THE CUBA REVIEW. 



25 



CUBAN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 



Few Cuban Oranges — Vegetables in Plenty and of Fine Quality — Talks With 



Commission Merchants. 



THERE have been very few Cuban or- 

 anges received thus far this season, 

 and perhaps it is just as well, as low 

 prices have ruled, for there is a glut in 

 the New York marKet of oranges. They 

 have been coming from Porto Rico, Flor- 

 ida, Nassau and Jamaica, and are all poor 

 in quality, those from Porto Rico especially 

 so, having been picked too early, and bring- 

 ing small prices, as low as $1 per box. 

 Plorida had a severe 'drought early in the 

 year, and a few weeks ago the thermometer 

 in some sections registered 35 degrees, 

 which alarmed many and caused growers 

 to hurriedly pick their fruit and ship it 

 north before more disastrous weather should 

 arrive. It is believed the Florida season 

 will be prolonged, and shipments made 

 later than usual. There has been some 

 Cuban grape-frnit in the market since Oc- 

 tober, and at that time it brought $5 per 

 box, but the price has steadily 'decreased 

 until prices are now about one-half. To the 

 question as to salable sizes, one merchant 

 said g6s should never be packed, being too 

 small; 46s and 64s are the best salable 

 sizes, with 80s as a limit. Cuban pineapples 

 oi course, have long had a market, and 

 the past season the highest prices ever 

 known were secured. Formerly there were 

 months when Cuban pineapples could not 

 be had, but now they are never out of the 

 market. 



The merchants generally speak in high 

 terms of Cuban vegetables, saying ship- 

 ments leave nothing to be desired, while 

 in packing the American growers in Cuba 

 are in many ways superior to the Florida 

 shippers. Tomatoes, eggplants and peppers 

 are arriving in good volume, and private 

 advices indicate that shipments this season 

 from Cuba of tomatoes alone will, if favor- 

 able weather conditions continue, reach 

 350,000 crates. The prices reached were 

 $1.50 for ordinary and $2 and $2.75 for 

 first-class and fancy. Some shipments of 

 tomatoes were encased in an inside paste- 

 board box which gave very much addi- 

 tional protection and brought the product to 

 the market unharmed, where other ship- 

 ments were frozen. Because of present 

 plentiful domestic stock, Cuban peppers, 

 eggplants and okra are bringing low prices, 

 but these are bound to advance. 



Peppers brought SOc. to $1 per box; egg- 

 plants, $1 to $1.50 per box; okra, $1 to $2 

 per carrier, and squash, $1.25 to $1.50 per 

 box. 



Many called attention to the earliness 

 of the vegetable arrivals from Cuba, mer- 



* A very valuable article along these lines writ- 

 ten for THE CUBA REVIEW by H. H. Hume, 

 appeared In the September number. 



chants receiving shipments in November 

 v/hich usually arrived in December and 

 January. The first shipment this year from 

 the Guines section was 5,000 crates of to- 

 matoes in November, a month ahead of 

 time. Much additional acreage is being 

 piepared in the Herradura section, and 

 there will be some large shipments from 

 there soon. Descriptions follow of spe- 

 cific consignments and prices for La Gloria 

 and Ceballos fruit. 



CEBALLOS FRUIT— COURTIN & 

 GOLDEN CO.— One carload of grape- 

 fruit of the second and third grades 

 was received week ending December 7 and 

 another of first grade during the week of 

 December 14. No oranges were sent from 

 this company's plantations, as the bulk of 

 the crop can easily be sold at remunerative 

 prices in near-by markets. Ciego de Avila, 

 a city of 3,000 inhabitants, distant some 

 eight miles from Ceballos, alone takes a 

 great quantity. The grape fruit was of 

 good flavor and appearance and was sold 

 to private parties from $2.25 up to $3.25 

 per box, said a commission merchant. Ex- 

 perience has determined that grape fruit 

 running from 46 to 64 are the most sal- 

 able. They can be retailed more readily, 

 and at attractive prices, usually two for 25 

 cents, the public taking to them better than 

 to the larger and more expensive fruit. 



At this writing, December 10, the market 

 is glutted with Florida and Porto Rico 

 oranges and low prices rule. A few weeks 

 ago the thermometer in Florida registered 

 35 degrees and, fearing a freeze, many 

 growers hastily picked the fruit and sent 

 it north. As a result there is much poor 

 fruit with correspondingly poor prices. The 

 money stringency is also helping to create 

 stagnation. 



THE ARTHUR COURTIN CO. — 

 "We are receiving oranges and grape- 

 fruit from La Gloria, and last week 

 disposed of 145 boxes. The oranges 

 were fine, good color, form, size 

 and flavor. They were equal to 

 Florida fruit, but owing to indifferent pack- 

 ing and perhaps to the voyage, 20 per cent, 

 were decayed. Cuba is young in the citrus 

 fruit business," continued Mr. Courtin, 

 "and the growers have much to learn re- 

 garding picking, grading and packing.* The 

 prices secured for the oranges ranged from 

 $165 to $1.15 per box, which was consider- 

 ably below the prices received for Florida 

 fruit. Grape fruit fared better, prices re- 

 ceived being $2.10 per box." 



