Lower coast gazette., 1909-01-30
Oranges and Figs.

The culture of these two fruit crops along the Gulf coast is
steadily increasing in its proportions. The people Of the Gulf
coast country in Texas are taking as active an interest in it as we
are in Louisiana and in an interview with the New Orleanes Plea
vune Mr.. 1. B. Alden of Houston recently stated that WITHIN five
wears Southeastern Texas would be a larger producer OF oranges
and frs than, California. But a few years ago scarcely any thing
was doing in Texassin the cultivation Of these fruits and now oran-
and figs and other semi tropical products are being shipped
out of the country and up into the west in thousands Of carloads.
The orange industry here3on the Lower Coast, while apparently
has received something of a setback this season owing
to the fact that the crop has been comparatively large and has been
distributed upon a market that has become intensely conservative,
owing to the general desire to economist in domestic expenditure.
We know that our Lower Coast products, such as cucumbers, let
tuce and ETC.. are much sought for in the western states and
command generally good prices. This leads us to infer chat the
difficulty in New Orleans with the orange market has 0een the lack
Of adequate resources in the way of distributing the orange crop.
A few wears back the cucumber market became glutted whenever
the crop was any size and the prices in New Orleans became SO low
"a to discourage all of those engaged in the business. Better meth
DDS of distribution have been secured since that time and now.com-
paratively even results are obtained and the cucumber cuiture'does
not seem to have that mercurial character that 1t mad tlve' years
ago.
Wouldi it not be well for our orange cultivators in the parish
of Paouemines to form an Orange Growers Association among
themselves and appoint competent men to distribute the oranges
in the New Orleans market, or to such OF the western markets as
seem to offer the best opening for fruit. All Of the necessary in
formation could readily be obtained by telegraph and the fruits
sent forward by rapid freight trains and thus scurhng for the
KIUWSIS IC ely N0U PoNS'S "FAS"
bv the C%alfornians for many years and they are neutrality-suspicious.
of boxes there that they send across the continent over two thous-
and miles to compete with ~our'ftuits in the great markets OF the
West. We have the advantage Of nearness, but thus far the dis
advantage of the lack of a systematic method Of distribution. It
became 80 serious in the cucumber trade that our largest cucumber
growers effected an arrangement for themselves in some instances
and, again, combined with the gardeners in New Orleans in for
war,dinq their produce to whatever market in the West offered the
greatest advantages.
In modern ralroading the railroad companies are very much
disposed to favor increased crops of any kind produced along their
lines audit would be possible to ship ten car loads Of oranges out of
New Orleans by the Illinois Central, or the Louisville and lash
vile railroads, consigned to nobody and going no one knew where,
except that they were to be Intercepted, perhaps at Cairoor Cincin-
matt .by teAAeRranr giving the actual destination Of the fruit. An
active agentin New Orleans could thus have the fruit almost reach
the great cities ofthe West, such as Louisville, Cincinnati, Pitts
burg, St, Louis, Chicago and Milwaukee before actually determin,
ing to which one Of the great markets the car should be consign-
ed.
Now, in the matterof fig culture, the situation with US is
equally, if not more disastrous THANH has been this year with the or
an0e crop. Any considerable crop Of figs finds the canning factories
that are willing to buy fgs so,glutted with, anexcess Of supply that
they refuse to buy. It must be admitted, however, that with our
80 millions Of population in the United States there is the possibil-
|iy of an unlimited market for figs, if they could be carried IN
cans with adequate economy directly to the consumer. We are ex-
Epected to buy thousands cases peaches, coming to US directly from
the sandy fields Of Delaware, or from distant California, and While
peaches are not quite 50 fugitive in their quality as are flg5 yet
they spe very liable to decay and when the New York market IS
|Rlutted with Jersey and Delaware peaches. the price per basket
falls to- about one-fortthof the normal value, such slaugh tering OF
prices heing bateRtha throwing the fruit away.
tn Parish Of ar,erninasat tie present time many oranges
Eue becoming % ovenipes d. the treaa that they are falling to- the
Exromd androttingt there, the low prices recently prevailing Tor
them offering no induceanent to orange growers to gather, pack ana