The Washington herald., 1908-05-31
ORANGES AND PROGRESS
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

Special Correspondents The Washington Herald
Los Angeles, May 1s.-As you eat your
orange at breakfast tomorrow you may
look upon it as symbol Of the high
water mark Of progress in the application
Of cultural and economic science to the
world-old business Of producing food and
wealth from the SOIL The California
Washington navel orange Is grown ac
cording 20 a scientific method and II is
marketed by a scientific method. Its
/ history, from the beginning, is a ro-
nance. Oranges and lemons have been
grown in California for more than q cen
tury. but It was not until the introduction
o. the navel orange in 1874 that the pres
ent era Of progress began. The seedless
navel orange is IN itself a triumph Of a
scientific man who desired to get rid OF
tho seeds which made the orange so hard
10 eat
The orange you will eat tomorrow WAS
grown in Southern California upon land
which would grow nothing In its natural
state. Water had to be brought from
a great distance and applied TO the land
10 give II life II you were 20 become
so interested in oranges as to be i'm
PEELED to so to California and buy a
/ citrus ranch, you would find science
guiding your every step. The land
might cost you $1,000 an acre. Science
and irrigation made all that value. Five
or ten acres would be the size OF II. and
the chances are that you would know
as much about growing oranges or lem
I ANS 40 R,tr
on Mars.
But the local citrus union would look
after you. One day you would find
man under one OF your trees with a
blanket spread out on the ground. He IS
armed with a microscope and he knows
all about bugs. II your trees need it.
he will tell you when 10 fumigate. II
you neglect 10 do so, the chances are that
you will wake up some fine morning TO
find the fumigators at work in your
orchard. So when it IS time to prune. or
time 10 irrigate. or time 10 do any one Of
the thousand and one things that must
be done 70 grow citrus fruit, the expert
enced practical scientists OF the com
munity Will see to 1t that you do not
lack for advice. II you find a strange
bug on leaf you take Il TO one OF the
government scientists always within
reach He generally knows what II IS.
whether ii IS harmful. and &c so, how to
fight H. But II it is a new bug, then the
Department OF Agriculture begins right
there TO find out all about it. and will
spend thousands Of dollars, IL necessary,
10 that end. SO far does science go In
growing oranges.
But an orange grown Is Of very little
account unless il can be sold at a profit.
When Southern California first began 10
produce citrus fruit IN considerable guam
tity II was found that Il was so far away
from the pOpulOUs centers OF the East.
where II must find consumers, that the
profits were often wiped out by freghts
and commissions. Men worked long
years and planned skillfully. only % have
the returns from their fruit shipments
come back IN red'-the fatal red ink OF
the wrong side Of the account ledger.
SO II came about that economic science
was applied TO the packing. shipping. and
marketing OF the fruit. completing the
circle OF scientific progress which wraps
the orange from the blossom 10 the
breakfast table. The growers in each
community formed local packing organl-
zations they in turn formed district or
ganizations. and the district bodies formed
a central concern, which IS now known
as the California Fruit Growers Ex-
change. This scheme OF organization
was worked out slowly and gradually
a step at a time.
The first movement toward intelligen,
cooperation was the result Of the disas-
trous year Of 1929. That year many
growers not only had 10 furnish Their
| entire crop for nothing but TO pay tht
/ packing and freight charges besides, as
the gross sales OF the fruit in the East
would not cover the expenses. Then g
convention met. It's declared purpose be
ing to provide for the marketing OF al
the citrus fruit at the lowest possibl,
cost under uniform methods. and in q
manner to secure to each grower q GER
, tain marketing OF his fruit, and the full
average price 20 be obtained In the mar
ket for the entire season" This EUrpOs.
has been accomplished. The detail Ol
the growth OF the present orgdniza ,ior
: from that convention is interesting, bu
it is unnecessary TO set Il out here. Lei
II suffice 10 look at the conditions which
did prevail under the old-fashioned meth
DDS and the conditions OF the present.
In the old days the growers were all n
, cut-throat competition with each other
There was no such thing as uniform
grading and packing. The packing cost
the small grower much more in proper
ton than il did the large grower. the
oranges were sold through speculative
commission merchants, and all hope OF
profit was buried under the mountain ot
packing oranges, freights, and commits
sions.
Now the central exchange buys mate
rial for packing In immense quantities
for distribution among the cooperating
packing houses. Nails are bought by the
trainload. shocks" for the boxes or
enormous contracts. There is a uniform
system Of packing and branding which
not only rewards the grower Of the best
fruit for his skill, but which assures I'll,
consumer OF high and uniform quality
The exchange maintains Offices in all oi
the principal cities Of the country. and
in the European capitals through which
, the product is distributed. Through these
| Offices the growers IN California are en-.
! abled 70 get accurate information con
? cerning the condition of the market at tht
r points of consumption
This cooperative system enables thC
growers to market their product with al
! the advantage OF modern methods OF bust
! ness which are usually accredited only tC
trusts" The exchange is not a trust
{ however, in that it does not fix prices
{ and that its work is done without con
D temptation Of a profit for the central or
ganiZation. The packing. handling. and
distribution OF the fruit is done at cost
This method has reduced the cost OF
packfng and marketing from x cents II
, IS cents a box. despite the greatly IN
creased cost of packing materials.