Evening star., 1932-07-09
FRUIT SHIPMENTS
SHOWING INCREASE
Vegetable Supplies Also
Greater During First Week
of Iuly.

week OF July brought the carlot fgures
nearer those of last season, but the
weekly totals stil are 10 to is per cent
less, as compared with year ago, says
the United States Department of Agri-
culture Bureau of Agricultural Eco
nomics Market News Service. July is
melon month. Potatoes are near the
height Of the early-crop season. Canta-
loupes, tomatoes and lettuce are popu-
lar hot-weather lines and contribute
greatly to present carlot activity.
Produce is coming at the rate of 5000
carloads a day and the rate of move
ment should tend to increase during the
next four months. as one after another
the Northern producing sections reach
full volume. Shortage, as compared
with last season, is most evident in the
orchard fruits. particularly Eastern ap-
Piles and peaches. Far Western frult
is filling the. gap to some extent with
heavy shipments of cherries, some pears,
plums, oranges and grapes and apples,
both the new crop and from storage.
The price trend this month is some
what irregular, in contrast with the
general downward trend through most
of June Potatoes have advanced in
some markets and declined in others.
but in general the market level is fnmly
held because of the moderate receipts.
Melons are lower partly because of un-
certain quality of some receipts. Mod
crate supplies of cantaloupes are sell
ing at slightly higher prices, compared
with the first of the month. Tomatoes
are lower Apple supplies are light and
prices well maintained Peaches are IN
unusually small supply for the time OF
year, but shipments tend to increase
and prices in Northern markets slanted
downward the first week of July.
Peach Shipments Light.
Shipments Of peaches have been In
light volume so far and are expected
to continue so, at least from the large
Southern producing sections. The
finest Southern midseason varieties
have sold as high as $3.50 per bushel
in some markets, but recent sales have
been at lower levels Top for North
Carolina Hileys at New York Is 81,
and S375 at Baltimore. Best lots OF
Early Rose reached $3.50 in that mar
ket. General run of this variety SOLD
in various markets at S2.25 to S2.19.
Firm conditions prevailed in Georgia
producing sections, where Hleys Of large
size are quoted at So to SIPS, and
smaller sizes around 81. The Georgia
peach harvest started out slowly, owing
to delayed conditions and the extremely
light crop. The late varieties are ex-
pected to mature at about the usual
time because of the benefit resulting
from recent rainfall. Local estimates
of the Georgia peach crop have been
revised downward. Many growers
picked but a half to three-quarters of
the estimated yield of the early kinds,
despite the increase in size resulting
from rain. Many shippers are now ex-
pecting an output of only about 5000
cars of peaches. Sizes will be large,
but the fruit is thinly set and the large
size tends TO go with an increase of
poorly shaped fruit more subject to
disease. The greater part of the crop
seems to have passed to the control
of dealers who contracted for the Early
Rose. Hileys and Elbertas at a price
range mostly $3.50 to $2.25 per pushei.
Apple Prices Hold.
Early apples are coming in consid-
erable quantities from the Middle South
and from Illinois and California. Con-
siderable fruit from Maryland. Della
ware and New Jersey has been trucked
to New York. Philadelphia and other
large Eastern markets. Best lots sell
in a jobbing way at Sl.25 to Sl.5O
bushel and the smaller fruit at 60 cents
to SIPS. Transparents from Maryland
and Virginia brought S1.25 to Sl.50 in
Boston and a few lots Of this variety
from Illinois sold at S1.75. Washing-
ton quoted Virginia Transparents at
SIPS. Sales Of cold storage apples are
mostly of Virginia Pippins, around 81
per bushel or S425 to $3.50 per barrel
in the large city markets.
Melon Market Active.
Shipments Of melons are reaching
sometimes daily volume Of 1000 car
loads. but so far nave not been in such
liberal supply as last season because
weather and prices are not very favor
able and quality, too, has been some
what uneven. Many carloads Of about
/ 600 medium sized melons have sold
around $50 in producing sections and
at $3.50 to 5000 in Northern cities, but
larger. finer stock has sold considerably
above these figures Most price changes
have been downward the first week OF
July. Supplies are liberal in nearly all
markets and demand slow to very slow.
Medium sized melons at wholesale
ranged from 90 to 35 cents in Eastern
cities.
Cantaloupes in carlots are mostly
from California and Arizona at this
season. Supplies are liberal, but de-
mand has been fairly good, although
somewhat uneven on account of fire.
ouent changes in weather conditions.
Cantaloupes from Georgia and the
Carolinas appear in most Eastern mar
kets. but prices are tending downward
with declines from 10 to 25 cents per
crate in some Northern cities. The
iobbing range is 81 to SIPS.
Tomatoes might be expected to sell
better in q year of moderate fruit sup
plies, and several of the large markets
report a fairly good demand, although
prices, like those of other lines OF prod
uce. are by no means high. Markets
were holding firmly the first week Of
July at a jobbing range of rs cents to
81 per six-basket carrier. mostly from
North and South Carolina. Virginia
tomatoes in lug boxes sold at so cents
to 81 in New York, Boston and Balti-
more.
Firm Potato Markets.
Potatoes usually lead the volume of
supply. but are second just now during
the height of the melon season. They
are coming at the moderate rate Of
about 800 cars daily from an increasing
list Of midseason potato shipping Sec
tions Supply available would be light
Dut IOr the IeCt4pbo alO4ll tAttib AIe0AA9AfS
little two-county section on the Eastern
Shore Of Virginia. Potatoes from Vir-
ginia comprise much more than half
the daily market receipts Eastern
Shore potatoes are likely to be consid-
erably less than they were last season
on account Of reduced acreage and the
effect Of early drought Shipments to
recent date were only about three
tifths those TO the corresponding date
last season. Movement by truck has
been heavier. but amounts to only
small percentage of the total. Digging
is nearly done in the district south Of
Cape Charles and is now active in Ac-
cornac County. Maryland growers in
the Eastern Shore district seem anxious
to dig and there may be moderate
movement from this section the first
LIZ ~ 111lu rnrnpidinp nrices remain