The herald., 1896-03-07
THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Gold Medal Exhibit OF Southern Cali.
fornia Citrus Fruits
The Finest Lot OF Commercially Packed
Oranges and Lemons Ever Gathered
Together-Atteudance Of Dealers

The gold medal exhibit OF citrus fruits
was continued yesterday at the chamber
of commerce, and judging progressed so
far as marking for packing was concerned.
Under the rules adopted by the MANAGE
ment the exhibit is restricted to one box of
fruit of each variety from single grower,
and instead of the carloads of fruit ar
ranged with the view of securing artistic
effect by contrast of color, the exhibit en-
braces, all told, seventy boxes of fruit
packed ready for shipment, entered for
premiums, and dozen more boxes sent in
for exhibition only, and packed in papers
bearing the trademark and labels of vari-
GUS of the exchanges.
Not part of the exhibit, yet placed near
it and attracting no little attention,is the re-
arranged table of Riverside fruit. embrac-
ing magnificent specimens of nearly every
variety of fruit grown in the southern coun.
try. A committee consisting of Messrs.
Garcelon, Backus and Cutter devoted few
hours to its replenishment and arrange.
ment, taking full advantage of every op-
portunity to increase the attractveness of
the display by arranging the specimens
with reference to size and color and shape,
thus making the table doubly noticeable.
The quantity of fruit in the exhibit
proper is small, but what il. lacks in guam
every orange and every lemon in the ex.
hibit is perfect specimen of its particular
variety, and it is wrapped and packed with
the best skill obtainable, and the grower to
whom the gold medal shall be awarded
will have the satisfaction of knowing that
the winning fruit approached very near to
theoretical perfection.
There will be no room for charges of par.
tiality on the part of the judges. Under
the system adopted neither the manage.
ment nor the judges can secure knowledge
as to the grower of a given exhibit, nor
even of the locality from which it came,
until the awards are completed and the
lists compared.
The exhibit. though altogether lacking in
the artistic display which has character
lied the citrus fairs of the past, is the best
setting forth of citrus fruit growing as n
business that has been given, and the fruit
! shown is the finest display ever got to-.
gether in California.
The judgment as to boxing concluded,
the fruit will be unpacked and decision
made on quality. after which the fruit will
be sold at private sale, ready for delivery
to purchasers OH Monday.
The attendance at the chamber indicates
the presence in the city of large number
of eastern visitors, many of them dealers
in or commercially interested in the
marketing of California products. Several
times yesterday Superintendent Virgins
was appealed to for specific information as
to the residence of growers of certain pro-
ducts exhibited at the chamber, and in two
instances, one q Boston restaurnteur and
the other New Jersey provision dealer,
followed up an inquiry by a immediate de-
parture for the Ventura bean fields. The
Boston man feeds thousand people day,
and proposes to get his staple article of
diet from the first hands; the New Jersey
man has divers and sundry orders on hand
and desires to fill them with the best goods
to be obtained.
The gold medal citrus exhibit is not
the equal Of any of the citrus fairs as a
show; as regards it's business effects it is
likely to be more valuable than all of them
combined.