The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1920-07-30
FRUIT HIGH AND
SCARCE THIS YEAR
PEARS WILL BE THE ONLY CAN.
MING FRUIT THIS YEAR, SAY
COMMISSION MEN.
Predicted Potatoes Will Be Down to
. Two Cents by Fall; Increase of
Thirty Per Cent in Spud Crop Over
Last Years; Few Berries on the
Market.

| ComulSSlOn men handing fruit in
various Montana cities report that
fruit for canning this year will be
scarce and high in price This con-
| dition, taken in conjunction with the
high price of sugar, will result in
housewives putting up very little can
ned fruit and preserves. The report
of one prominent commission house is
as follows:
Max Weinstein, manager of the
Capitol Commission comptny, reports
on the fruit situation this year. as
follows:
+ California depended upon chiefly
for eating fruits, is about through
shipping. There are four districts
that this section gets fruit from. Cal
ifornia is the first of the season and
its crop was rather short this year.
Next on the list, with shipments
just starting, is Lewiston, Idaho.
From here come the apricots used for
canning. The large shipments will
not start from there for about an
other week, but indications are that
the supply will be fairly plentiful.
The third district is Yakima,
Wash, from where comes early mix
ed fruits for canning and eating, and
fourth is Wenatchee, with the same |
kind of crop.
Canned Fruit High.
Canning fruit will start to come in |
the last 10 days of July and from
then on through August. There will
be very little canning fruit, other
than pears, to be had this year. The
housewife, however, will be better off
to stock up what little
canning fruit she does want, even
with the higher prices prevailing,
than to wait until fall and depend
upon buying goods already canned
The high prices of labor and mater
ais will make the factory canned II
ruits almost prohibitive. II
Yakima this year is promising no II
peaches. In the past it was possible II
% wire there for carload on a spe- II
lal order and have it sshipped out
within five hours. This year the COM II
mission houses must place blanket
rider for their car of peaches and
axe what is sent. The crop is so
hort that the distributing concerns
III have to gather up the odds and
Ids here and there and fill the or
ers from them. Broadly speaking,
acre will be no fruit for canning this
ear.
Peaches opened at 80 cents a box
lst year, f. o. b. the shipping point.
his year they opened at $1.1O and
lbsequently went as high as $1.25.
he freight from Yakima is 27 cents
box.
The housewife who last year
ought peaches at 81 a box will be
cky this year if she gets them for
-.35.
Pears Plentiful.
Pears promise to be plentiful and
ices will be the same as they were
st year, or about $3.50 per box
len the season is at its height. This
the average price paid for pears
r the past several years.
The suggestion has been made
'm the shipping points that due to
short crop of other fruits, only
press orders should be asked for.
ere are plenty of pickers and good
yes are being paid, according to
rd from the orchards.
The prices on peaches and pears
, actually at the true level created
supply and demand. This has to
so because when these perishable
Its are on the market they have
be sold. Lemons have reduced in
ce 81 box within the past week,
lie oranges have taken a Jump of II
Neither of these changes will be
lected there, however, for at least
D weeks.
The crop of apples is somewhat
5 in most growing centers than it
$ last year and the prices this fall
going to be high. Hood River
orts say that only SO per cent of
crop Of 1918 could be looked for ,
m that locality and Idaho apples
| run about so per cent of last ,
RS crop.
Jour cherries will start coming in
N the Bitter Root in about a week. -
ces will be the same as last year -
this fruit, or about $3.50 a crate
the height of the season. The
et cherries are about through.
Seed Was High.
'otatoes will be back to Q cents a
md this fall. The reason for the
e this year was not a shortage.
crop was frozen in the ware
SEES at the point of shipment last
ober through condition that was
distinctly unusual that the ship
1 Wnro nOf nropqrod for