The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-08-31
FRUIT EXPERT
GIVES FACTS
By E. L. Goodsell.

4
confront the apple growers Of the
Northwest in respect to the marketing
of the coming crops are but repe-
tition of similar conditions which
have previously prevailed in almost
all fruit growing sections of the
country.
In 1899 when Southern California
orange growers, dissatisfied with their
private selling methods sought solu
ton Of their troubles, induced one
shipper to try the auction with two
carloads. The California Fruit Grow
ers' Exchange was formed about this
time which favored auction sales. In
spite Of predictions Of the private
sellers that California oranges could
not be sold satisfactorily at auction,
I made such q success of the first and
Of subsequent sales that in 1915 the
total offerings of California oranges
at auction in New York was 1900, 900
boxes, one hundred per cent Of the
receipts. In the interior smaller mar
kets of the United States where there
are no auctions, California Fruit Grow
ers' Exchange base their delivered
price to buyers on New York auction
prices.
Northern California, wherein origi-
mates all of the deciduous fruit bust
ness, l visited the same year for the
purpose Of turning the business to the
auction sales. At that time this was
controlled by the commission houses
of Sacramento together with one Chi.
cago house and all shipments were sold
at private f. o. b. sales, throughout
the United States. / was only able
to convince one man, Mr.. E. T. Earl,
that the auction was the better method.
Where the previous year So carloads
had been sold from New York, the year
l commenced my sales I disposed Of
$40 cars at a gross average Of sixteen
hundred dollars per car. In 1915,
1900, 900 packages were sold at auc-
tion or one hundred per cent of the
receipts.
In Florida twenty years ago, the
Florida orange industry was in dis
organized condition, the growers re-
ceiving little or nothing for their
crops which were disposed Of by the
commission merchants by private T. o.
b. sales throughout the United States.
At that time ninety-five per cent Of
the crop was sold at private sale in
this manner and five per cent at auc-
ton. Then the leading growers of
the state decided that if the industry
was to be saved, something must be
done and at a convention in Florida
created the Florida Citrus Exchange.
In 1915, 100000 boxes, or eighty
five per cent, of the receipts were sold
at auction in New York, the shipments
Of the Florida Citrus Exchange aver.
aging last year 1926 per box. The
fruit growers Of the state of Florida
have never known the prosperity that
now exists there.
Fifteen years ago, the fruit grow
ers Of Porto Rico were in very de.
plorable condition financially, owing
W thc iOW prizes tnclI lTuite Icduzcu
in the New York market. Ninety five
per cent of the receipts were sold at
private sale by the commission mer.
chants. There, as in Florida, the
leading growers Of Porto Rico Assem-.
bled in convention and organized the
Porto Rico Fruit Exchange. A com.
mittee of this exchange came to see
me to discuss the marketing prob.
lem. The committee stated that the
growers were opposed to auction, and
part of the committee likewise
Eventually, they were brought to real
ixe that as the private selling system
had not been successful, that they
couldn't do worse at auction and &c
the business was turned that way with
the result that in 1915, 100000
packages were sold at auction in New
York, eighty-five per cent Of the
receipts.
In 1900, six New York commission
houses controlled the imports of Cuban
pineapples in New York, selling their
entire receipts at private sale.
finally induced one important i'm
porter to try the auction, although he
doubted, while the other five firms
were sure that the pineapple could
not be sold as well at auction as at
private sale. In 1915, $4,000 crates
ninety per cent of the receipts, were
offered at auction by those same si1
firms.
About 1890, induced an importing
firm to try the selling Of Jamaica
bananas at auction in the face of Op
position on the part of the buyers as
well as of the balance of the i'm.
porters interested in the business
Their ground was that bananas could
not be sold at auction successfully. In
1918, one Of the most successful or
ganizations in the world, the United
Fruit Company, turned over to us
the sale of their bananas in New
York, although this company wal
equipped with selling force equal to
any in the country for the disposine
of bananas privately. This action on
their part gave us 100 per cent Of the
receipts and in 1918 we disposed OF
100000 bunehes at auction.
Up to 1918, New York State apple,
had never been offered at auction ss
they were controlled by the specu
lators who purchased the crops and
disposed Of them at private sale dur
ing the Winter season. In the Spring
Of 1915, John ]. Dillon, Commissions
Of the Department Of Foods and Mar
kets Of the State of New York, AZ
ranged with the Fruit Auction Com,
pany to sell New York State apples
at auction. These sales, have reason
to believe from a canvass made Of
the shippers, have been satisfactory
I