The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1911-04-21
FLORIDA FRUIT
|INDUSTRYLAG
Gan he Benefited by Judicious
Advertising Campaign
|1Hf CALIFORNIA PLAN
6 :, If fox Tax Used in Advertising Would
create Greater Demand for Florida
Fruit and Increase Prices

Asked the question, What's the mat
.or with the Florida Oranges?' we
w u reply that there is nothing the
matter with it. The Florida orange is
distinctly O. X. The Florida orange
msrket though, is distinctly contrary
wise and has been for some time
past. ,,,,,;llo
have been presented in the way of ex-
nj nation. The favOrite one seems to
bs The abnormal lateness of the Florida
harvest and the abnormal earlyness of
the California product. We DO not
recollect, however, running across
fine theory that the real root OF the
troubles lies in the consumer and not
! in the fruit.
Once upon time, as the fairy stOr les
have it, the country swOre by the Flor
ida oranges. Its uncOmely looks were
held as a sure sign of hidden sweet.
ness. Its very rustiness and roughness
betokened its aristocratic lineage and
proudly proclaimed that its virtues
were far above and beyond mere skin.
deep beauty. People wanted oranges
to eat, not to admire. They aimed to
please their palates, not their eyes.
Times have changed, though and
people with them. The consumer buys
| by the eye. A large percentage OF the
| fruit you will see on swell dinner
| table is there to adorn, not to be eaten.
| 1t is pity. but pity tits, tits true.
For all that, Florida need not lose
hope. 1t is merely question Of a
campaign of education. The public
needs to be rentroduced to the unsur.
passed excelences of the Florida pro-
duct. There is only one way to do this,
and that is to advertise. Ii the differ.
emit shippers and mark citing agencies OF
Florida, Exchange and the independents
alike would sink their difference and
join in the common cause, much could
he done. An arrangement whereby so
many cents per box on every box ship.
ped out of the State should be pulled
back to swell an advertising fund, is
f the suggestion of a broad plan, the de-
| tails of which could be worked out in
(plenty of time for next season.
California has done much along this
line to her great profit. She has, and
| righteously, so worked the newspapers
Ito fare ou-well. The excellencles
land beauties of her Naval oranges, and
1.-THE advantage of their seedlessness,
have been sung from coast to coast in
type, loaded and solid, display and pure
|reading matter, preferred position,
three stars, and every device known to
typography. She neglects no device
in the advertising bag of tricks, and
returns are such that the more she
|advertises the more she wants to.
Florida must get next to the con-
sumer. 1t must tell him all over again
what his fathers knew so well. 1t
must re-educate him to the glOries OF
lusciousness hidden behind that not
over attractive skin. Teach him the
proper way to eat an orange, suggest
| 10 him new methods and dishes in which
the orange may be employed. Teach
MN that an orange with seed has COM
|pensation to back up its claims against
an orange without seeds. In fact and
10 short, plug for Florida just as Cali
iornla first, last and all the time, plugs
Tor California. In the lump it may be
IA costly campaign, but the burden
divided up among so many shippers
VIII be Individually light one. ~
There should be no difficulty in doing
Tor the industry what Kimball G. At
wood has done for himself Individually,
- the matter of tht Atwood grape
irult. 1t is merely question of get
uhg together on plan that will pro.
vide the snews of war;. and. when pro
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