10 



The first shipment of the season reached New York February 25th 

 and was sold at $15 to $20 per dozen bunches of 2J pounds each. This 

 shipment was the first asparagus in the Eastern market, outside of a 

 very insignificant quantity grown under glass. 



In 1915 asparagus from South Carolina appeared in the New York 

 market during the week of March 12th; shipments from Georgia, the 

 next earliest, during the week of March 27th. With their appearance 

 the price of California asparagus was forced down, although it is much 

 preferred over its competitors. The season in New York lasted until the 

 end of April, when locallv-grown asparagus came into the market. [See 

 Appendix D for market quotations.] The prices in the New York 

 market ranged from 83 cents a pound (paid for the best of the first 

 shipment reaching there) to 7 cents on a "poor lot" sold during the 

 week of March 27th. The average prices were 42 to 27 cents a pound, 

 according to quality. 



Eastern shipments are made in "cones," wooden boxes with a capacity 

 of 12 bunches or 30 pounds net ; frequently, when not bunched, they con- 

 tain but 26 pounds. A supply of damp moss is put in the bottom of the 

 cone and waxed paper around the sides, which are several inches higher 

 than the stalks are long, so as to protect them. The butt end is packed 

 down so as to be in contact with the damp moss, to retain the freshness 

 of the asparagus. 



Shipments are made from Sacramento, Walnut Grove, Antioch and 

 San Francisco. - 



Market Conditions at San Francisco. During the season of 1915 

 there were received at San Francisco 321,048 boxes of asparagus, con- 

 taining approximately 16,052,800 pounds. This was brought from 

 points on the Sacramento, San Joaquin and Mokelumne rivers by steam- 

 boats of the three established lines, i. e., Southern Pacific Company, Cali- 

 fornia Transportation Company and California Navigation Company. 



Approximately 5,000 boxes were shipped from the San Joaquin sec- 

 tion of the delta to one of the San Francisco canneries by rail. There 

 were also 60,000 to 70,000 (say 65,000) boxes brought from points on 

 the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers to Oakland direct, these 

 shipments being divided between the retail market and canneries in 

 Oakland. 



The prevailing freight rate is 8J cents per box, with an added charge 

 of 1 cent for returning boxes empty. This indicates that the business is 

 worth some $40,000 per annum to the transportation companies. 



In addition to the above there is some locally-grown asparagus 

 brought into the city from points in Alameda County, notably Bay 

 Farms Island, and points on the "Peninsula," but these in the aggregate 

 are a negligible quantity and are absorbed by the local dealers. 



The San Francisco market absorbs daily from 1,500 boxes, during 

 the earlier part of the season, to 1,000 after the novelty has worn off. 

 The cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda and San Jose take from 1,200 

 to 800 more, the receipts over these figures being divided between the 

 canneries located in the city and the commission and jobbing houses 

 which do a shipping trade. Actual figures as to the division of the 1915 



