The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-07-20

The biggest question, the one that
means most to southern Florida. is
how to distribute the citrus fruits so
that grower will not compete with
brother grower in the markets. Some
contend that perishable products
can never be successfully sold at
home, and proceed to class citrus
fruits as a perishable product.
To what extent are citrus fruits
perishable? Let us take the seed
ling orange as an illustration OF
what we have in mind. This orange
is ripe for the market, say about No
yember 18th. If not sold the trees
will probably still hold so per cent
of the fruit on the first day of April.
This would make marketing period
for this class of fruit of about four
and one-half months. Some claim
that the marketing period taken as
a whole continues over period OF
at least six months, with aprobaole
average loss by dropping of % per
cent.
1t therefore seems perfectly clear
that the thing most needed is an un-
derstanding among the growers that
will insure the market not to De
crowded in any of the cities. No
fruit should be furnished any mar
ket in excess of the demands of this
market. 1t is utter folly to try to
induce people to use more OF a fruit
of this kind by putting such a guam
tity on the maket that reduces the
price The fact is, we have careful
" observed that such things destroy
the normal demand rather than in
crease the demand. The people will
purchase practically as many oranges
at % cents a dozen as they VIII at
10 cents per dozen, yet when sold at
the former price the profits of the
grower should be satisfactory, while
the latter price usually makes him
sell at less than cost of production
IL lH6 IIdllcl iidhulCu 1 30 Stt '
all good fruit will be sold at profit.
There is only one way to prevent a
crowded market, and that is to sell
the fruit before it goes to market.
This seems too plain a proposition
to be disputed If no fruit is sent
to the large cities consigned to the
&c co
for the auction block, there will at
once be buyers in the field to sup
ply the demands. The consumers
will use only SO much fruit anyway
and they will use all we have if Civ
en- the time Then why rush our un-
sold fruit to the auction in competi
tion with each other, resulting in
the destruction of the markets
especially when too much fruit |:
shipped to a given point?
This matter could be very easil.
adjusted if all the fruit was in thu
hands of one selling agency. Again
it would be all right of there wer
no selling agency and all the grow
ers would mutually agree to ship n
fruit until sold, having, of course
a minimum price for all fruit of
certain rade This condition woul
bring buyers as there arose dc
mand for the fruit, an undeniabl
fact. But neither of these cond
tions can now obtain for the pre-!
ent year There is now tied up, az
cording to best estimates, in varior
selling agencies, about Go per cen
of the fruit of the state, whic
leaves about 80 per cent in tt
hands of the individual grower.
We must deal with conditions
we find them, and not as we wou
wish them to be. We can not NAL
the same arguments that were maj
early in the spring. Conditions ha'
changed since then. Considerab
fruit has been sold since then. t.
Exchange has grown stronge
claiming now nearly so per cent