The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-09-16
FRUIT AUCTION
SALES in GOTHAM
Especial to the Silver State.)

NEW 1Ohh, sept. 10 feopie
ask me why / come to New York City
to spend my vacation remarked the
scribe to a New Yorker--one who has
always lived and worked here; "but
the fact is, resumed the party of the
first part, 81 find it very interest
ing place to loaf in, and / am not in
any great fear that i shall carry case
of typhoid fever, or Indigestion, mos
quito bites or malaria, as / very like
| ly should do If | were enjoying an
outing in the country
Nothing strange sententiously
responded the party Of the second
part. 81 myself find this pretty
good place to stay in for my vacation.
The fact is that / have no time to see
anything during all the rest of the year
except, perhaps, theatrical perform
ance now and then. People who oc-
casionally come to the city know
great deal more about it than / do.
They take time to see things that /
am always going to see but never have
| time for. -
A good Californian who came from
New England originally said almost
the same thing to me day or two af-
ter the above dialogue took place. He
was just returning from visit to his
old home, after many years. 81 stood
looking at the statue of Benjamin
Franklin in Boston, said he, "and
chanced a remark about it to sub
stantial looking citizen who was wait
ing for a cab or a car. He looked sur
prised, and peering at the statue
through his glasses he remarked: cit
| is Franklin, isn't itf Do you know,
I've lived here all my life, and
thought it was Daniel Webster. I'm
going to get acquainted with this town
some day.
AT the time we were watching an
auction sale of California fruit-to me
one of the interesting sights of New
York. It a great place for character
study.
(" Now IN a grower of lemons and
oranges. at home, said the Califor-
nian. and although all of my fruit is
disposed of in this manner | have new
er before seen how the system works
in actual practice. It's a revelation
to me: and / suppose | may say, with
perfect propriety, that we orange grow
ers have the most perfect, cooperative
selling organization for agricultural
products that can be found anywhere.
| / see that the farmers back here are
just beginning to get wise on the
subject of cutting out the middleman.
Well, we have not eliminated the job
Der exactly, and ! don t know that we
wish to do so, but we have eliminated
good many of the dishonest jobbers.
and we can tell the farmers of New
York and other states a good deal
about cooperation.
"This morning / was down on pier
20, and it looked like big horticul
tural exhibit I remarked.
"Isn't it greats' returned Mr.. Cal
ifornia. "The Erie railroad stocks up
that pier every night, and every day
it is cleared off ready for new ship
ments. Today As carloads of fruit are
stacked up there. All night long, $50
freight handlers carried boxes of fruit
on to that pier, piled them up in or
derly fashion, and opened up sample
boxes for the buyers to see the varie-
ties, condition and manner of packing
These are oranges, lemons, peaches,
pears, grapes and plums.
eyes; | sampled some of them,'
remarked, "and it is surprise to see
what fine flavor that fruit has after it
has come all across the country
Preceding, sir; preceding ac
counts for it, sententiously said Mr..
California. ''They fill up that pier
every day, except on Sundays and
holidays he continued. Seems a
wonder where the fruit all goes, for
that pier is about $50 feet long and
pretty wide. They heat is in win
| ter, too
We became interested in the auction
now, and talk languished. The auc-
tioneer faced a room where seats rose
tier on tier, and in them We're about
200 buyers. Mot dapperlooking brok
ers these, but unkempt-looking men,
some in woolen shirts. coatless; or with
| Jumpers and overalls on, and mostly
sporting two or three days growth of
whispers. As lot after lot was knock
ed down, the buyers became more in
terested At times they would jump
to their feet, wave their catalogues at
the auctioneer and shout vehemently.
An old fruitman came and sat beside
as.
Are these the pushcart meng' /
asked him.
ssThese are jobbers, mostly" said
the fruit man. = Some of them do a
pretty heavy business. Last week this
crowd took $240,000 worth of fruit. =
'sWhat is the most that has come in
/ TOT one udN dShtu MI. Sdiiloiuid
"They have handled 125 carloads of
California fruit on pier 20 one day,
35 carloads of it being oranges and
lemons, and it sold for 1925, 1000.
How is the market today?' | ask
ed.
ssPoor; it was warm yesterday, to-
day it is drizzling, and the receipts of
watermelons have been heavy. A thing
like that affects the whole fruit mar
ket. If it should turn cold the decid
uous prices would advance but then
lemons, already slow, would sell low
err
''Is this the crowd, | asked, "that
wanted to have congress put lemons on
the free ist?'
The fruit man smiled grimly. "T
guess that only very few men in the
trade cared much about the tariff
fight, he answered. .These men.
IL IA .4l