Part 5

With accumulated supplies in many cities, white potato markets were slow and weak. A further decrease of 275 cars in last week’s shipments, however, may tend to strengthen this line. Peaches also showed declines of 50¢-$1 under a peak movement of 2,100 cars. Cantaloupe markets tended to advance and watermelons were nearly steady, even though shipments of the latter crop jumped nearly 500 cars over the preceding week. Movement of grapes and pears continued to gain, especially from California. The grape season is later than usual in central California, but probably 20,000 cars of grapes will come from that territory this year.

APPLE SHIPMENTS DECREASE.

With the cleaning up of early summer apples, there was a decrease of nearly 120 cars in the shipments of that commodity. Further losses occurred in the movement of lettuce and tomatoes; in fact, only 230 cars of tomatoes were shipped from producing sections compared with 500 cars the week before. The only marked increase in lettuce movement was from Colorado. Onion shipments showed a reaction from the previous week and decreased to about 300 cars. Movement of sweet potatoes is becoming more active as the season advances, and jobbing sales of Alabama stock in bushel hampers declined 25¢ in Chicago and Cincinnati, closing at $1‒$1.25.

_Apples._—California apples are becoming a prominent feature of the market, shipments from that State having been six times greater than the week before. Northwestern stock is moving in a small way, Washington growers having forwarded 14 cars and Oregon growers one car last week. New York early varieties also started to roll to consuming centers, but the season is somewhat later in that section than it was last year. Michigan shipped more apples than any other State during the week. Various varieties from producing districts near Chicago jobbed in that market at 50¢-$l per bu., a decline of nearly $1 a basket. Eastern red apples brought $1‒$1.25 in New York City.

_Peaches._—Most markets reported heavy arrivals of peaches. St. Louis received 294 cars, Chicago 267 cars, New York 281 cars, and other large eastern cities about 150 cars each. Liberal supplies, combined with much stock in poor condition, caused the wholesale market for Georgia Elbertas to fall to a level of $2‒$2.75 per crate or bushel basket. Best Elbertas from North Carolina closed at $2.25‒$2.50. Arkansas stock held firm in St. Louis at $2‒$2.25 but was weak in Chicago. Shipments from North Carolina were twice as heavy as during the preceding week, totaling more than 700 cars. Nearly 1,300 cars have already come from that State this season. Arkansas sent almost 600 cars to market during the week. Movement from Georgia decreased about 70%, but the season is becoming very active in Illinois, Tennessee, and Oklahoma, as well as in the Middle Atlantic sections. Early varieties from eastern States sold in leading wholesale markets at $1.50‒$2 per bu. Tennessee Elbertas ranged as high as $3‒$3.25 in Cincinnati and Cleveland, but were $1 lower in Chicago because of the oversupplied market.

PRICES OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

Jobbing Range.

POTATOES, Virginia Eastern Shore Irish Cobblers, No. 1—Barrels.

─────────────┬────────────┬─────────────────────────────┬────────────── Market. │ Week’s │ │ │ carlot │ │ │ arrivals. │ This season. │One year ago. ─────────────┼────────────┼──────────────┬──────────────┼────────────── │ │ July 31. │ July 24. │ ─────────────┼────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼────────────── New York │ 447│ $1.50‒1.75│ $2.75‒3.00│ $4.25‒4.50 Boston │ 168│ 2.75‒3.00│ 3.75‒4.00│ 5.25‒5.50 Philadelphia │ 160│ 1.50‒1.75│ 2.50‒2.65│ 4.00‒4.50 Baltimore │ 41│ 1.75‒2.00│ 2.75‒3.25│ 4.50 Pittsburgh │ 210│ 2.65│ 3.40‒3.50│ 5.10‒5.25 Cincinnati │ 40│ 3.00‒3.25│ 4.00│ [17]3.00‒3.15 Chicago │ 378│ [18]2.75‒3.00│ [18]3.75‒3.80│ [18]5.50 St. Louis │ 72│ 3.50│ 4.00│ Kansas City │ 93│ [19].75‒1.00│ [19]1.25‒1.50│ [19]1.00‒1.25 ─────────────┴────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────

WATERMELONS, Georgia and Carolina Tom Watsons, medium sizes—Bulk per car.

