The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-12-28
Mar keting Our Orange CroD-Thc
Florida Fruit Exchange.

J Mar keting Our Orange CroD-Thc
/ Florida Fruit Exchange.
Editor of Che PALATKA NEWS:
Your paper has ably and usefully adj
/ vocated the interests of Florida, and
am sure your desire is to promote those
/ interests in the best manner possible.
| We all recognize the fact that the fruit
! growing interest in East Florida il one
of paramount importance. 1t has built
up our cities. advanced the price of our
lands, caused the construction of rail
ways, and brought 70 our State a large
and intelligent class of people who have
invested a vast amount of capital in
orange groves. Orange growing Is con-
fined to three States, Florida, Louisiana
and California. The portions of Lou
! isiana and California suited to the pro-
duction of oranges Is but lipnited, and
Florida has virtually the only large area
of country where tbs fruit can be profit
ably produced. Competition comes from
Italy and the West Indies. Oranges have
only been sent In quantities from Florida
for shout six years, the first three years
at remunerative prices, which stimu-
lated the planting of groves and the eX-
tension of orange culture. Two years
ago the amount of Florida fruit sent to
market was, owing to the glut Occa-
stoned by bad distribution, and the CON
| sequent efforts of consignecs to get rid of
| the fruit at any price, sold at a ruinously
| low price, and general alarm prevailed as
10 ,rftt Of ON Nrgr
1t was at this period that the fruit
| growers met at Jacksonville and organ
| lied an association for their mutual ben
! eft and protection. They had become
satisfied that unless they united and had
full cooperation with each other the
depression in the fruit business would
increase from year to year. They or
| ganized under the laws of the State as a
corporation, with capital of 100000.
and called themselves the Fruit Elk
change. The president, directors and
stockholders We're fruit growers. 1t was
| organized to help all the fruit growing
interests of the State. and invited the CO.
operation of all. In the list of stock
holders | send you you viii recognize the
names of some of the largest fruit grow
| ers in the State and those largest engaged
in fruit raising. 1t is just here that /
desire that you should satisfy yourself of
the character of this organization. In
your editorial of the 22d you say, We
like the Fruit Exchange well enough,
and would be glad to see it succeed, but
confess that we do not approve fully of
the plan for disposing of our fruit, and
have not the faith that the methods will
win in the end. 1t Is another 'hidNc
man, an honest one beyond doubt, and
that is about all that can be said in lite
| favor"
Referring to the last sentence in which
| you say it is another middle man., i
think you do the members of the Fruit
Exchange injustice in so CHASING our or.
ganization. We are fruit growers, not Il
fruit commission house. We are organ
lied to sell our own fruit to the best adj
vantage We have no desire or expecta-
ton of making a profit in handling the
fruit. We charge at present commits
sion of ten per cent. to ourselves and
others to defray the expenses of our or
ganzation and of the handling, care and
sale of the fruit. The commission
merchants charge ten per cent. for the
sale ONLY. We, IN addition to the selling
of the fruit, keep agents to receive it,
see it properly loaded on suitable cars,
and lroperly handled when it reaches its
destination. We guarantee the sale and
make prompt returns; we assume al
shortages, stealing and overcharges; we
save the shipper on all fruit shipped to
Western markets "a to ~ cents box IN
freight, sending forward the fruit in
any quantity which may be shipped &c
us at carload rates. which the commits
sion men cannot do. In other words,
we are doing everything we can for our
| selves, the fruit growers and shippers
| at the actual cost, without profit. A
| commission merchant, dealing in var
ious articles of produce, eggs, potatoes,
etc. has no interest in Florida fruits eN-
cept his commission of ten per cent.
and difference of - cents per box gives
him but - cents, which he Will natu-
rally not take much trouble to earn,
while the Fruit Exchange endeavors TO
obtain this additional % cents for Its
members and patrons. l think you will
readily see the difference between an as
ISOLATION of our own people, fruit grow
ers acting together in this way, and
.smiddle men," who buy as low as they
can from the producer and sell as high as
they can to the consumer. We are not
middle men" but the producers dealing
directly with the consumers.
As to the other point of our methods
and adopting the auction plan, l will
saw In the outset that we have some six
teen agents of the Fruit Exchange sta
toned in theprincipal cities of the North
and West. That we sell fruit at auction
in but four of these cities. we found
that the great bulk of the foreign fruit
from the West Indies and the Mediter-
ranean came to New York and Boston.
That for fifty years all foreign oranges
and lemons had been sold at auction in
these cities. We carefully Investigated
the advantages and disadvantages of the
auction plan on the spot, we consulted
| with the most experienced fruit dealers
and became satisfied that In these cities