12 BULLETIN 63, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



Several large selling agencies are now operating in Florida and are handling mr.ch 

 of the citrus fruit. These firms may or may not be directly concerned with the gi-adiug 

 and packing of the fruit. Although in a few instances they control this portion of the 

 work almost entirely, and so are able to offer for sale large quantities of fruit of a rather 

 uniform grade, their primary aim is to handle for the packers all matters pertaining to 

 the sale of the crop. They claim to be able to keep a closer watch on the markets 

 and on general trade conditions than an indiAddual grower or packer can possibly do, 

 and, by means of competent sales agents throughout the country, to be able to control 

 the distribution of the product so as to avoid gluts and the resultant low prices. Their 

 selhng charge may be a flat rate per box, but more often the business is conducted on a 

 percentage basis. 



Florida Citrus Exchange. — The movement for cooperative marketing, begun during 

 the season of 1909-10, gained considerable headway among the citrus fruit growers 

 of the State and resulted in the formation of the Florida Citrus Exchange. The 

 organization was modeled after the California Fruit Growers' Exchange, which has 

 been successfully packing and marketing a large percentage of the citrus fruits of 

 California for a number of years. During its first season (1909-10) the Florida Citrus 

 Exchange handled more than 1,000,000 boxes of fruit. 



The Florida Citrus Exchange is composed of a number of cooperative associations 

 throughout the State. These are made up of individual growers who form a corpora- 

 tion, build a packing house, elect a manager, determine the grades under which 

 their fi-uit is to be shipped, and attend to all the business directly connected with the 

 harvesting, packing, and shipping of the fruit. The cooperative packing houses 

 located in any one of the several citrus districts of the State unite to form a subex- 

 change, whose manager has charge of the larger business interests of the houses in his 

 district, keeping in close touch with the central offices of the exchange, and advising 

 with them regarding the qualities and 'grades of fruit in the various cars shipped, the 

 methods of packing employed, and all other matters regarding which a selling agency 

 should be well informed. A union of the various subexchanges forms the Florida 

 Citrus Exchange, which has its headquarters at Tampa. This is an incorporated body, 

 with a board of directors and officers for carrying on the business of marketing the 

 product. Representatives of the exchange, who are paid on a salary basis, are located 

 in the various trade centers and have charge of the sale of the fruit. 



The fruit of the individual grower may be handled in the packing house as a sepa- 

 rate account; or it may be packed under certain grades, a record being kept of the 

 number of boxes of each grade made from the fruit of that grower, whose identity is 

 lost as soon as this amount has been recorded. lATien the latter plan is followed, the 

 season is generally divided into periods of several weeks in length, called pools, the 

 receipts for all fruit shipped during each period being averaged by grades. The 

 individual grower receives a pro rata share of the proceeds, determined by the quantity 

 of each grade of fruit which he has delivered at the packing house during that pool. 

 In a few packing houses one pooling period extends over the whole season, and the 

 only average made is based upon the proceeds of the entire crop. 



KEEPING QUALITY OF FLORIDA ORANGES. 



The keeping quality of the orange is naturally good. Since the life processes of 

 the fruit continue after it has been severed from the branch, there is a prolonged 

 period during which an uninjured orange remains sound and free from all decay. 

 Ultimately, when the life span has been run, the tissues die and decay follows even 

 in uninjured fruits. The delay is long enough, however, to allow the average fruit to 

 be packed and placed on the market and to reach the consumer in sound condition. 