─────────────┬────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬────────────── New York │ 169│ $200‒350│ $200‒350│ $200‒250 Boston │ 45│ [20].35‒.45│ [20].20‒.40│ [20].30‒.50 Philadelphia │ 142│ 175‒375│ 150‒275│ 200‒300 Baltimore │ 204│ 250‒350│ 275‒425│ Pittsburgh │ 82│ 200‒350│ 500│ 225‒350 Cincinnati │ 65│ [21]15‒40│ [21]20‒45│ [21]20‒25 Chicago │ 170│ 240‒425│ 215‒450│ [22]325‒375 St. Louis │ 122│ [22]220│ 140‒175│ 250‒300 Kansas City │ 102│ [23]1.50‒2.00│ [23]2.00‒2.50│ ─────────────┴────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────

CANTALOUPES, California and Arizona Salmon Tints—Standards 45’s.

─────────────┬────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬────────────── New York │ 420│ $2.75‒3.00│ $2.50‒2.75│ $3.50‒3.75 Boston │ 99│ 2.75‒3.00│ 2.75‒3.00│ 4.00‒4.25 Philadelphia │ 88│ 2.75‒3.00│ 1.7.5‒2.25│ 3.00 Baltimore │ 8│ │ 1.75‒2.00│ 2.50 Pittsburgh │ 108│ 2.75‒3.00│ 2.00‒2.25│ 3.50‒4.00 Cincinnati │ 41│ 2.00‒2.25│ 2.25‒2.50│ 3.00 Chicago │ 267│ 2.50‒2.75│ 2.00‒2.25│ 2.75‒3.00 St. Louis │ 65│ [24]1.00‒1.50│ 2.25‒2.50│ [24]2.00 Kansas City │ 82│ [24]2.00│ 1.50‒1.75│ [24]3.00 ─────────────┴────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────

PEACHES, Georgia Elbertas—Sixes and bushel baskets.

─────────────┬────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬────────────── New York │ 281│ $2.50‒2.75│ $2.75‒3.00│ $4.00‒4.25 Boston │ 159│ 2.00‒2.50│ 3.25‒4.50│ 5.00‒5.25 Philadelphia │ 125│ 2.00‒2.25│ 2.75‒3.25│ 3.75‒4.25 Baltimore │ 65│ 2.50│ 2.75‒3.25│ 4.00‒4.25 Pittsburgh │ 127│ 2.25‒2.50│ 2.75‒3.25│ 3.50‒4.00 Cincinnati │ 43│ 2.50‒2.75│ 3.00│ 4.00 Chicago │ 267│ 2.00‒2.25│ 3.00‒3.50│ 3.75‒4.00 St. Louis │ 294│ [25]2.00‒2.25│ 2.00‒2.25│ 4.50‒5.00 Kansas City │ 110│ [26]1.50‒1.75│ 2.75‒3.00│ [25]4.50 ─────────────┴────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────

APPLES, various Early Red varieties—Bushel baskets.

─────────────┬────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬────────────── New York │ 88│ $1.00‒1.25│ $1.25‒1.50│ Boston │ 22│ 1.50‒1.75│ 1.50‒1.75│ $3.50‒4.00 Baltimore │ 3│ 1.25‒1.50│ 1.25‒1.50│ Pittsburgh │ 67│ 1.25‒1.35│ 1.50│ Chicago │ 107│ [26].50‒1.00│ [26]1.50‒1.75│ 2.00‒3.00 ─────────────┴────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────

Prices f. o. b. Shipping Points.

──────────────────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬────────────── POTATOES (100 lbs.) │ │ │ Minneapolis, Minn. │ $0.85‒0.95│ $1.00‒1.10│ $1.10‒1.25 Kaw Valley, Kans. │ .85│ .65‒.85│ South Jersey Points │ 1.00‒1.05│ 1.50│ 2.60 North Jersey Points │ .95‒1.00│ 1.35│ 2.50‒2.60 Kearney, Nebr. │ │ 1.55│ 1.95 Onley, Va. │ 1.75‒1.90│ 2.25‒2.50│ 4.40‒4.50 │ │ │ WATERMELONS (cars). │ │ │ Macon, Ga. │ 100‒200│ 75‒175│ 40‒100 Sulphur Springs, Tex. │ [11].40‒.60│ [27].45‒.85│ Kennett, Mo. │ 100‒160│ │ 200‒390 ──────────────────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────

