The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1909-06-18
CITRUS FRUITS
ORGANIZATION
Convention Held in Tampa June
1st Perfected an Exchange
MANY SHIPPERS JOINED
The California Method Of Handling Fruit
Adopted Committee Of Thirty-three
Named-D. T. McCarty a Member

Four hundred or more orange grow
ers from various parts of the State
met in convention at Tampa Tuesday,
June lst, for the purpose of organizing.
The gathering was the most business
like getting together of the orange
growers ever held in Florida and or
ganzation promises to effect a most
successful revolution in the gathering,
packing and arketing of the citrus
fruit crops of the State. The morning
session was devoted to the reading of
reports of several committees appoint
ed from the delegation of forty-six
representative orange growers VINO
recently visited California to inspect
that states system of handling its or.
ange industry. These reports embraced
packing, grading, transportation, pick
ing, machinery and appliances, packing
houses, selling and distribution, cultl-
walton, fertilization and irrigation as
found in California, and proved a rev.
elation to the assembled Floridians.
COL Thomas Palmer submitted
most instructive report on the forma-
ton of the California fruit exchange,
describing the local association, sub
exchanges and central exchange with
their wonderfully systematic workings
and satisfactory results under the Cali
fornia laws, provided for them, and
urged that an organization copied af-
ter the California exchange be formed
in this state under similar law II OBJ
tanable at once or even under the
present laws of Florida, prOnouncing
the California method as near perfect
as can be obtained.
On motion of Col. Palmer the Cali
fornia plan was adopted unanimously
and committee of thirty-three repre-
sentatives of the several orange grow.
ing sections of the State was appointed
to draft the details of the organization
which is to be known as the Florida
Citrus Exchange. This action brought
the convention with but little speech
making to the most important part OF
it's work before it had been in session
two hours and recess was taken until
2 o'clock when an equally business-like
session completed its work by announce
ment of the organization committee,
and adjournment until next day, when
the convention finished up its work.
The great feature of the afternoon
session was the enthusiastic manner in
which those assembled met the request
for funds to perfect the organization.
1t was suggested that about 81, 500
would be required to perfect the work
laid out and inside of 80 minutes over
So. 600 had been raised in amounts of
$3.50. 500, $50, S25 and $40, contributed
by firms and individuals.
The men who made the investigation
of CALIFORNIA; methods of growing,
shipping and marketing its orange crop
are all agreed that the growers of that
state have a most perfect system,
which Florida should adopt and it Is
the intention of the delegation to the
Golden State to urge the organization
of Florida Fruit Exchange, modelled
after that of California, with such
notifications as the circumstances may
suggest as improvements on the Cali
forna method, though the generally
expressed opinion is that the California
system is so nearly perfect as to war
rant its being closely followed in this
State. Col. Thomas Palmer, of Tam
pa. who was one of the most energetic
and active members of the Florida
delegation to California, prepared a
bill and placed it before the state legis-
lature, providing for the formation of
Florida Fruit Exchange, on the lines
of the California organization.
The bill passed the senate Tuesday
and the house on Thursday before ad-
iournment.
The committee on organization is as
follows, all citrus fruit producing
counties in the State, except Citrus and
Palm Beach counties being represented
and these will be provided for later:
Polk county-F. w. Inman, Eugene
Holtsinger and j. w. Sample.
Hllsborough county Thomas Pal
mer, w. E. Heathcoate and Scion
Pemberton.
Manatee connty-Josiah Warn and
John B. Singletary.
DeSoto courty-Finis E. Parker,
Terrell Fielder and W. H. Hooker.
Lee c0unty-D. S. Bourland, G. T.
RAYMOND and H. E. Hoffman.
Pasco county-Dr. j. F. Corrigan, q
brother of Archbishop Corrigan.
Orange county-L. w. Tilden, w.
C. Temple and j. H. Lee.
Lake county-O. w. Sadler, Jr., AMI
E. S. Burleigh.
Marion county-F. G. Sampson and w,
B. Gray.
fernando county-W. A. Fulton.
Volusia county-W. S. Hart and H,
B. Stevens.
Brevard county-E. P. Porcher ani
H. S. Williams.
} st. Lucie county Daniel T. McCarty