The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-31
ORANGES ANDPROGRESS
ny FI,EDERIc j. nAsK1N.

by FREDERIC j. IIAsKIN.
Los Angeles
AS you cat your orange at break
tast tomorrow you may look upon
OF progress In tho application OF cul-
tural and economic science to the
world-old business Of producing food
and wealth from the soil. The CALI
fornia Washington navel orange Is
and It is marketed by scientific
method. Its history from the begin.
ming Is romance. Oranges and
lemons have been grown in California
NOT n tn, fnan sen5y % PVT The
orange in 1874 thai Che. present era OF
progress began. Tho /scediess navel
orange is In itself triumph OF a
scientific man who desired to get rid
OF the seeds which made tho orange
so hard to eat.
was grown IN Southern California
upon land which would grow nothing
IN Its natural state. Water had to
applied to tho land to give 1t life.
II you were to become so Interested
In oranges as to be impelled to go to
California and buy citrus ranch.
every step. Tho land might cost you
a thousand dollars an acre. Science
and irrigation made all that value.
Five or ten acres would be the size
OF It, and the chances are that you
oranges or lemons as you do about
running canal boats on Mars.
But tho local citrus union would
look after "ou. One day you would
ind man under one of your trees
with a blanket spread out on the
scope, and he knows all about bugs.
II your trees need 1T he will tell you
when to fumlgate. II you neglect to
do so, the chances are that you will
the funigators at work in your or
chard. So when 1t Is time to prune,
or time to irri~ate. or time to do any
one OF tho thousand and one things
that must be done to grow citrus fruit.
the experienced practical scientists of
the community Will see to it that you
do not lack for advice. II you find
strange bug on leaf you take 1t to
one OF the government scientists al
ways within reach. He generally
full and II 50. how to fight 1t. But
II 1t Is new bug. then the Department
OF Agriculture begins right there to
find out all about 1t, and will spend
thousands OF dollars, II necessary, to
that end. So far does science go In
growing oranges.
But an orange grown IS of very ut,
tic account unless 1t can be sold at
a profit When Southern California
first began to produce citrus fruit In
It was SO far away from the l popui ioas
centres Of the East where 1t must find
consumers, that the profits We're often.
wiped out by freights and commits
sionz Men N,, W9rked long years ana and
returns from their fruit shipments
come back in ,red"-the fatal red Ink
Of the wrong side OF the account
ledger.
SO 1t came about that economic SCI
ence was applied to the packing, ship
ping and marketing OF the fruit-com-
pletlng the circle Of scientific progress
which wraps the orange from the bios
som to the breakfast table: The grow,
packing organizations, they in turn
formed district organizations and the
district bodies formed central con-.
Germ. which is now known as the Cali
scheme of organization was worked
out slowly and gradually. step at
time.
The first movement toward intelli-
the disastrous year Of 1929. That
furnish their entire crop for nothing.
hut to pay the packing and freight
charges besides. as the gross sales
OF the fruit in the East would not
ton met. It's declared purpose being
to provide for the marketing OF all
tho citrus fruit at the lowest possible
cost under uniform methods. and in
certain marketing Of his fruit. and the
full average price to be obtained in
the market for the entire season"
This purpose has been accomplished.
ent organization from that convention
lis Interesting, but 1t Is unnecessary
to set 1t out here. Let It suffice to
look at the conditions which did pre-
and the conditions of tho present.
In the old days the growers were all
in cut-throat competition with each
other There. was no such thing as
uniform grading and packing. The
more In proportion than 1t did the
large grower, the oranges were sold
through speculative commission mer-
chants. and all hope Of profit was
unaef and is
Now the central exchange buys ma
terial for packing in immense guam
titles for distribution among the CO.
operating packing houses ,ea Na a,laoi are
for the boxes on enormous contracts.
There Is n uniform system of packing
and branding which not only rewards
the grower Of the best fruit for his
skill, but which assures the consumer
Of a high and uniform quality. The
exchange maintains offices in all of
the principal cities OF the country,
and in the European capitals, through
which tho product Is distributed.
Through these offices the growers In
California are enabled to get accurate
concerning the condition
Of the market at the points OF con-
This co operative system enables
the growers to market their product
with all the advantage OF modern