Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-03-16

ORANGE TOWN.


one OF the greatest citrus fruit
markets in the world All of the
Florida oranges. grapefruit and tan
gerines that are sold outside the
state pass through the hands of
Jacksonville brokers. To find an
equally large business in oranges
you must travel clear across the
continent to California.
In this, DIS in various other ways.
Florida and California are sharp
rivals. It is curious how these two
far-separated states are doomed by
circumstances to fight each other.
They are antagonists in the orange
market, as winter resorts, and as
winter homes Of the moving picture
industry.
As soon as you begin to talk to a
Florida orange man, he begins ex-
planning to you the great advan-
tages of the Florida orange over
the California variety. He admits
that California produces more
oranges and bigger ones, but there
his concessions end.
I'm California" he tells you.
they raise orange fiber. We raise
orange juice. They 60 in for guam
tity, but We produce quality and
flavor"
The California orange is Brazil
ian fruit, the navel orange, and is
distinguished by the fact that it
has no seeds and peels easily. If
this same orange is planted in Flor
ida, the tree will flourish, but will
not produce enough fruit to make it
pay. The Florida orange is said
to be of Spanish origin, and while
full of seeds and harder to peel
than the California variety, is adj
mittedly sweeter and juicier.
Florida produces one variety OF
orange, however. which is as large
and easy to peel as the California
fruit, and even juicier and better
favored than the other Florida va
rieties. 1t is appropriately named
the king orange. This orange is
raised only in small quantities, and
although sold everywhere within
the state, where it is the favorite
citrus fruit, it is seldom seen out
side of Florida. Why this should
be is a mystery. After eating one
king orange, the visitor to Florida
will have no other kind. He is in
clined to call the king orange the
best thing in Florida. Its delicious
| flavor and wealth of juice must be
! experienced to be appreciated. The
only thing which can be urged
against it is that the uninitiated
person almost needs a raincoat in
order to eat one and come through
the experience dry.
Repeated inquiry fails to discov.
er any good reason why the countr,
at large should be deprived Of king
oranges. Some retailers say it does
not keep we'll, and is therefore no
shipped. But others deny this, ant
it appears that few king orange:
are shipped to New York, where
they bring high prices from the few
persons who are familiar with them
The brokers say that if shipped Il
other places these oranges will no
sell. Their appearance is agains
them. They are great, warty-look
ing fruits, very different in appear
ance from the ordinary orange, ant
looking rather as though they hat
something the matter with them
The average customer. being useC
to a smooth golden orange will no
buy these dark rough-looking ones
Hence few of them get more thai
a hundred miles from the trees OF
which they grow.
very high prices, while the marke
for grapefruit is little dull. AL
sorts of factors enter into the mar
ket. For example, the influenz;
epidemic has boosted orange prices
because good many doctors sal,
that oranges were valuable both a
3 cure and as preventive of tn
disease. Grapefruit, on the othe
hand, were less in demand thai
usual this winter, because Of tn
sugar shortage. Many persons VIII
could afford grapefruit could no
afford the sugar with which t,
sweeten them. The Florida grow
ers and dealers are zealousl
preaching that sugar should not b
used on their grapefruit. They de
clare that after Jan. /, Florid;
grapefruit is so sweet that it need
no sugar, and they also say tina
at any time it is better with sal
than with sugar. They say the per
centage of people who eat grape
fruit with salt is steadily growing