The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-11-10
ORANGES BY THE MILLION.
Twenty five to Thirty Thousand Boxes
Being Shipped North Every Day.

The Years Crop Estimated at 4,5oo,-
900 20 5000, 900 Boxes-A Good Deal
of the Crop Being Sold on the Trees.
The Fruit Rate War.
The Florida orange crop is being moved
rapidly. 1t is being shipped at the rate
of % 600 boxes, or in the neighborhood of
1,5oO, 900 oranges day.
Mr.. N. H Connally, Florida agent OF
the Nashville, Chattanooga and st. Louis
railway is one of the best posted transpor-
tation men in the south on the grange
movement He has been in the city day
or two. While here he was asked about
the prospects for the crop. TT is be-
ing marketed rapidly now" he replied
Though for some reason the ripening
has been slow, but in spite of that the
fruit is being shipped at the rate Of 90
900 to $1,000 boxes day. The fairly good
prices which have ruled have inspired an
eagerness amsng the growers to get their
fruit en- the market. Already frsm S25,-
900 to 1000 boxes have been shipped.
Mr.. CSnnally estimates the crop in the
neighborhsod of $780, 900 to 5,Oeo, COS bsxes,
probably near the first figures. The fell
lowing figures show the increase of the
orange crop during the last ten years:
1856, 1000 boxes; 1867, 100000 boxes;
1878, 900 boxes; 1859, 1900.0 600 boxes;
1sS9-S0, 2150,000 boxes; 1891, 2,46O,000 boxes;
1912, 3,761,843 boxes; 1sS2-s, 100000 boxes;
1884, 5050,0o0 boxes.
The crop is largely sold now on the trees.
The sale of fruit in this way is due, in
great measure, to the active competition
of the large fruit houses, whose represen-
tatives bend their energies toward getting
the choicest fruit in the soundest possible
condition. By purchasing ON the trees
they see what they buy, and being
always cosniEant ef the condition of the
pulse of the market, they are in a posi-
lien to market their purchase at will, and
to those places where the demand is good
and prices rule firm.
Every year there is a wider demand for
oranges in all sections of the country. a
few years age the great bulk of the crep
went to the north and east.
Now the west is a great consumer and
takes moro oranges every year and the
shipments there are correspondingly
greater. Besides disposing of the fruit on
the trees a great deal of it is seld on com
mission. The commission men this year
are in Florida in fine force. Mr.. Connally
says, but are always conservative and feel
the pulse of the market from day to day
| buying only where and when they can sell
| at probable profit.
Some Of them are advancing the grow
| ers money on fruit and thus secure the
| fruit and run no risk, as a condition of
| the advance plan is that the grower shall
! refund in case his fruit realizes less than
| the advance, plus expenses.
! "A decidedly better plan for the grower
| is to ship fruit on a guarantee. II the
! fruit sells for less than the guarantee
| the buyers shoulders the loss, but if it
sells for more. he is entitled to the guar
| antee plus the advance, less expenses.
"A better way than either is to sell at
| auction. In that way the grower shows
| his fruit, sells it outright, washes his
! hands of it, pockets his money and runs
no risk whatever from the suspicion Of the
chicanery of dishonest commission men
and growers, of whom there are quite a
| number in this country, but the best way
of all is to sell on the trees whenever he
| can secure a fairly decent figure"
Transportation men are interested in
the threatened rate wa on oranges. The
Clyde Steamship Company is reported to
be placing oranges in Chicago Cincinnati
| Louisville, st. Louis and contiguous ter
ritory cents per box cheaper than by the
all-rail lines. The freight is routed by
| Philadelphia and New York, of course,
which are the northern terminals of the
! Clyde line. 1t has been openly charged
| that the ClydeS have cut the rate from 50
cents to 80 cents from Jacksonville to
New York, but the Companys officials in
| Florida deny this, Such a cut either to
Charleston, Philadelqhi& or New York
would be in violation of the agreement
made by the Southern Railway and
Steamship Association, of which the
Clydes are a part If cut has been made
1t must be through the railway lines
running west from New York and Phila-
dslphia, which may have private traffic
arrangement with the Clydes. These are
beyond the jurisdiction of the association.
The all-rail solicitors are watching every
box that goes out by the Clyde ships, and
| If they discover where the cut is being
made they will try to force the offenders
10 abandon the scheme.
The tremendous rush of fruit out OF
Florida within the next month or two
lends interest to the threatened rate
| war.