STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 223 



Evaporated Peeled Peaches. — The prospect of a large Delaware crop this 

 year discouraged the California packers early in the season, and the quan- 

 tity turned out was probably not one fifth of what it otherwise would have 

 been had not the reports from the East been so unfavorable. As a rule, 

 however, this fruit this year has run very nice in quality; and the bulk of 

 it has already been placed East. The stock left here is a mere nothing, 

 and a very trifling demand would clean it up in very short order. Prices 

 that have been realized this year we do not think have been at all satis- 

 factory to the producers, and in many instances have only shown a loss. 

 Taking the loss in weight and other expenses into consideration, it takes 

 at least 20 cents per pound for the dried product to pay even a fair profit 

 to the producer. The goods have sold this year all the way from 12^ to 

 17 cents, according to the quality. 



Evaporated Bleached Apricots. — The product of this fruit last year being 

 large, it was thought that the crop this year would be shorter; but so many 

 new orchards coming into bearing upset these calculations, and there was 

 a very heavy out-turn. Besides this, as mentioned elsewhere in our Review, 

 nearly all sun-dried apricots are now bleached. The quality of the fruit 

 turned out this year generally has been very nice. Of course some lots are 

 better than others. The prices last year ruled high, and purchasers gen- 

 erally lost money on the goods. The result was that this year the market 

 opened dull, and has remained so ever since. This brought about a large 

 consigning business to the East on the part of our growers here, many of 

 whom, no doubt, now regret these shipments. Notwithstanding the tre- 

 mendous increase in the apricot product of this State year by year, the 

 demand appears to keep pace; and at reasonable prices there is no pros- 

 pect whatever of overdoing the business. The demand for apricots in a 

 canned state is very heavy, and there is never any difficulty in working off 

 any surplus of all that may be dried at fair prices. So heavy have been 

 the consignments East this year, that the stock of choice apricots now left 

 here is exceedingly light; and parties who have held the goods at home 

 are now realizing in this market prices far in advance of their neighbors 

 who have consigned East. The sale of dried fruit as yet is principally con- 

 fined to the United States; but shipments are being made from time to 

 time to foreign markets, which generally have been duplicated. If we can 

 once get the California apricot into Europe at a reasonable price, there will 

 be no limit to the consumption. 



Sun-dried Pears. — Only a small quantity of this fruit this year has been 

 dried; but the demand for pears nowadays seems to be quite light, and 

 the quantity turned out will likely be sufficient to meet the demand. The 

 ordinary sun-dried pears are going out of favor, and the bleached pears 

 are taking their place. We repeat our suggestion — that all sun-dried pears 

 should be bleached. 



Sun-dried Peaches. — The crop this year has been good, and of excep- 

 tionally fine quality. We are now referring to the sun-dried unbleached 

 peaches, in sacks, principally cured by the Chinese. There have been so 

 many of the bleached unpeeled peaches this year that the ordinary sun- 

 dried unpeeled have been dull in sale; and there is a fairly liberal stock 

 still remaining on hand here. Prices have sunk to such a figure that it 

 has been difficult to determine why the goods have not gone more generally 

 into consumption. The prices at which they can be obtained at present 

 are certainly low enough for any one. We are of the opinion ourselves 



