The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-11-30
PRODUCE THROWN AWAY
BY Hundreds of Thousands of Packers
Every Year

From information which we deem
trustworthy we feel confident in as
sorting that from $50. 900 to 2OO, 900 pack
ages of Florida produce are thrown
away in New York city every year.
This is not all actually dumped. Some
is dumped, some pays part of the
charges, some pays the charges; but
all of it brings the grower nothing, and
is hrown away so a as he Is con
cerned. That number of packages, at
400 to a car, would make 375 carloads,
representing probably the yield of 500
acres. On each acre is expended say
$40 worth of fertilizer: a total of $780,
900. Seed, labor, crates, as muc more.
Grand total, $40, 600 on the wrong side
of the ledger, to say nothing of the re-
turns that ought to have been received.
This deplorable result is brought
about partly by Indifferent sorting and
packing of Indifferent produce, but
chiefly by indiscriminate shipping to
one center, producing congestion and a
diseased market. To the average Flor
ida shipper the city OF New York boxes
the compass of American markets.
While venting denunciationS upon the
trusts, s~yndicateS and corporate ra-
pacities of the metropolis, he confident
ly commits all his produce to this de
PRAYED city in the childlike belief that
its Isl appetite has stomach for it all
and will pay for it all The authority
above referred to is of the opinion that
One-half the produce Of Florida ship
ped out of. the state is consigned to
New York. The result is, at certain
seasons the. sidewalks and warehouses
are numbered with accumulated vege-
tables, often heated and leaking, and
tho no ri rn 20 ~ on1 1Iroonin- coOr-C
are as active as the ead wogons in a
p~estilence.
This might seem to be. on the part
of the shippers, an act of ~increditable
folly, but it is only the result of ignO-
race. They simply do not know that
everybody else is shipping to New
York. There is no headquarters to steer
the cinsignments. There is no power
on earth that ear prevent every grow
,er in Florida from shipping to New
York today and Philadelphia tomorrow
These facts illuminate with a cal
gcium light the necessity of OrganiZa-
ton among h growers of Florida to
regulate the distribution, as the pine
apple growers have done from the be-
ginning. Until such time as they shall
have learned wisdom and perfected ar
organization for this purpose, there is
"a contributory measure of relief that
that might be adopted, which is the
diversion of a percentage of the ship
mentS to markets in the south. The
awakening prosperity Of this section
mas created a demand for and the
lea to purchase more ~luXuries. Fac
tory operatives and other artisans are
the best patrons OF the market, accord
ing to their means, generally spending
all their earnings 1t is a fact that
Southern towns today pay higher
prices. proportionately, for Florida pro-
sduce than northern towns, simply be
cause they do not receive a sufficient
supply. This anomaly should be re-
moved.
1t is true the charges to southern
points, by the single package, are
higher than the carload rates to New
York. But a higher charge, which
leaves h grower something, is better
than a lower charge which leaves him
nothing.
We do not, by any means. advise an
indiscriminate diversion of shipments
from New York to southern markets.
What we do advise is that our readers
should carefully investigate the situa-
ton, write to responsible houses in diff
ferent cities and ascertain can
be dorke-Florida Times Union.