_Cantaloupes._—Sales of cantaloupes were made at advances over the previous week in most consuming centers, far western Salmon Tints ranging $2.50‒$3 per standard crate except in Cincinnati, where low mark of $2 was reached. Arizona shipped only 60 cars and Imperial Valley 25, compared with their combined total of 300 cars the week before. The Turlock section, however, showed an increase of 100% in movement, supplying more cantaloupes than any other producing district. Cantaloupes moved more freely from Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Arkansas shipments fell below 100 cars and supplies from the Carolinas are about cleaned up. In the West, the Las Cruces section of New Mexico has become active. Pink Meats from that territory, flats 12’s and 15’s, brought $1.15 in Chicago. On the Atlantic coast, Delaware started with a weekly movement of 60 cars. Maryland furnished almost 400 cars of cantaloupes, and standard crates of Green Meats from that State jobbed in Baltimore at $1.25‒$1.50. New York reported sales at a like figure. Indiana Salmon Tints closed at $1.50‒$2 in Middle Western cities.

POTATO SHIPMENTS HEAVY.

_White Potatoes._—Wholesale prices of potatoes slumped considerably during the week, probably as a result of liberal supplies. Although the week’s shipments showed a decrease, arrivals on the New York market were nearly 550 cars. Chicago received about 400 cars. No. 1 Irish Cobblers from the Eastern Shore of Virginia reached a low point of $1.50 per bbl. in nearby cities, a loss of $1 or more. At the same time last year the jobbing price was $4‒$4.50. Car-lot sales in Chicago averaged about $3 last week. Kansas sacked Cobblers, many dirty, closed at $1.15‒$1.25 per 100 lbs. The Chicago range on partly graded Early Ohios was 85¢ for Kaw Valley stock, $1‒$1.15 for Minnesota stock, and $1.25 for Nebraska stock. New Jersey Cobblers, in 150‒lb. sacks, jobbed at $1.25‒$2 per sack in important eastern markets.

Jersey shipping points were reported dull and slow at the close of the week, although shipments from that section exceeded those from any other State, having amounted to almost 1,400 cars, compared with 530 the previous week. Eastern Shore of Virginia shipments filled only 1,100 cars, a decline of 400, and the Eastern Shore of Maryland marketed less than 500 cars of potatoes last week. Movement from Kaw Valley declined sharply. The season in the Kearney district of Nebraska was not yet in full swing.

_Watermelons._—There was little change in the jobbing price of watermelons. Georgia shippers handled 50% more business than during the week ending July 22, but the season in that section will not last long. As the movement waned in South Carolina it became more active in North Carolina, about 275 cars having come from the latter State. Southeast Missouri is coming along fast. From the Sulphur-Springs-Omaha district of Texas about 1,000 cars of watermelons are expected, and the Weatherford district may ship 600 cars. Texas melons will be most abundant the first week of August, rainy weather having delayed the season in north Texas.

_Cabbage._—New York shipped its first car of cabbage last week, as did Michigan, also. About 80% of the week’s supply, however, came from Iowa and the Roanoke section of Virginia, each of those sections having furnished about 60 cars. Colorado cabbage also is becoming plentiful. In five counties of southern Michigan the cabbage acreage is estimated at 1,285 acres, compared with 590 acres in 1921. About 1,400 acres are reported from Saginaw County in northern Michigan.

Special Fruit Trains Bring Berries from Northwest.

Berries grown in the Puget Sound region of the Northwest are served on breakfast tables in Chicago 80 hours after being picked as a result of the establishment of a special express refrigerator train service operating on passenger schedule between the Pacific Northwest and Chicago.

Previously these fresh fruits were marketed in the locality in which they were grown or they were shipped in single cars by express to eastern markets; but in the last few years the development of the berry industry has been so rapid in the Northwest that additional outlets had to be found. The special train service which has been inaugurated is meeting this situation very successfully. Berries of various kinds are arriving daily in Chicago from the White Salmon, Yakima, Puyallup, and Walla Walla valleys, from Vashon Island, Puget Sound, and from Lewiston, Idaho.

In the production centers the berries are rushed by motor truck and interurban car to the refrigerator cars on the railroad sidings every afternoon. The cars are loaded, iced, and hurried on passenger schedule to Spokane where they are united into a special fruit train. Early in the morning the train pulls out from Spokane for the East. These trains are iced five times between the Pacific coast and Chicago and make no other stops. Recently train loads of red raspberries have been arriving in Chicago every day. Loganberries also have been abundant, but the larger part of the supply has been raspberries. Arrivals were at the rate of two cars per day during the latter part of July.

