The Ocala banner., 1922-06-02

Florida citrus growers have been
watching closely for three seasons
the progress of the American Fruit
Growers Incorporated in branding its
general trade mark on the skin of
oranges and grapefruit. will it pay
premium" was the principal ques-
ton to be decided. So decisive has
been the answer in the affirmative
as shown by the accounts of sales
that beginning next season the Amer
lean Fruit Growers will not only
brand their trade mark of highest
quality the "Blue Goose" emblem, on
Florida fruit, but will also brand their
generals trade mark, a shield and the
initials i"AFG" on fruit of dependable
quality. The growers own brand is
also marked on the fruit by the elec-
trio stamping machine.
Back of all this lies story of
ten year struggle of a little group
of inventors to adapt to the Oldest
industry in the world, agriculture. the
principles of modern merchandising
by trademarking the product.
70 Machines Operating.
After building seventeen different
types of branding machines. junking
equipment that cost over S35,0OO.0OO
and going on the rocks financially
half dozen times Frank Ahlburg and
few loyal associates have brought
their electric fruit marking machine
to such a state of perfection that
there are now over seventy machines
operating in Florida and California,
branding citrus fruits. More ma
chimes are being built for use IN
northwest packing houses where the
branding of apples will be under
taken on large scale this year.
Hooked up with the largest lndl-
vidual organization distributing
complete line of fruits and vegetables
Ahlburg and his associates can
scarcely see the limit to the uses to
which their machine can be put.
Tried Ultraviolet Rays.
Frank Ahlburg first became inter
ested in attempts to brand fresh
fruits early in 1913 when he was on
the Pacific Coast. He was in contact
with fruit growers and came TO the
conclusion that advertising could be
applied to the fruit and vegetable IN
'dustry without waste il means couId
be found for placing trademark
upon the fruit itself to secure 1dentl-
fication and prevent substitution.
First he conceived the idea of ap-
plying light to the fruit. About that
time experiments were being MADE
with costly and laborious methoa
by putting paper masks on the truH
While still on the tree and letting the
sun act upon the pigments IN the
cells of the skin. Fruit of this kind
attracted much attention in at least
one of the big New York hotels.
Mr.. Ahlburg felt the branding could
De quickened considerably and useu :
on larger scale commercially II ul-
tra-yiolet rays were directed on lne
skin of the fruit through stencils. rms
however proved to be impractlcaDie'
Heat Brands Best.
Then Mr.. Ahlburg tried burning
glass. 1t branded very well. but II
burned the fruit. About that time ne
began to believe that heat had as
much to do with the branding OF fruit
as light. His experiments showed
him that heat was a better brand
Ing agent than light-the surface OF
apples was particularly adapted TO
this kind of branding. Each ap-
pie is covered with an extremely
thin coating Of vegetable wax ana
Mr. Ahlburg found that when heat
was applied to this wax distinctive
color was developed in the skin Oh
the fruit The wax was also condens-
ed and hardened where affected by
the heat. making an indentation ap-
Pear on the apple skin.
To make a distinct brand on the
skin of the fruit without injuring II
could be done only within a Inn
tied range of temperature -the ITEM
pe-ature required to do the branning
varied according to the temperature
.of the fruit itself.