighty discouraging business
| too, when Nature acts contrary The
| crops produced OH the farms in the
| last few years are not nearly SO large
as they could easily have been, haC
natural conditions been perfectly ia
vcrable. Then, when Nature acts heI
| best, The corn louise, the chinch bug
| the Hessian fly, the cut worm. The
gophers, crows, etc. do their worst
SO between one thing and another the
farmer is kept guessing from the be
ginning of the year to the end"
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