TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL FRTIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



13 



AFTER1TOOE" SESSION —FIRST DAT. 



Tuesday, December 12, 1899. 



Topics for the Day: Review of the Year's Fruit Shipments; 



Distribution, Marketing, and Increasing the Con- 

 sumption of Fruit and Fruit Products. 



At 1:30 o'clock p. m. the convention reassembled, President Cooper in 

 the chair. 



REPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA FRUIT GROWERS AND SHIP- 

 PERS' ASSOCIATION. 



By COL. H. WEINSTOCK, of Sacramento, President and General Manager. 



The importance of widely distributing California fruits in the largest 

 number of Eastern markets and avoiding gluts in a few large centers, 

 seems to be keenly appreciated by growers and shippers, as evidenced 

 by the larger shipments this year to smaller markets, and the opening 

 of new markets in interior places — which, in the report, are grouped 

 under the heading "minor points" — thus in the interest of the grower, 

 preventing the gluts so common before the creation of this association. 

 The consignments to foreign markets have also greatly increased — from 

 42 cars shipped by rail in 1896 to England alone, to 124 cars in 1899, 

 shipped to England, Scotland, Germany, and Mexico. 



In the early spring it was the opinion of the best informed growers 

 and shippers that the largest yield of fruit California ever produced 

 would be harvested this year; but the late frost, wind, and rain proved 

 disastrous to the cherries and apricots, and the early rains and unfavor- 

 able conditions, to the grapes. The shipments of peaches, however, 

 were double that of any year since 1894. The shipments of plums and 

 prunes increased 63 per cent over last year. The shipments of apples 

 decreased nearly 20 per cent, while the shipments of pears during the 

 past four years have varied but slightly. The total shipments of 1899 

 exceeded that of 1898 by 1,862 cars — an increase of 37 per cent. 



The California Fruit Growers and Shippers' Association has continued 

 to successfully carry on the work delegated to it by the Growers, assem- 

 bled in convention in 1894: — maintaining union auction rooms, at each 

 Eastern auction point, free and open to all buyers, thus getting all the 

 buyers and all the fruit under one roof, at one time, and thereby secur- 

 ing the very highest market price for the fruit. The Bureau of Infor- 

 mation has continued the publication of the daily bulletin, giving in 

 tabulated form the report of the railroad companies, of the daily Eastern 



