The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-06-14
that the industry may not be injured.

that the industry may not be injured.
Correspondence with our members,
through the office of the secretary,
leads us to believe that the jobbers
prefer to handle mature, ripe stock,
and, further. wish to advance the or
ange and lemon growing industry in
the United States
On page 132-134 is the following
language:
THE next topic for discussion was
Green Citrus Fruits
''Mr. S. R. Lux: Florida seems to
have had the first trouble, We be-
lieve it would be better if the ship
pers of citrus fruits would wait until
such time when the fruit is suffi.
GENTLY matured before shipment is
made. AS jobers, we naturally like
to order early, and we always get
the first car of oranges, but frequent
ly when they arrive, they are as
green as grass, with no color. They
are immature, and the grocer who
buys them is led to believe that they
are fit for use. His customer buys
them once and may make another
purchase, but finding them worthless,
he refrains from buying more for
some time. thereby retarding the con-
sumption of fruit
"Mr. Charles B. Bills: L would like
to see this recommendation adopted.
Last year We commenced shipping
and packing oranges when they were
about one-third colored. The result
was that there was nothing but grief
on all early shipments. This year
reversed the order of things and did
not allow single grower to bring in
fruit until it was well colored and
sugared up to a certain percentage,
and this season l have not had a sim
gle complaint
"Mr. Wagner: L move that the idea
set forth under the heading. Green
Citrus Fruit" be recognized as cor
rect in principle, and that the princi-
pies as therein enunciated be adopted
as the sense of the Western Fruit
Jobbers' Association of America
THE motion was seconded and car
ried.''
Mr.. S. E. Lux is one of the largest
and most responsible wholesale fruit
dealers in Topeka, Kans. Mr.. Charles
B. Bills is the president of the Pho
neer Fruit Company at Sacramento,
Cal, which handles a considerable
volume of citrus fruits.
There is a moderate demand for
oranges through this country for
Thanksgiving. Following this there
is a tremendous demand for oranges
for the Christmas trade. There is a
strong temptation on the part of all
dealers to supply this demand, and
for great many years, California
has INDUCED in the practice of ship
ping green oranges. She can put out
but a limited quantity, however, for
Thanksgiving, and as soon as these
Thanksgiving orders are filled they
cut out their shipments until time
to begin shipping for Christmas. They
usually shut their packing houses
down on the Sth until the 10th of
December, and do not open again I'M
til there is demand from the Eastern
markets for oranges. There is a
short period between the Thanksgiv-
ing trade and the Christmas trade
which gives the dealers an oppor-
tunity to clean up the poor stuff which
they have bought, which they rarely
ever do at a profit to themselves or
to the satisfaction of the consumers
After the Christmas trade is over
there is a lull, sometimes of thirty
days before there is any considerable
movement of California oranges. This
gives their fruit an opportunity to ma
ture. In Florida there has been a dis
position to begin in September and
to keep a continuous stream of or
anges going to market, regardless of
market conditions or the maturity of
the fruit, and We can look back over
the past ten years prior to the season
of 1912 at the consecutive years
of disaster to growers and dealers,
due to this foolish policy of forcing
do not want them, and will not have
them In a vain effort to persuade
growers affiliated with the Exchange,
and operators not affiliated with it,
to refrain from this suicidal course,
the Exchange took UP the matter of
legislation and succeeded in having
a bill passed by the Florida legisla-
ture making it crime under the law
for any person to ship, or offer for
shipment, from this state citrus fruits
that were immature or otherwise I'M
fit for consumption. This act passed
the legislature almost Immediately.
It was heralded as good law. Prac-
tically before it was out of the hands
of the governor, agencies who had
profited and would continue to profit
through the handing of this immature
fruit. took steps to Offset it's good in
f1uence, and to this end were report.
ed to have employed counsel to go
:.+~ A. Ior IiCcont II dico0uar