CALIFORNIA 
desirability of soil improvement, chem- 
ically and physically, by the growing 
and covering-in of legumes in the or- 
chard has been fully demonstrated, but 
choice of particular plants and cultural 
policies are still to be determined. The 
use of fertilizers is constantly increasing 
and their indispensability recognized, 
but their relations to tillage, moisture 
distribution, and to the vegetative func- 
tions of the trees are still matters of 
conflicting opinions. 
The Citrus Protective League 
And yet the problems which California 
citrus growers wrestle with most suc- 
cessfully are commercial problems, and 
they have created unique organizations 
to labor for their solution. Mr. G. 
Harold Powell, then secretary and man- 
ager of the Citrus Protective League, in 
January, 1911, issued a general state- 
ment of the character and work of the 
organization from which the following 
generally significant paragraphs are 
taken: 
The Citrus Protective League of Cali- 
fornia is a voluntary organization formed 
in March, 1906, by representatives of 
growers, shippers and shipping organiza- 
tions in nearly all of the citrus growing 
localities in the state, to handle the public 
policy questions that affect the industry 
as a whole. Its purpose is to represent 
the grower and shipper in handling such 
questions as railroad rates and transporta- 
tion problems; customs tariffs and other 
governmental relations, state and federal 
legislation that applies directly to the 
business; and all other questions of a 
general nature that affect the upbuilding 
of the industry, except the marketing of 
fruit. 
The league is directed by an executive 
committee of nine and by a secretary and 
manager, the executive committee having 
been appointed by an administrative 
committee of 30 of the principal growers 
and shippers, who act as a governing 
committee, and who were selected from 
the representative delegates who organ- 
ized the league in 1906. 
The league is supported by funds 
raised by general assessment, based on 
693 
the number of cars of fruit shipped by 
each member during the preceding year. 
Fourteen assessments were levied to De- 
cember 31, 1910, and $68,654.88 has been 
paid in by the members in the five years 
Since the league was organized, of which 
approximately $65,000 was expended in 
the management of its business to De- 
cember 31, 1910. 
The league has played an important 
part in the progress of the citrus indus- 
try in the past five years. 
In 1907 it induced the railroads to re- 
duce freight rates on oranges 10 cents 
per 100 pounds, from $1.25 to $1.15. This 
rate became effective February 26, 1907, 
since when it has saved the shippers 
from $28 to $30 per car. The gain to 
the industry from February 26, 1907, to 
December 31, 1910, from this reduction 
has been about $3,175,000, or about 45 
times the entire cost of the league, from 
the date of organization to the present 
time. 
Following the reduction in the freight 
rate and as a result of the succeeding 
agitation accompanying the refrigeration 
rate question, the railroads changed the 
refrigeration tariffs, allowing 32,000 
pounds of fruit to be shipped in a 40-foot 
car at the same rate per car for refriger- 
ation as applied before on 27,650 pounds. 
This change became effective July 5, 
1909. It is estimated that the value of 
this change to the shipper is approxi- 
mately $35,000 to date, or more than half 
of the entire cost of the league since its 
organization. 
In 1908 the league began a movement 
to prevent the duty of one cent per pound 
on oranges being reduced by congress and 
to secure an increase of one-half cent per 
pound on lemons for the purpose of cov- 
ering the extra cost in labor expended 
on the lemon above the labor cost ex- 
pended on the orange. The league was 
successful in both of these efforts, the 
duty standing now at one cent per pound 
on the orange and one and one-half cents 
per pound on the lemon. 
The league made an investigation of 
the methods used by the government in 
determining the amount of decay in im- 
