The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1911-09-15
MOST ENCOURAGING
Is Outlook for Florida Citrus
Prices this Season.

I'm all my experience in handling Cit
rus fruit, was never SO encouraged as
am today" says R. P. Burton, sales man
ager of the Florida Citrus Exchange,
who is on tour of inspection through the
principal fruit markets of the country
sizing up the situation and laying plans
for the seasons work, in letter TO the
sub exchange managers throughout the
state, and to the orange growers gen
orally.
SIN every city visited by me | have
made personal canvass of the dealers
and have presented the following points
to them: First, we are against the ship
ment of immature fruit, and will not
tolerate il from our packing houses;
second, we control ninety per cent. OF
the Parson Brown oranges in Florida, OF
which there are not over IFS, 600 boxes;
that these will not be ready for market
before the middle of October, and that
not box will get out of our packing
house branded Parson Browns that will
not be true to name, but, if some mis-
guided grower should violate this, and
il is brought to our attention we will be
Just as quick to ask the pure food de-
partment of Washington to inspect il,
condemn it and confiscate it as we would
a car improperly branded by one of our
competitors. Third, our associations
have invested, in the last two years, a
quarter of a million dollars in packing
houses and equipments, they have SyS-
temalized the picking, hauling, grading
and loading, which has given US pres
tige all over this country, and that each
of our associations this season will put
out better work than they did last year.
trust that when the approaching sea
son is over the sales department will not
have TO apologize for any car of fruit put
up by you.
SIN all my experience in handling
citrus fruits, was never so encouraged
as am today. received from the
dealers visited by me, almost unani
mously, enthusiastic commentator for
the improvement that we have already
made. These dealers have assured me
that they will give our fruits preference
at higher price than that which may
be named by our competitors.
81 am informed that there is no buy
ing of oranges in Florida by spectators;
this will lead growers TO imagine that
there is some market which makes it
unsafe for operators TO buy at reaSona
BILE figure. You may assure your neigh
borS that this is a condition that our
competitors may seek to use later on in
an effort to buy at low price, which is
not justified by the conditions as they
now exist. California is winding up her
largest seasons business, and growers
are receiving today more money for
their lowest grade Valencia lateS than
they have received for several years for
their first grade. Their lowest grades
are selling at prices netting them $2.75
to 800 {. o. b. California.
"The crop prospects throughout the
south are the best in many years, and all
dealers are looking forward TO large
trade. They do not care whether they
pay 300 t. o. b. or 81. 90, if they have a
steady market which will insure them a
profit.
The reason that dealers are not buy
ing in Florida is that the trade through
out the country is looking to the Florida
Citrus Exchange for a supply OF fruit
properly graded and handled. The
small operators know this and are afraid
TO buy, as they will find ii extremely
difficult TO sell. II is necessary for
every association if they have not al
ready done so, TO get busy right now
and perfect their plans for putting out
the best grading and packing that it is
possible TO get out of their houses. 1t is
also necessary that they keep after neigh
bors who are not in the association and
let them know what the conditions are
in order that they may not become
panicky and sell their fruit to SpecuIa-
tors at ridiculouSly low prices, thereby
losing what the growers are entitled TO,
and placing these operators in position
where it will be extremely difficult for
the exchange TO maintain a fair market
price for the fruit that is in the organi-
Zation."