The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1895-05-15
Must Seedlings Go?

III OOuu1CubluS upOu tH0 SGFOng COm
petition in the orange market which
has been caused by the heavy impOrta-
tiOns of the European fruit The Times
recently suggested that the time was
near at hand when it would be neces-
Sary for the growers of Seeding oranges
to bud their fruit to navels, or oIher
improved varieties. Itappears that this
opinion has already gained consider
able ground among the orange growers,
as at recent meeting of the Farmers
Institute at Riverside the question came
up for discussion and elected lively
Argument. The Riverside Press of that
city makes the following mention of the
proceedings:
1.-The suggestion Of the probable need
Of substituting budded fruit for our
seeding oranges excited n lively discus
sion, participated in by J. E. Gutter, A.
S. White, Mr., Borden, E. L. Coethen. G
W. Garcelon, E. W. Holmes and Prof
Hilgard. The evidence was furnished
by Mr.. White that foreign seedlings are
driving out fruit from the New York
market. The Mexican fruit is ali seed
lings. He would set out buds of course,
but not concede Mr.. Cutters view that
the Seeding is likely to be unprofita ble
Mr.. Garcelon said the difference be-
tween a Seeding and budded orange is
less than with any other fruit.
''Mr. Borden cited his experiences
with apples, in which the necessity for
uniform quality forced the Canadian
growers to stop growing seedlings no
m after how good
"Prof. Hilgard poured oil on the
troubled waters by reminding the
members that the oranges grown IN
trOpic climates are almost entirely seed
lings Still the need of securing uni
fOrmlty in quality, so that the buyer
would always know what he was get
ting, would be likely to make it best to
grow budded fruit"
II may be that foreign-grown oranges
are seedlings, but the question is how
can California orange growers compete
with this foreign-grown fruit? 1t is not
a question of getting an orange that is
equal to the imported fruit, but Of get
ting one that is much better that pur
chasers will be willing to pay the higher
price which il is necessary for our
growers to receive in order to b able to
compete successfully with the orange
growers Of Europe and other countries,
where labor is much cheaper than in
California, while the freight by steam
ship is less to the leading ports of the
Atlanta coast than it is from this State.
1t is very important question and it
will have to be taken up and carefully
considered by Southern California
orange growers. AS The Times has
stated on several occasions, the growing
of oranges has been brought to state of
great PERFECTION here. What is now
necessary is to perfect the N arketing of
these oranges at prices that will leave
fair profit to the growers. The Southern
California fruit exchanges can find a
wide field for usefulness in this direction.
Almost any one can grow an orange.
Anyone can sell an orange when there
is big demand and oranges are scarce.
What is needed is to be able to grow
and sell at fair prices oranges when the
market of the country is we'll supplied
and the demand is not particularly
brisk. To do this it appears to the
average mind that the proper course