The morning call., 1893-10-07
MARKETING FRUIT.
The Subject Uppermost
With Raisers.
THE SAN JOSE GATHERING.
Leading Topics for the Consideration
of State Horticulturists at Their
Meeting This Month.

horticultural Society, which I3 called to
convene at San Jose in connection with
the Santa Clara County Fruit Exchange on
the 9th inst, promises TO be the most i'm
portant gathering Of frnit-growers held in
recent years. 1t is expected that the at
tendance Twill reach 400 or more and that
every district north of the Tehachapi
Mountains will be represented.
The September meeting OF the State
Horticultural Society was called for the
specific purpose of discussing the distant
marketing Of fruits. and so great was the
interest manifested that all present ex-
pressed the desire to devote the next meet
ing to the same topic and to proceed in
the matter by joining hands with the we'll
organized and successful horticulturists of
Santa Clara County.
"What will you probably bs able to
accomplish at the San Jose meetings"
secretary of the State Horti cultural So
cety, yesterday.
1--WE will take up the matter where wr
left off last week." said Mr.. LelOng "At
the beginning of the last fruit season the
service by the railroad company was g. ii
that could be asked, and l suppose the
reason why 1t was not 80 good later on
was on account of the lack of refrigerator
cars. There are 100 refrigerator cars III
the State, and l think twice that number
conld be profitably employed.
There is feeling among some fruit
growers that our society ought to ask Con-
gress to pass a law making all clauses III
contracts which waive loss by delay Illegal.
If car of frnit be delayed so long that the
fruit rots there is no recourse upon the
railroads and the freight charges are just
the same as though the shipment had been
handled promptly. On the other hand
there is feeling that the railroad COM
panieS have done very much for the fruit
growing interests of California; that they
voluntarily reduced rates. and that it lies
In their power either to wreck or save
our fresh-fruit business in the East. Per
haps the prevailing sentiment among the
fruit-growers of this State would lie TO
seek such relief as the industry requires
by persuasion. and that coercion would, if
not fatal, be preludicial to their own in
terests.
1T might be well enough at the meeting
to appoint a committee to confer with the
California Fruit and Transportation Com
pany requesting IL to build more cars pre-
paratory to next season and show it that
the investment in new cars cannot help
earning good dividends"
AT the last meeting of the State Horti-
cultural Society the principal question
find market for her fruits few years
hence when the product promises to he
dou ubled?" Upon this subject Mr.. Lelong
said:
$50 far California fruits have been sent
to large cities. A great many small places
bordering these large cities have never
seen our fruits, for the reason that there
throughout these regions. The California
Fruit Union aims 10 divide. the fruit In
those cities where there are markets for it,
but you must understand that there are
many other concerns that also ship con-
siderable fruit. This question has been
before our society for number of years,
and has been taken hold o. also by the
State Fruit-growers' convention each year.
and the conclusion reached is that the
fruit must be distributed in the East
through some organization to be hereafter
formed.
1.-The various fruit interests of this State
have been considering for some time the
establishment of houses in Chicago, New
York and Boston, with an idea OF making
our own concern-our own hnuse-the sup
ply depot not only for New York, Chicago
and Boston, but for the towns and the
country tributary TO those cities. and /
suppose the reason why this has not already
been taken up and put into practical opera
ton is that it would mean the putting
together, running and keeping oiled a vast
distributing machinery.
you must remember that while the
California Fruit Union has been in exist
ence eight years and started in with 4 great
many more hands against it than with il.
we have not raised large quantities of fresh
fruit for Eastern shipmentuntil within the
last five years. There seems TO be gen.
eral disposition among the fruit-growers
| toward distributing system. which shall
embrace all p0pulous districts where our
| products can be placed. 1t will be readily
| understood that large distributing center
| in the great cities and smaller distributing
| pOints-in towns of $4,000 to $4,000 people
all the way from the Mississippi River 10
the Atlantic coast, and from the Ohio
| River TO the lakes, would involve vast
deal of work to get it moving. l intend to
recommend the appointment of a COM
mit.ee which shall consider plan OF
organization and report at the November
meeting. to be acted upon by the society"
| "Do you think it would be advisable TO
take up the question of creating in each
county fruit exchange on about the same
basis as the Santa Clara County Exchange
and all having a State central organZ.-
| tion?"
Il certainly do. There could be com
mittee appointed to formulate plan to be
submitted to the fruit-growers for adop-
tion at a general convention to be held,
| say, early in January, and there is no
doubt that this plan would meet with
hearty approval throughout the State.
The committee which would have this in
charge would have very little work to do
The Santa Clara County plan is perfect
| model to go by. 1t has worked success
| fully and, with slight notifications to suit
the environment, is we'll adapted to each
county in the State.
I'm general way the feeling that the
best results can be accomplished by far
reaching local organizations is having
firmer growth throughout the State. In
Southern California the Fruit-Grewers'
Union has been organized, with headQuar-
ters at Los Angeles. This union has many
branches; in tact one In every locality
where citrus fruits are grown. The box
ing, grading and shipping will be done by
this organization and the fruit will be dis
| tributed by the union. This ought to be
the general plan throughout the State for
all the fruits. AS the interests are so diff
| ferent and the fruits-citrus, deciduous
and dried-narketed at different seasons
there will have to be organizations for the
marketing of these different fruits.
Another advantage to be derived from
the State organization which l have Just
suggested Is this: Putting stamp of
gsnulneness on every package of fruit.
| fresh or dried, which leaves California.
We have done this with our olive oil, and
there is no reason why it could not be done
| with eyery box of fruit We WoIld have