The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-03-07
DISTRIBUTION OF FRUITS
AND VEGETABLES

Gentlemen:
The vegetable growers in the Cen
trail part of the State lost heavily in
1914 and 1915, and the lettuce crop
will be as a whole a losing crop.
There were many hundred Of car
loads of vegetables that rotted in the
fields in 1914 and 1915.
There were many hundred car
loads of citrus fruit in 1914 and
1915 left to rot on the trees.
1t was not the over-production Of
vegetables nor the over production Of
citrus fruit that caused the low
sales.
1t was the system of distribution.
Under the present system Of dis
tribution only very short crop will
be profitable to the grower.
A short crop means loss to the
transportation companies.
A big crop at good prices means
prosperity to both grower and trans
portation people.
Here is a show up of the present
system of distribution
In 1914, l received 60 cents for
one hundred and twenty crates Of
beans in a northern market, and re-
ceived $1.00 per crate for like goods
near home. Last year in a north
ern market l got 9 cents for five
crates of lettuce, and in another
northern market received $500 for
five crates shipped on same train,
like good, and in Florida point $3.50
per crate. Mr.. ]. NJ. Meffert Of
Ocala. shipped a car of $50 crates
of good beans and received for the
whole car $10.71 and $1,000 was
received for ten crates of like goods
in Georgia. Mr.. Johnson of Ocala,
received on an average of Z cents a
crate for six loads of cantaloupes
While sales at Key West. Fla. net
ted grower $3.50 per crate.
We are again playing like game.
On the 18th, 18th, 18th, 14th and
18th Of last month there were ship
ped to Atlanta, Ca, 1880 packages
and Nashville, as large a city, re-
ceived but 495 packages. Or At
lanta received nearly four packages
to Nashville's one according to popu-
lation. Richmond, with much
larger population and much more
dense)y populated surrounding coun-
try than Atlanta received but S51
packages-or less than two to one.
Macon is about one-third the popu-
lation Of Nashville, received nearly
fifty per cent more packages. same
time Macon received five packages
to Nashville's one, and Charleston,
S. c., with population fifty per cent
more, received little more than
one-third of the packages.
A study Of the carload movements
reveals this fact.
In round numbers there are 20
million people in the Southland.
During this season there were but
nine cars Of lettuce shipped to
southern points; 1878 cars to north
ern and western points-Or one car
south to nearly two hundred north
and west. North of the Ohio and
the Southland have a population of
about three-fifths of the whole. Yet
the east with but two-fifths of the
population received four-fifths of the
shipments. The total carloads of
vegetables shipped this season was
thirty nine hundred and twelve. The
south received g.. Or but one car in
each 60. The south received one
car of citrus fruit to each seven that
has been shipped this season. Or one
car of each 81 in vegetables went
south and one car of each seven of
citrus fruit went south.
Study the above comparison.
There are four thousand acres in
Strawberries in this State this sea-
son.
Let's reckon that by right distri-
button it would net the grower
about cents more per quart, 80
cents per bushel and they shipped
80 bushels to the acre it would be a
saving of 100000 to the strawber-
ry growers this season.
Strawberry shippers. the most OF
your berries will be leaving this
state about the same time! Wha,
will you lose if the crop is badly
distributed. Transportation people
, what will you lose if a large part
of the strawberry crop rots in the
field or fail to bring transportation
charges.
Grower. you cannot by yourself
solve this problem.
Il Transportation people you car
solve this problem for the grower i
: you will try.
; How? BY employing a compe
tent man to gather up the date o
: shipments at Jacksonville. Thei
have the shipper at different stations
| advised where to ship. So disbur
q sing the crop that all the market