The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1911-09-29
0URCOUNTYS
GRAPEFRUIT
First Car of Season Nets Fine
Price in New York Market
THE GREEN FRUIT LAW
Citrus Exchange Chasedii With State and
National Food Inspectors, Whose Gaur-
antee Caused High Prices

There was never q car of Florida
grapefruit which caused so much inter-
est among Florida shippers and the
trade of the United States as a car
from Wabasso in st. Lucie county
which was received here last week by
the E. r. Bracket Go. and sold Tues.
day of this week at Brown & Sec
combs auction house, says the New
York Packer.
The car made highest price on rec
ord for this season of the year. gross
ing $1,6t6. Forty skies and 54's sold
at 1854 per box and the car averaged
$685.. This is the first and only car
of grapefruit that has come out of
Florida thus far this season.
Because of the new green fruit law of
that state, the determination on the
part of a large number of large shippers
to start shipping early, and, the cor
respondingly strong determination on
the part of the Florida Citrus Exchange
to invoke the law in stopping all these
early shipments, lent a sort of sensa-
tional coloring to the entire deal.
However, the car passed the "Green
Fruit pickets" of Jacksonville and also
passed muster with the board of health
and government inspectors here and
went into consumption.
According to advices from the Fort
Pierce district, the minute Sales Mana
ger Burton of the Florida Citrus Ex-
change heard the car was shipped he
dispatched man with deputy sheriff
to Wabasso. They went into the Jones
grove from which the fruit was picked,
took samples from the trees and from
these samples concluded that the fruit
was green. They reported to the ex-
change headquarters, who in turn wired
the authorities of the Washington and
New York health departments to the
effect that the car had passed out of
the state of Florida and to look out for
it at New York, and that according to
law it was unfit for consumption.
The E. R. Bracket Go. spent one
whole day exhibiting the car to three
local board of health inspectors and
two government inspectors. After ex-
aiming the fruit they pronounced it
ripe and mark etable. The fruit then
was sold by the auction company after
which the inspectors wanting to be
sure of their ground, seized it and it
underwent another inspection, pronoun-
ced mature and was released to buyers.
The fruit was shipped by j. 5. STRAIT
ton whose headquarters are at kissim-
NEE. Mr.. Bracket said when seen by
The Packer man that he was going to
continue shipping oranges. IL don't
believe that law is constitutional, - he
said, d" and if it We're constitutional
there are no inspectors in Florida to
enforce it. The state acknowledges
that it has no appropriation to pay IN
spectors to pass upon the ttuit. Con-
seuuenty who is there in the state to
decide whether or not fruit Is green or
ripe. The Florida Citrus Exchange
has absolutely no right to interfere
with our business. 1t seems as though
the Exchange has delegated itself to
act as the states Inspector Where Is
it's authority ? We are going to con.
tinue shipping fruit out of the state OF
Florida and would like to see a seiz.
ure made. In the first place our fruit
is ripe. Furthermore | am going to
have the exchanges representative
and the sheriff arrested for going into
that grove and taking fruit from our
trees without authority. Then too,
they picked fruit which was green and
which we left on the trees purposeiy
because it was green. However, they
had no business taking our property
and we are going to prosecute.
Upon sale of fruit the f. K. Brack-
EFT Co. wired the Florida Citrus ex-
change, telling what the fruit sold for
and that it was passed by federal and
! local health authorities as being fully
mature and sold at the highest price
ever received at this time of the year.
Mr.. Bracket added: They sincerely
trust the Florida Citrus Exchange in
the prosecution of their business will
realize the record this car has made
and final outcome of this case in keep
ing with independent growers of the
state, whose interest in the matter to
saw the least is considerable, " Friday
the firm received the following wire
from the exchange: Answering your
wire concerning Wabasso grapefruit,
we can sell car of our own fruit to
ourselves for $40 per box but it would
prove nothing and not be useful; also
we are not playing any bunco game
nor encouraging violation of laws nor
deceiving the public"
Upon receipts of above the p. r:
. Bracket Co. gave out full list of
BUYERS of the car and amount each one
purchased with price. There were
thirteen buyers, mostly New York job
beers. Without publishing a list Of
these buyers, The Packer will say that
: investigation was made and that this
xuaa III, ahsolutalu 1anuina sale.