Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-10-18

The orange trade in New York Is
controlled by commission merchants.
The consumption ot the fruit has been
increasing steadily for years and the
| supply has hardly kept pace with the
demand. StiIl. prices remain about
/ the same and the grower makes little
money. Until recently he has been
content to let things keep along in the
old rut, growing occasionally at his
short income from his fine crop. but
charging it all up to hard times on GEN
eral principles. Recent investigation
has shown him that there is a certain
/ factor in his business which hitherto he
has overlooked, and the finding Of it
has wakcned him to new energy. This
factor Is the peculiar way in which
some commission merchants do busi-
ness, aS exposed by certain growers
| from Florida.
One OF these latter, now in this city.
| gives his experience with the trade.
"When my trees began to bear" he
says, al looked around for market.
and decided to send my crop to New
York. wrote to mddlemcn here and
received circulars in reply setting forth
] Nh' hbN auldStS lJpSStS,tN w lu' ono
and the other for dsposing Of the fruit
Selecting one. ! made him large CON
signment of as fine oranges as you
would care to see. They were in per
| feet condition, carefully graded and
| assorted, and should have reached
New York in excellent order. There
were one hundred boxes in the lot.
They ought to have brought me in
5000 When settlement was made
received Sis. with this statement:
Twenty boxes Al. at -, $40; "a boxes,
SECOND grade, at Sl.5U, S36 30 boxes
damaged, at II, $50; l6 UoNcs soft, .
at - cents, Sl2, and 10 boxes rotten, ,
no return. | was somewhat astOnish.
ed, but cOuldn't do or say anything.
| didn't see the fruit when it was re-
ceived, so had to accept the state
mCnt as correct
''Wcll, let things run along for sew.
cral years. shipping fine fruit and get
ting nothing for it, No matter how
sound the oranges were when they LETT
Florida they were seldom more than
20 per cent. accounted for rs first grade
| have quit the commission merchant
and with what result? This season !
nettcd -. 40 a box on my crop, wnil,
my neigh Dor, were making 81 90 in the
old way. My oranges now always ar
rive sound, and bring good prices. !
am here now to arrange Il little private
depot of my own, and have been look
Ing up and down town tor IA location.
l am doing 1t on the sly. | know that
| am watched by these dealers. | know
that they are ready to ruin me by com
petition, so shall keep quiet. What
is easier than to condemn few boxes
of sound oranges, get them for II song,
and sell them tor good prices? Eu? A
fine piece of business.
AS there no way to avoid such meth
ods?"
"Only one. Every man must sell his
own fruit"
But small growers cant afford to
do that here"
"Ihey re getting ready to do it. any
way. How? Why. we have organized
for that purpose. Growers, large and
small, have come together in Florida
and formed an association to be called
the orange exchange. Its general
headquarters will be at jacksonville,
and it will have salaricd agents in ev-
cry cily of respectable size, to whom
all the fruit will be consigned. The
grower will send his crop to the ex-
change, where it will be carefully as
sorted and graded, and shipped to the
best market. There will be no danger
of a glut anywhere. Ii New York is
supplied shipments will be stopped iu
that direction and sent to Chicago OF
Philadelphia. We think the plan will
work well. The organization is not
yet complete, but will be 10y the next
season. If it proves Il failure, and if !
ain whipped at my own little game by
the commission men, | shall quit the
orange business. shall 20 home. cut
down my trees, graft lemon CIons on
to the stock, and do nothing for four
years.
"Thcn WHAT"
"By that time the lemon shoots will
begin to bear, and shall get the fruit
to market"
GLOW do the Florida lemons rank?"
"Ihey're the best in the world. True,
that discovery has just been made, but
there never We're better lemons grown.
And they re more profitable than or
anges. When get - for the latter |
get $40 for lemons. Their chief value
is in the rlnd, which is used for making
extracts. Oh, there are more ways
than one Of catching fish. '-AetO York
Wt6uHe.