The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1912-03-15
LOOKING BACKWARD
A REVIEW OF RESULTS OBTAIN.
ED BY THE FLORIDA CITRUS
EXCHANGE FOR GROWERS
OF THE STATE.
GROWERS WERE PROTECTED
OeSp'te unfavorabIe Weather condi.
t'ons in the North, Florida Or.
anses Sold for Three Times
as Much This January as
They Did in the Pre-.
eeding Year.

eeding Year.
NOW that the citrus fruit season =
1SIl is rapidly drawing to close.
seems an opportune time TO take
Dack view of the results for tn
eFo"efs OF the state, in the light O
the bitter controversy over the greer
iruit question that ragged SO fiercel,
at the beginning of the season.
IL VIII be remembered that certain
interests in the state insisted at tn,
beginning of this citrus season tina
prohiDluon OF the shipment of imma
lure oranges was an. impossible thins
70 carry out, in the first place, and in
the second place that if it could he
carried out, it spelt disaster to the
industry.
we ourselves were in the main non.
commlttal and were frank to admit
'hat We did not know. We were in.
cilned to think that if green fruit
SHIPMENTS would be stopped without
seriously disturbing the distribution
Oh truit that it would be good thing
as 1t stood to reason that it was a
pad thing to ship fruit cut of the
STATE IN a condition that would give
1t black eye with the consumers
but SO many arguments were offered
against this position that we prefer
red waiting until the close of tbe
season and watching with great in
terest the developments as they came
through, as it was a certainty that
ooth parties to the contention could
not be right, and time alone would
demonstrate which was.
1t Will be remembered that while
the Florida Citrus Exchange was az.
cused of being the sole champion of
the green fruit prohibition. that there
were many of the big independent or
individual, interests in the state that
were inclined to agree with them,
FOR instance, John T. Fuller of Or
anao' Fla, one of the biggest in
dependent shippers in the state and
ne owner of the famous 'Nigger
3aDy' brand, was outspoken in his
support OF the non-shipment of green
rult policy. On the other hand the
Independent dealers almost to a man
we're just as outspoken in their
'lalms that the prohibition of the
hipping of green fruit spelt the ruina. |
Ion OF the Florida industry.
The principal contention was that
nothing but ripe fruit was shipped
ut OF Florida that it meant the con.
entration of enormous shipments in
such short space of time that the |
rop could not have been marketed
kept at great loss, from the fact
nat markets all over the country
ould be overcrowded with shin.
rents, and there could be no sale for
lem.
The Exchange and its supporters
aimed, on the other hand, that the
lormous consuming power of the
lDllc was not realized by these green
UT shippers if the fruit was nut in :
elr hands in the condition fit to eat. +
, IN other words, that while shin
ents of fifty cars day of sour and G
mature fruit would glut the mar. c
It's thoroughly and pile up hundreds /
thousands of boxes of unsold and t
salable fruit, that if the fruit was {
I shipped at all until it was really q
TO eat, that instead of piling up, S
sold and unstable, in the markets. a
would be eaten as fast as it could g
shipped, even though the shipping n
'llltles of the state We're taxed TO e,
Pr utmost in getting the stuff out a
Unfortunately, the shipment of W
zen fruit out Of the state was not Il
lrely stopped, even by the strenu-
efforts that were made to ac- nj
nplish this result; but everybody ca
admit that it was severely check m
The shipments during the si
nths of September and October m
re several hundred cars less than tt
preceding year. The November as
were very much less than nj
November for many years proceed. sa
fol
Notwithstanding this fact, there be
e still several hundred cars of ms
t shipped out of the state that loo
uld not have been shipped. Had pa,
Sc cars been kept at home the of
llts-it is claimed by the Elk. ,
nge supporters-would have been boz
4 more marked than they have fici
l. Law
ne practically exclusive organ of duo
Green Fruiters" last fall was tiol
so-called Pink Sheet and in so
issue of October 2S, 1911. thew the
e fiat prophecy that the Florida Agl
ge crop Of 1911-1912 would net 25 7
S box less than the crop of the mis-
eding season, simply on account the
lie damage done to the reputation seel
e Florida orange by the so-called the
son Telegram" having been sent VIII,
lghout the country in order to of ,
'e consumers not to be stung bv m ,
lg immature, unripe Florida that
yes, a literal quotation from this eve
cation being as follows: ~ +
loss of 25 cents on each box on nee,
million box crop means growers Voc,
pay cool million and a quarter GRO,
RS for the result of the Elk. enc
'e's brilliant lettergram. And aim,
are observing dealers who be- sior
that the crop will not average ont
% cents as much as it did crap
3 the season, comparing like unri
lions, month by month. cons
only solace win be: The Ex- I'll
e did it, All of the growers of this
tate must pay the bill" man,
much for prophecy and so mpcb by t
cory. What have been the re- powe
Florida ha