Most shipments have carried through in fine condition, with only a few packages showing decay or mold. The berries are all packed in 24‒pt. crates which are only a single layer deep, instead of three layers deep as are the Michigan red raspberries. The quality of the raspberries has been fine, the berries being large and of a desirable red color. A few black raspberries, blackberries, and red currants have also come from the Northwest, but only as parts of cars. These have likewise been attractively packed and were of good quality, having shown but little decay.

CARLOAD SHIPMENTS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

─────────────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬──────── Commodity. │ │ Same │Previous│ This │ Last │ │ Week │ week │ week │ season │ season │ Total │ ending │ last │ this │to July │to July │ last │July 29.│season. │season. │ 29. │ 29. │season. ─────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼──────── Apples │ 521│ 542│ 639│ 3,091│ 1,176│ 88,544 Cabbage │ 151│ 161│ 126│ 17,208│ 12,843│ 31,222 Cantaloupes │ 1,801│ 1,704│ 1,830│ 19,268│ 16,868│ 25,572 Celery │ 55│ 35│ 65│ 5,030│ 4,344│ 11,642 Grapes │ 108│ 167│ 62│ 207│ 337│ 37,203 Lettuce │ 302│ 334│ 329│ 16,926│ 14,385│ 18,300 Onion │ 323│ 423│ 388│ 7,597│ 6,669│ 20,784 Peaches │ 2,101│ 1,600│ 1,771│ 10,813│ 14,353│ 27,222 Pears │ 648│ 612│ 455│ 1,216│ 1,367│ 12,823 Potatoes: │ │ │ │ │ │ Sweet │ 139│ 135│ 84│ 347│ 165│ 19,266 White │ 3,873│ 3,604│ 4,147│ 46,672│ 39,081│ 238,138 Tomatoes │ 230│ 339│ 498│ 17,846│ 11,883│ 17,204 Vegetables, mixed│ 626│ 427│ 663│ 11,013│ 9,346│ 15,566 Watermelons │ 3,653│ 5,377│ 3,184│ 34,596│ 31,106│ 46,463 ─────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼──────── Total │ 14,531│ 15,460│ 14,241│ 191,830│ 163,923│ 609,949 ─────────────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────

Chicago an Important Market for Raspberries and Small Fruits.

Large supplies of raspberries and loganberries have recently been arriving on the Chicago market from the Pacific Northwest. Special train service has been provided by one of the leading railroads, so that these highly perishable fruits come through in record time and in good condition.

According to reports of a Chicago representative of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, prices of Northwestern red raspberries have ranged from $3 per 24‒pt. crate to as high as $4.50 per crate for the best stock at the beginning of the season. The average price has been around $3.50‒$4 for good stock, with a fairly steady market.

At this season of the year in Chicago most of the small fruit competition is from Michigan. Heavy supplies of Michigan blackberries, red raspberries, black raspberries, and blueberries have been coming in during July. There has also been a liberal supply of red currants and gooseberries. The following table shows the jobbing prices of these fruits in comparison with berries from the Northwest and from New York:

────────────────────────────┬───────────────┬─────────────── Source and kind of fruit. │Size of crate. │ Price. ────────────────────────────┼───────────────┼─────────────── Northwest red raspberries │24‒pint │ $3.50‒4.00 S. Michigan red raspberries │24‒pint │ 2.50‒3.50 N. Michigan red raspberries │24‒pint │ 3.00‒3.75 Michigan black raspberries │24‒pint │ 1.50‒2.25 Michigan black raspberries │16‒quart │ 2.00‒2.50 Michigan blackberries │16‒quart │ 1.75‒2.50 Michigan gooseberries │16‒quart │ 2.00‒2.50 Michigan currants (large) │16‒quart │ 2.75‒3.25 Michigan currants (small) │16‒quart │ 2.00‒2.50 Michigan blueberries │16‒quart │ 3.00‒4.50 New York currants (red) │32‒quart │ 4.00‒6.00 New York red raspberries │48‒pint │ 3.25 Michigan sweet cherries │16‒quart │ 1.00‒3.50 ────────────────────────────┴───────────────┴───────────────

Black raspberries from Michigan have not sold as high as reds this season, although in many seasons they sell at the same levels. Currants and gooseberries have varied widely in price. Blueberries have been in good demand.

