The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-03-27

tory of the Florida citrus industry.
About the middle Of December. Ger
tain weather conditions set in in
Florida that were unprecedented in
their length and severity; there
was a succession of nearly three
weeks of very hot, murky, moist days
when fruit decayed on the trees and
in transit, no matter how much care
was exercised in its handling and
shipping. This was a severe handi-
cap on a fair test of conditions.
In addition to this, from practically
Christmas until nearly the first of
February, the entire North was swept
by series of billiards., one after the
other, that in their frequency and in
tensity have never been equa1led
Lake Superior for the first time in
the memory of the white man was
frozen clear across it's entire expanse
from shore to shore
From seventy to eighty per cent. of
all the citrus fruits that are sold in
the great cities are sold either from
fruit stands or by peddlers. Weather
conditions such as those that prevail
ed made it impossible for either the
fruitstands or the peddlers to do
business. Oranges would freeze in
transit from warehouses to the stores,
and it was an impossibility to cart
them, unlocked, in peddlers' wagons
or offer them for sale on peddlers'
stands. This was another very seri-
Gus and unexpected handicap for COM
parative results. But in spite of all
that, the sales of Florida oranges in
the month of January this year net
ted the growers at least three times
as much money per box on the trees
as they did in January of the proceed
ing year.
The citrus crop of Florida will
average higher price to the growers
this year than it has in any one of
the last ten years. Grapefruit opened
at $3.50, f. o. b. cars, and it has
steadily increased to where sales
i have been made in February in car
| load lots at $500 box, f. o. b. cars
packing house.
| Some timid, shortsighted growers
early fan at from 70 to 80 cents box
Oh the trees, and thought they were
doing a good thing Their neighbors
who were, and remained, outside the
Exchange, have sold their oranges
since that time, by following the
advice of the Exchange, at from $1.25
to $1.40 box on the trees; while the
members of the Exchange. who were
progressive enough to have their fruit
put up in modern houses, under mod
ern methods, have netted as high as
| two dollars a box on the trees-and
higher in many instances-so that
there is no question but that the
average price received, f. o. b. pack
ing house, Florida, for the entire
citrus fruit crop this year has beer
not less than so cents box higher
than was received the preceding year
in spite of the dire prediction of the
Green Fruiters."
The foregoing being the case, We
presume that the Exchange and it.
supporters will be perfectly willing
to take on themselves the onus O
that portion of the Pink Sheets
statement which reads: Their onl!
solace will be: The Exchange die
it,
This brings us to another point
Our county has certain candidates fo
the state Legislature and the Stat
Senate, who are asking for your sui
frage to place them in those bodies a.
your representatives. Have not thu
evidence and results of the presen
citrus season justified you in demand
ing of these would-be legislator
their pledge to support the ANTI
Green Fruit Bill" and is it not fai
question to ask them to pledge them
selves publicly before the primarie
and before their election that they ar
going to stand fiat for the enforce
ment. not only of the present so-cal
ed Green Fruit Law" but for a.
amendment to it, If necessary, tina
will put sharper teeth in that lay
than it now has?
Under the Green Fruit Law as
now stands, it's enforcement pract
cally lies in the hands of the Depar
ment of Agriculture, and the Commits
sioner of Agriculture can make or ur
make the effectiveness of this Law
The late Commissioner of Agriculture
as fine a man as he was, was eithe
misled or erred in his judgment yer
sadly as to the Importance of the Ell
forcement of this law, and could nc
be induced to have his inspector
make an earnest effort to assist tn
local authorities in checking tn
packing and shipping from this stat
: of green oranges.
!. The only set of laws on the statut
, books in Florida that enable any o
fetal. or set of officials. to seize
law suspected samples Of food PIT
ducts that are being handled in viol;
ton of the law are the pure food law
SO authorizing the inspectors unde
the control of the Commissioner {
Agriculture.
There will have to be new Con
missioner of Agriculture elected {
the comming election. and it woul
: seem wise for the citrus growers {
the state to demanded each candidat
. who presents himself for the positio
of State Commissioner of Agricultur
to publicly pledge himself to see to
that his department lends its aid |
, every way to suppressing this evi