Evening star., 1932-07-02
FRUIT SHIPMENTS
IN SMALL VOLUME
Vegetable Movement Also
Continues Below Figures
for Last Year.

The rate of market supply of fruits
and vegetables continues to fall below
I that of last season, even after allowing
/ for apparent gains in proportion ship
ped by trucks, says the United States
Department of Agriculture, Bureau OF
| Agricultural Economics, Market News
| Service. Low prices and the reduced
| production of some crops seem mainly
responsible for combined carlot ship
ment decrease of fully one-third IN
some recent weeks. as compared with
| the corresponding time last year. Part
of the decrease in receipts may be ex-
planned by the lighter crops of most
| fruits and the delayed beginning OF
shipping seasons for early apples,
peaches and pears. Early potatoes,
cabbage and tomatoes are important in
the shipment figures and these have
been in lighter supply most OF the sea-
| son.
! Decreases In fruit and vegetable re-
cepits were quite general throughout the
| list and there were not many exceptions
| to the slightly downward trend OF prices
near the first of July. A spell OF warm
weather helped the melon market, but
there were declines on cantaloupes ana
peaces despite the limited shipments,
and on potatoes, tomatoes and most
other vegetables. Even the lines which
were being shipped in very moderate
quantities were in fairly liberal supply
| in carlots held on track in the large
markets and were often forced -on sale
at low prices because of the quickly
perishable nature of the products at this
season of the year.
| Apple and Peach Shortage.
Although apples of the 1881 crop are
not out of the market yet, the early
varieties of the new crop have become
a feature of moderate Importance owing
| to the beginning of active shipment
| from the South and early districts OF
the Middle West. Prices Of early apples
have been keeping up comparatively
I wen in the absence or severe competi-
ton from early peaches and pears and
rather moderate receipts OF cantaloupes
and melons. Apples or the transparent
variety two inches and up, have been
selling at 81 Is to 81 rs per bushel near
the first of the month, but some lots OF
small size or inferior quality and con-
dition brought only rs cents to sl.25.
Shipments of old apples the last week
of June were ITO cars, which Is rather
heavy for the time of year, but most OF
| them were Northwestern fruit OF the
| bookkeeping varieties out OF cold stor-
age. A few carlots daily are still being
shipped from Virginia and New York.
Peach shipments from all sections
| have been light so far and are in
| creasing rather slowly week by week
| Georgia and the Carolinas, usually
} heavy shipping sections, are moving
| only a few cars daily, and somewhat
scattering receipts have been arriving
| from other parts of the country. Light
arrivals are the rule IN Eastern mar
/ kets. but demand is also slow and only
! the choicer lots of the earlier Slncs
| sell as high as $3.50 to So per bushel
Some sales of the second early varie-
: ties. including Early Rose, were made
as high as SO, with top of 81 in New
York. Demand was reported improv-
/ ing at some Southern peach-sh:pplng
points. Stronger average market quo
| tations were expected, with increasing
| proportion Of nnid-season varieties
! among the receipts. Shippers IN the
Macon, Ga, district were getting S220
to So per bushel for Early Rose near
the first of July Georgia Carmans
sold in Boston at jobbing prices equiv
alent to $3.50 to $3.50 per bushel. Ihe
peach supply and demand was reported
rather light in most Northern markets.
The pear shipping season started
late and no important supplies are In
the market yet. although few lots
have been shipped from the Pacific
| Coast. The pear crop on the whole
/ is a moderate one according to present
indications, but the Pacific Coast
{ region and few of the Eastern States,
including New York, are expecting
good production.
Fewer Berries Coming.
Arrivals of miscellaneous berries are
not so large as they were a year ago,
partly because of lower prices, which
offer small inducement to growers or
pickers. The strawberry shipments
failed to exceed those of last year,
despite gains in indicated production
in some sections Shipments from
Northern strawberry districts, includ-
ing New York, Michigan and Wis
consin, are exceeding those Of last
! season.
Potato Markets Irregular.
Maine was still shipping so cars day
in late June although the time is not
far distant now when the movement OF
new potatoes of the early varieties be-
gins from that State. According to rail-
road estimates. not many hundred cars
of the old crop are now available. Prices
paid growers are extremely low, and
shippers selling sacked stock were re-
ceiving at last reports only rs TO 80 cents
per 100 pounds. Other Northern sec
tions are shipping scattering carlots OF
old stock. but the great bulk Of the re-
cent supply is from Virginia, North
| Carolina and Midwestern early produc-
ing sections. Shipments of new pota-
toes SO far have been scarcely more
than half the total volume of last sea-
son to date and the lower prices pre-
vailing have resulted from the slow de-
mand for production of nearly all kinds.
| The Eastern Shore potatoes lead the
markets usually for some weeks to come
at this season. The North Carolina
shipments are about done. The crop
was light in the Norfolk district and the
reduced acreage and lighter yields re-
| ported from the Eastern Shore indicate
no great oversupply as compared with
some other seasons A lighter yield is
reported on the Maryland Eastern Shore
also. although the crop was benefited
somewhat by the rains Of late June.
The Kaw Valley crop will compete ac-
tively in Middle Western markets soon
and is rvported to be in good condition.
| New Jersey potatoes do not usually ap-
pear in large quantities until the last
half of July and later On the whole
the prospects are for somewhat lighter
| shipments than for last season during
the Midsummer weeks, but the poor de-
inand makes the market prospect un-
settled.
Prices of Virginia Eastern Shore cob
blers were advancing slightly in New
York. Boston and the Middle West near
the first of the month. with a jobbing
range of 81 so to SO per barrel There
was little change in the markets of
Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Washington.
Middle Western markets strengthened a
little in response to weather unfavor-
able for shipment in Arkansas and
Oklahoma. Eastern Shore shipping
districts reported firm markets at So to
S2l5 per barrel for No l cobblers. In