The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-09-22
WILL PREVENT GREEN FRUIT
SHIPMENT
Manager Temple says the Law is
Reasonable and will Accrue to
the Interest OF Shippers

NAC A0bA1C VI yOuA IlCQuClL CQAtOl Acko
on the subject, that you stood with us
(and all others who really have the
future welfare of the Citrus industry
at heart) for the passage of the re-
cent enacted immature citrus fruit
bill, and it's enforcement now that it
has become Florida state law, / was
somewhat surprised to read the arti-
Gle appearing on the last pa ge of
your Sunday issue september 19th)
under the heading: Troubles Ahead
on Green Fruit"
There are several things in this ar
ticle which do not appear to be in the
best interest of the citrus industry as
a whole, and on which | beg to cx-
press the following differences:
In the first place this law, and the
fight which the Florida Citrus Ex-
change is making for it's enforcement
land intends to continue to make,
through this season, and all future
citrus seasons until the practice of
shipping immature and unripe fruit
has been entirely wiped out), is not a
law or fight aimed against growers
or shippers outside of the Exchange
as against those within it's ranks. 1t
is fight for the restoration of Flor
idas citrus fruits to favor and The
prestige they once held with the con-
Stunning public-reputation has suf-
fered to an almost incalculable ex-
tent through the shipments, season
after season, of large quantities of
oranges and grapefruit that was I'M
ripe, sour, and utterly unfit for a hog,
much less a human being to eat That
consumers once buying and trying it
quickly drop it, and either pass up"
citrus fruits for some time thereafter,
or turn to fruit that is ripe from other
sections of the country, has been the
bitter experience of the past And
even with the provisions of this law
fully lived up to, it is going to take
sometime to regain the ground which
has been foolishly and needlessly
lost-but it can, will and must be
done.
AS to the wide difference OF opin-
ions expressed in your article as to
when citrus fruits are really fit to
ship, within the provisions of the law,
repeat what l have said, and what
you have already published, in a for
mer interview:
Fit to eat--fit to ship; no man ever
shipped a car Of green fruit who was
not aware that it was being done
The only questions in the minds of
some of the growers is not whether
the fruit is fit to ship or not, but
whether he can get away with it with
out being caught in the act With an
honest grower there is no question at
all as to when his fruit is fit to ship.
The general answer to the question
is: Fit to eat-fit to ship All grow
ers should work together for the pro-
lection of the industry-rega
of their differences of opinion as to
methods of marketing"
In your article to which l have ref
erence, the opinion is advanced that
-"Since the Florida Citrus Exchange
fathered the bill through the legis-
lature and secured it's enactment, it
would appear to the independent
grower that he is in greater danger
of arrest than member of the Elk
change. Indeed, w. c. Temple, man
ager of the Florida Citrus Exchange,
exhorts growers affiliated with that
organization to cause arrests at the
expense of the Exchange"
This opinion is groundless, and mis-
leading, to say the least, not that the
Exchange disclaims having fathered
and secured the enactment of this
law, as it is proud to be credited
with this most important and valuable
piece of legislation passed by the
Florida legislature in the past decade.
DuI Tic EACudISS QOCS uOJ IGluLG
that will in the least show any par
tial or favor in assisting the appoint
minions of the law in fulfilling the
provisions of this act. To quote from
a bulletin written by General Sales
Manager R. P. Burton, from Philadel-
phia, and issued from this office
August 25th, 1911:
Quote from Mr.. Burton's bulletin
made personal canvas of the dealers
and have presented the following
points to them: First; we are
against the shipment of immature
fruit, and will not tolerate it from our
own packing houses.
Second; we control ninety per
cent. of the 'Parson Brown oranges
in Florida, Zone of the well known
early varieties, and having the dis
tinctive popularity of becoming ma
ture, sweet inside, and fit to eat,