The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-03
PRICES FAIL TO DROP
IN VEGETABLE GLUT
Farmers Let Products Rot, but
City Consumers Find Cost
Little Less.
BIG PROFITLESS CROPS

Farmers. commission men and jobbers
agree that vegetables and fruit are more
plentiful now than in ten or twelve
years. Wholesale prices are so low that
many farmers do not find 1t worth while
TO send produce to an already slutted
market and thousands of tons OF vege-
tables are being allowed to rot on the
ground. yet the city consumer has not
been able to discern any proportionate
decrease in the price he Is obliged to pay
at retail stores and vegetable and fruit
stands.
It was possible TO buy potatoes in the
local wholesale market yesterday for 10
cents and 81 n barrel. The wholesale
price in July of last year ranged from
1925 to s4.25 a barrel. Many retailers
are getting 10 and 12ia cents a quart. or
at the rate of s3.2o and 81 n bushel and
IS and $40 n barrel. The retail price
varies, of course, in different neighbour
hoods.
waiting for Bettcr Prices.
Because of the low price which the
New Jersey farmer Is receiving for his
potatoes he is not making shipments in
the hope there will be an Improvement
In the market prices in the next few
weeks that will enable him to get enough
profit to finish even on the season.
Tomatoes sold at Wholesale ycster-
DAY from rs to IS cents "A crate contain
ing from one-half bushel to n bushel. ON
Saturday the wholesale price was as
low as from Is to 90 ceuts a crate.
Housewives say that they get about four
tomatoes for 10 cents at their vegetable
mans stand. They also say that IL they
telephone for tomatoes they may receive
one or more that they wouldn't ac-
cept IL they saw the order filed.
In and around Washington Market
yesterday tomatoes retailed at Is cents
q basket, each basket containing from
ten to a dozen tomatoes.
The wholesale price of green corn
ranged from Sl.25 TO s1.50 per 100 ears
and II has been rs low as 81 a hundred.
The retail quotation was 80 to 40 cents
y dozen. depending on locality. The
heaviest Jersey corn crop of the season
came In last week, but the retailer rather
than the farmer got the real benefits.
Onions have been bringing 20 cents a
basket Wholesale. as against SO and
$3.50 for the same quantity n yea ago
THE same story is told OF heavy crops
and low wholesale prices for other vege-
tables. Although the consumer Is pay-
ing less han in some of the years gone
by there are many who say that prices
should be lower.
Heavy crops and low prices do not
please us" a commission man said yes
terday. we depend upon our commits
sions for n living. and when prices are
high our returns. of course. are greater.
Persons who do not know charge the
farmer and the commission man with
helping along the high cost OF living,
but the Cr.y one to blame Is the retailer.
II often happens that when a vegetable,
say lima beans, first comes into the mar
ket the retailer fixes his price and doesn't
attempt to come down IN the succeeding
week or two when lima beans become
plentiful n the wholesale price goes
down.
Vegetables C~nEathered.
From Swedesboro. n. j.. comes the
news that fresh vegetables Of all kind.
remain ungathered in the fields because
the farmers cannot make any money
sending them to the market. About
81, 00o bushels potatoes, representing one.
tenth of the crop of that fertile section
have been sent to the market. and the
farmers got about 81 cents a barrel.
A farmer near Berlin. ". J.. sent a
load of produce to the Philadelphia mar.
ket and because of the glut there he los
$3.50 In the cost OF transportation. Hs
says y = going to feed the rest of hi:
produce to his stock.
The potato crop has been exceptionally
large in New York. New Jersey. Pennsyl
rania, Virginia. Maryland and othel
States, and hundreds OF thousands o
bushels will never reach the consumer.
Farmers in many sections are earnest
iy discussing ways and means of bring
ing the producer and the city consumer il
Goser touch. A buy q barrel cam
paign has been started in south Jerse,
in the hope that It will help the farmer
Apple exporters are fearful that wa,
conditions will seriously Interfere witt
their business this fall, Apples promis
TO lie plentiful, and If foreign countries
do not take their usual supplies tn
amount for consumption here will b,
greatly increased n apples ought to b.
Very chean.