The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-05-06
CONVENTION IS DRAWING
TO A CLOSE
Profitable Discussion Among
HOrticulturiSts Last Evening

Predictions that the future has IN
store for Florida a development of a
fruit by-products industry on an ex-
tensive scale were made number OF
times during the course of the pro-
gram at last nights session of the
Florida State Horticultural Society in
the auditorium of the Woman's Club
house. The discussion of the fruit
by-products brought out large du
dience of men and women which
showed unusual interest in the talks
made. AS was expected the sugar
shortage and it's effect upon preserv-
ing of fruits in the various forms was
touched upon, but with some degree
of optimism. Florida's rapidly de-
veloping sugar cane crop is looked to
for relief from the existing shortage
of sweeting, both in the form of
syrup and of sugar, and the use of
fruits with high sugar content Is
advocated, among them the wild per-
simmon and the muscadine grape, the
former in a dried form, and the latter
in the form of a syrup.
The talks last night were made by
Mr.. J. w. Sample, Haines City, who
read a paper on the subject of manu-
featuring on commercial scale, of
drinks from citrus fruits; Mrs. G. M.
Berry of Sanford, who spoke on the
use of citrus fruits as food, stress
ing their use from a health stand
point and paying high tribute to the
quality of the Florida fruits. Miss
Sarah Partridge of Tallahassee, state
canning club agent, spoke on the by
products of Florida fruits other than
citrus, and she presented an exhibit
of the products of the canning club
women and girls of the state which
was beautiful to look at. Mr.. Charles
Dearing of Washington. d. c., grape
expert of the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture, made talk on
grapes and grape by-products, dwell
ing upon the muscadine and particu-
larly on the Thomas variety. The
muscadine, as Mr.. Dearing pointed
out, is a native of Florida and is found
growing wild all over the central and
northern portions of the state. Mr..
Dearing commended the muscadine to
the horticulturists as product of
commercial development. He stated
that the muscadine grape grown IN
the southeast would exceed in produc
tion and in the prices they bring the
grapes grown in other sections of the
United States.
Grapejuice made from muscadine
grapes by the canning club girls of
the southeast is now being introduced
on the dining cars of the Atlantic
Coast Line. Seaboard and Southern
railways.
This afternoon the members of the
horticultural society are being enter
tained by the people of Ocala and
Marion county. The program of en-
tertainment includes a buffet luncheon
at the springs, where there will also
be music, dancing and bathing for
those who wish to enjoy it. The hor-
ticulturists, the weather permitting,
will be at the springs from one to
three o'clock. At 3 o'clock they will
be taken on an automobile trip thru
the farming sections of Marion coun-
ty. A number of members have ex-
pressed a desire to see the wild 1r-
ange groves, and it is probable that
one group of automobiles will go to
Citra for this purpose.
Tonight's session at 8 o'clock will
open with a discussion of ornamentals
and of the home garden. Mrs. w. T.
Gary of Ocala, will have a paper on
ornamentals. Tonight's session will
also be the business meeting of the
convention, with the presentation of
the reports of the various officers and
committees. The election of officers
for the new year will be held, and a
selection of the next meeting place
will be made. The committee on leg
islation will make it's report tonight.
The 33rd annual convention of the
Florida State Horticultural Society
will come to close with the program
arranged for tomorrow morning,
which includes among other things,
a discussion of deciduous fr"lits of
particular interest to the more north
ern counties in the state, Marion