New York has shipped a large volume of red currants to Chicago in 32‒qt. crates and these have ranged $4‒$6, depending on the quality, condition, and the market. One car of New York State Columbia red raspberries, shipped from Clyde, Wayne County, has arrived to date and sold at $3.25 per 48‒pt. crate. This stock was of fine quality but in rather poor condition.

Practically all of the sour cherry supply comes from Michigan, packed in 16‒qt. crates and, after the first few Early Richmonds, consists principally of Montmorency and a few English Morello. Wisconsin also ships a few cars of Montmorency in the same package. Odd lots of sweet cherries in 16‒qt. boxes come from Michigan. These for the most part vary widely in quality and condition and are not graded well enough or handled carefully enough to compete with the well-packed sweet cherries, principally Royal Annes and Bings, from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. Most of them are Black Tartarians, Windsors, Bings, and Napoleons (same cherry as the western Royal Anne). The price has had the exceedingly wide range of $1‒$3.50 per 16‒qt. crate.

Report on Cabbage and Onions in New York.

Reports from the field service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture for the date of July 25 contain the following information concerning commercial cabbage and onions in New York:

_Cabbage._—The acreage planted to cabbage in the eastern portion of the cabbage belt in Cortland, Chenango, Madison, and eastern Onondaga Counties and in some sections of the western counties has increased greatly over 1921, but for the State as a whole the acreage is probably not far from average. The percentage of the acreage in late cabbage is larger than usual. Rain has delayed planting and damaged cabbage on low ground but has prevented aphis damage, so that the average condition of the crop is good throughout the State.

New York ranks first among the States in production of commercial cabbage and Ontario County first among the counties of the State. This county will begin to ship cabbage by Aug. 15, but most of the crop is late.

_Onions._—Harvesting of early onions in Orange County began July 15, but the main crop will move between Aug. 10 and Sept. 1. Best yields may reach 400 to 500 bus. per acre but rains have reduced the probable average for the county to 275 bus. and perhaps to 250 bus.

Growers and Dealers Expect Good Potato Crop in New Jersey.

Growers and dealers in the northern and southern potato sections of New Jersey are optimistic over the prospects of this season’s potato crop, according to a report from the Philadelphia representative of the market news service conducted by the U. S. Department of Agriculture.

The weather has been almost ideal from the growing standpoint and prospects are for the best crop in respect to both quality and quantity that New Jersey has had in several years. This is true of all varieties, but especially of the Irish Cobblers and the Giants. Thus far the crop has been yielding 60‒80 bbls. per acre, mostly around 70 bbls., which is a good yield for so early in the season.

Although some fields, especially in north Jersey (Burlington, Mercer, and Monmouth Counties), show signs of late blight, this disease does not appear nearly so prevalent as during the past few years. In south Jersey (Salem and Cumberland Counties) very little of this disease has appeared.

The potato deal in all sections of the State opened generally about July 17. Contrary to custom, it looked as if the northern district would ship early potatoes more freely than the southern section. Very little of the stock seems to have been contracted.

There probably will be keen competition this season, especially in north Jersey, because three or four growers’ exchanges besides several large individual dealers are interested in the deal. In the southern district there is only the one exchange, but there are several large shippers.

Increasing quantities of potatoes are moving by truck from producing sections to New York City, Jersey City, Newark, and especially to the seashore cities. Many trucks are also being used for shipping to Pennsylvania cities, and the total truck movement probably will affect the season’s carlot shipments by several hundred cars. To July 29 about 2,060 cars of potatoes had been reported shipped from New Jersey, compared with 1,850 cars to the same date last year. Total shipments last season were almost 10,500 cars.

* * * * *

=The close-of-the-season movement= of Maine potatoes was twice as heavy as in June, 1921. Total shipments from that State have broken all records, amounting to approximately 40,000 carloads, or one-fifth of the entire late potato shipments of the United States.

_Grain_ WHEAT CONTINUED DOWNWARD TREND; CORN FAIRLY STEADY Receipts of Wheat Increased—Heavy Export Sales Continued—Oats Prices Dropped Off.

The steady decline which has prevailed in the wheat market for some time continued during the week ending July 29 when September wheat at Chicago closed at $1.08, 1⅜¢ lower than at the close of the previous week. The heaviest decline occurred on Monday, when September wheat closed at $1.07⅜. The market rallied somewhat toward the close of the week but did not regain the loss sustained during the early part of the week.