The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1899-05-31
Florida Strawberries.

in Florida, and the needs of the bust
ness, the agricultural editor Of the
Times Union and Citizen writes:
A few years ago THE business of raising
strawberries was quite extensively car
ried on along THE line of the Georgia
Southern and FLORIDA Railway between
Lake City and Palatka, but of late years
the acreage has dwindled year by year,
until this season only about two hundred
acres were being actively cultivated. The
management of the above line saw THAT
something must be wrong, and THAT I'M
less some steps were taken 1.-THE industry
would soon die out. To this end J. M.
Cutler, general freight agent, and Maj.
w. L. GlesSner, commissioner Of immi-
grafton, began Ito look unto the matter,
and ultimately "a meeting was CALLED last
fall of all the growers ito see what could
be dome. The growers were asked Ito tell
their difficulties and reasons for discon
tinuing THE growing of this luscious fruit.
The sum total of their reply was THAT
high rates of transportation by express,
bad handling EN- route, and consequent
poor results when. the fruit sold i'm the
markets, resulted in poor RETURNS. Com
plaints were also made about irreSpon-
sIble commission men who reported ar
rivals in bad order whether this were the
case or not. To ship by freight took too
long; when the weather BECAME warm
it was too risky Ito ship i'm open crates
by express; thus, all that WAS left was ITO
use what lis known as the pony or jumbo
refrigerator, and when this was dome, the
rate for service was so high t1Ialt it left
little for the grower.
Way Out of THE Difficulty-It did not
take long Ito seek remedy for all this.
The management of the road put i'm very
Favorable rates in solid ref::g erOtor .'0rs,
and arranged fast freight service 70 ali
points East and West.
AS a solid carload could not this season
be secured at amy one point ON the line,
a pickup service was determined upon.
A contract was made with the California
Fruit Transportation Company to use it's
we'll known cars. During THE winter many
meetings of growers were held, and sll
pledged themselves to support the new
system. Messrs. Cutler and Gl9ssner
visited the large commission holsas in
Eastern and Western markets and asked
for their cooperation. Houses owning re-
their support, as it meant THAT these
portable refrigerators would lie idle
on their hands. Some, however, very
quickly saw THAT THE railroad was de-
ternined to put it's plans into effect, and
these instructed their representatives Ito
do all they could Ito make "a success of
the plans These wide-awake houses ul-
Ultimately turned out Ito he the largest
beneficiaries, for they were naturally ia
vored 10y THE growers with their consign-
menlts.
The first car was started to New York
ON April Sd and arrived ait Dit destination
in seventy 1.-TWO hours with the fruit in
splendid condition The RETURNS for this
car were very Favorable. Since then a
number of cars have gone forward, and
i'm each case the history of THE first car
has been repeated The growers We're
urged to ship only fine ripe fruit in the
cars, and not to 'ftop' their crates, THAT
is, cover up small fruit with large Der
ries on the top.
I'm order Ito make "a brand for berries
from the Georgia Southern and Florida
Railway berry section, and to Indicate
THAT the fruit arrived i'm a refrigerator
car, lthe company got up a handsome Ia
bel, which has been pasted on each end
of all of THE crates that have gone for
ward Tt has been aScer1tAined that buy
ers have since sought for CRATES with
these labels ON them, knowing THAT the
condition of the fruit WAS superior. The
growers were given these labels by une