Los Angeles herald., 1891-01-23
A FLORIDA SCHEME.
HOW THE GROWERS THERE MAR
KET THEIR ORANGES
The Home Market Success The Auc-
tion Sale System Introduced Where
the Fruit is Grown.

In view of the agitation here of the
best means of handling oranges for mar
ket, some information as to the way the
Florida growers have solved the diff
Guilty may be OF interest.
The Florida Agriculturisto of December
18th contains an interesting article on
the Home Market for Oranges"
The article recites the failure OF the
consignment system Of sales, the disad-
vsntages Of shipping to great markets
like New York for disposal at auction,
and the bad features Of growers selling
individually to buyers whocome to their
groves.
buyers came to tile state and purchased
the greater portion Of The crop, and they
are here again prepared to buy more ex-
tensively. What brought them here !?
unquestionably the opening of the.
home market. Manager Mann an
nounced the first sale for December
1887, calling a convention of growers
and dealers at the same time to witness
the first sale and purchase of oranges at
auction in Florida. Good prices were
obtained and successful sales were held
regularly thereafter throughout the sea-
son. The next year buyers did not dare
come during the early part of the sea-
son owing to the recent epidemic; con-
signment was the only alternative, and
the results were more disastrous than
ever, on the whole, in fact, did not paw
the expenses Of picking and packing.
In February sales were commenced
ovr<1 sx>1
ten days, gluts cleared away and fine
prices ruled for the balance Of the sea-
son.
The gre atest difficulty encountered
was that, while all responsible dealers
desired to see consignment abolished.
nearly all had the fear, that if they
were to come and buy for their market,
our people would consign sufficient
amount Of fruit to other houses to break
the market, and subject those who pur-
chased to a severe loss. Prior to the
opening of the season of 1889-90, Man
ager Mann visited the principal dealers
of the country with the special
mission of convincing them that
our people would not consign,
il they could sell at home. So we'll did
he succeed, that the Florida Orange
Growers and Dealers Protective assO-
citation was organized, and its members,
leading dealers in all the great markets,
pledged themselves to buy only in the
"Home Market" As Z result, the
state was overrun with buyers last
season, over two-thirds of the entire
crop being sold at home at better prices
than had been realized for some years
before. This put an end to consign-
ment.
The "Home Market" to be q success
in the fullest sense, must have the sup
port OF all the growers. This could not
at first be obtained. because many OF
them doubted the coming OF the buyers.
The buyers have come; this doubt is
dispelled, and another year must find
us all working together. ~.
The dealers are going to buy and dis
tribute the crops this is an established
fact. Shall we sell 1t the grove or at
auction Shall each man so for himself,
selling for what he can get, or shall we
mass the fruit and let the buyers pub
iicly compete for 1t and get the highest
price at which any part of the country
can use it? No grower can possibly be
posted as to the markets or the full
value of his fruit. The buyer who comes
to him is posted and will only buy in
case he gets bargain. It don't work
both ways. A sale at the grove always
means good bargain for the buyer.
The buyer is speculator and must
have large profit to cover his expenses,
which are heavy. When tha grower
realizes he has it all to pay tor, he
naturally asks how he can save the
heavy draught on his legitimate profit,
of which such sales rob him? The an
swer comes: Send your fruit to the or
angc auction, where all can see and bid
for 1t, and get every cent of it's value
If this is done by all the growers, they
have the market under their own con-
troll and can feed it as they choose and
make their own price.
OF the vastamount of fruit sold by the
Home Market" last season, not over
two cars went to New York, and not over
one went to Boston; very little went to
Philadelphia; yet at every sale buyers
were present from the best houses in
those cities, but said they could not buy,
as prices were greater here on the same
fruit than in their market. Yet GER
tain home company sent the largest por-
tion of all they handled to these points,
and most of the consignment went the
same way, induced by fictitious quota
tions. All must see that snch fruit was
soid at loss as compared with prices at
Last season we netted our patrons
1921 q box, figure that exceeds
returns from any other source,
and we have reason to believe
we can do much better this year.
The growers appreciate this. It is
useless to try to disguise the fact that
that is a deepening conviction on the
part of the growers that0 Home Mar
ket" they have the solution of their
marketing difficulties. We ehall handle
this season about all the fruit not sold
atthe grove, and also large portion
OF the sold fruit, as spectators find our
average prices better than they obtain
outside. u
It's an encouraging sign Of the times
that our people are beginning to see the
necessity of acting together, to success
fully oppose oppression. Home Mar
ket" has done much for our, people, but
its mission for good will not be COM
pleted until the growers. Of Florida or
anges act az one man. The ssHome
Market was organized to do this; it
has been working steadily in this line.
and will continue the work until success
shall crown its efforts.
& No Wreck Ashore
Was ever more hopelessly stranded than
wrecked constitution, whether its dtsealer be \