Milford chronicle., 1933-10-20
Produce Market Notes


The height of this produce ship.
ping season, usually reached early
in October, is later this year because
of the long, late-growing season for
potatoes and western apples. The
weekly movement of fruits and
vegetables is now about 10000 car
loads, a little below that of a year
ago. Shipments for the season are
still z per cent below last season,
mainly owing to lighter production
of most vegetables and fruits.
Eastern carlot potatoes are COM
ing chiefly from norther Maine,
swdet potatoes from the Eastern
Shore section and apples from Vir-
ginia and West Virginia. New York
is shipping a large variety of mis-
cellaneous fruits and vegetables. The
West and Middle West are actively
marketing potatoes and onions and
moderate quantities of fruit. North
western apple shipments are in
creasing rapidly.
Crops show up little better than
they did last month but the gains
in production are not enough to
. change the expectation of rather
light supply compared with last
year or with the average season.
The potato gain of 13,000,000 bushels
for the month is only per cent and
indications are still for a crop near
ly 5O,000,000 below average. Late
cabbage estimates are about one
third below those of last season,
60 Affh ladc
but the Norfolk district has about
the same spinach acreage as last
season. The Virginia kale crop is
in poor condition. Fall snap beans
are 16 per cent less, mostly in Vir-
ginia and southwark. Northern hot
house cucumbers will be harder to
sell because of the doubling of the
fall crop in Georgia and Louisiana.
Western fall lettuce decreases 13
per cent compared with last season.
Field beans show production 1,OOO,-
900 bushels more than indicated last
month but not more than enough for
the usual market needs. Apples and
pears decreased 2 per cent for the
month and the market crop is less
than average.
Apple Prices Hold
Apple markets show little further
change. Holdings are moderate, de-
mand good and prices well main
tanned at country shipping points at
prices close to 81 per bushel for
many leading varieties in many
eastern and western producing sec
tions. General range in producing
fn Q1 Ok and
mostly around SO per barrel. City
markets still follow a prevailing
iobbing range of 75c to $1.25 per
bushel with many extremes above
and below these limits. Eastern ap-
pies are in fairly liberal supply in
the large cities and many of. the
arrivals are only fair in quality as
most of the best stock Is being
stored. Spraying was somewhat
neglected this year and there was
considerable storm damage, reduc-
ing the proportion of good market
fruit. New England and the north
central States have a fairly good
crop but the Middle Western and
southern crops are below average,
also the Pacific Northwest. Sup
plies of northwestern boxed apples
have met good demand in eastern
markets, showing advancing ten
dency in New York this month with
recent sales of Extra Fancy JON
athans averaging a little below 81
per box, while $1.50 is about top for
eastern bushel pack of such varie-
ties as Jonathan, Mcintosh and De-
licious. Greetings range 75c to
S1.25 in eastern markets and Grimes
and Staymen 81 to Slips. Yorks
sell at 75c to 81 in Baltimore and
Washington.
Pear shipments at present are
mostly from the West and North
west. Shipments are fairly heavy
and are catching up with last sea-
sons figures. Trade in eastern and
mid-western pear sections is mostly
in Keiffers, which sell at Csc to 75c
per bushel in western New York and
western Michigan. Demand is lin
tied and prices about steady. Pears
of choicer varieties bring $l.50 in
eastern producing sections and $l.5O
to So in city markets. Many small
eastern Keiffers sell from SOC to 75c |
in some markets.
Concord grapes tended to ad-
vance during the second week of
October. Prices were firm in Michi- |
gan producing sections where haul
ings are decreasing and demand is
still good. Prices gained 1c to &c
per IL quarts. Most eastern grape
sections report slow demand and de-
lay in picking for that reason. Con-
cords sell around 2Sc per IL quarts
in western New York. Steady mar