STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 17 



our eastern brethren to learn that this period is of only six months' dura- 

 tion — the first car this last season leaving May eighteenth, and the last 

 November twenty-fourth. 



The showing of one thousand seven hundred cars this year over the 

 shipment of last is a very creditable increase, being a gain of nearly three 

 hundred cars. 



While more fruit has been sent out in a green state, at the same time 

 our driers and canners have taken largely increased quantities at reason- 

 ably fair prices, and have been so fortunate in placing the result of their 

 season's work on the market — it being a well known fact that there is very 

 little stock now on hand — that from all sides we learn of new canneries 

 being started, while established ones are largely increasing their capacity. 

 What better evidence have we of the increase of acreage, and that this 

 State is rightfully named the "garden spot of the world?" 



With the increased supply comes additional methods for its care. It 

 it not incumbent upon the producer to sell his fruit in a green state; let 

 him set up a drier of the capacity needed — this can be done at a nomi- 

 nal cost — and dry his fruit. Then he not only increases the industry, but 

 becomes master of the situation. The prices of dried fruit can stand a 

 very perceptible reduction. Any fruit grower that has dried his product 

 this season cannot fail to be pleased with the result, as during the season 

 prices for dried fruit of all varieties have ruled remarkably high. In fact, 

 to an impartial observer, it would seem they are most too high, from the 

 fact that dried fruit is consumed in a large measure by the middle classes. 

 When eastern commission houses pay 22 to 24 cents per pound here for 

 fancy peeled peaches, to which must be added cost of transportation and 

 the commission merchant's profit, it would seem as though the price would 

 soon run up so high as to be almost prohibitory, so that we would much 

 prefer to see fair living prices, and these maintained, than the gilt-edged 

 ones of the past season. 



The season just closed has seen a new departure in fruit shipping. While, 

 before we have been content to allow the extreme eastern cities to draw 

 their supplies chiefly from Chicago, the experiment has, this year, been 

 tried in shipping direct carload lots to the Atlantic seaboard, and the re- 

 sult has been highly satisfactory. While Boston, for the season of 1886, 

 received but one half a carload per week on an average, and New York 

 during the same period but one carload, during the season of 1887 these 

 two cities have received, and in most instances profitably disposed of, one 

 hundred and thirty-one carloads. 



The manner of handling the fruit so sent might be a matter of interest 

 to many, from the fact that a departure has been made from the old estab- 

 lished method of the commission business, and all the fruit in these two 

 cities has been sold this season at auction. This method has for many 

 years been used in handling Mediterranean citrus fruits, but it was left to 

 the wide awake Californians to apply its principles in disposing of the 

 highly perishable deciduous fruits. 



Many of our growers at the opening of the season greatly doubted the 

 feasibility of the plan; some few thought that after successive seasons it 

 might be made to work, while a very few were its enthusiastic supporters. 



The success of this new departure is mainly due to the efforts of the 

 California Fruit Union, and the result is most commendable to their 

 energy. 



The peculiarities of this method being that within seven days of the 

 date of loading, when shipping to even the most distant market, the ship- 

 per knows exactly what his fruit is bringing, and can determine whether 



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