210 PROCEEDINGS OP THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 



methods even of packing firms that do not affiliate directly with the 

 cooperative exchange, placing the marketing generally on a more sub- 

 stantial basis than ever before. 



While from lack of exact knowledge, which comes only from scien- 

 tific investigation, we are yet plodding along with guesswork largely 

 in fertilization, the recently introduced cover crop is proving the most 

 important step yet gained in producing economical plant food and soil 

 health for our orchards, and will mark another new era as distinct in 

 orchard methods as cooperative marketing has in marketing methods. 

 And it should be mentioned in this connection that the general and 

 rapid introduction of this tremendously important factor in fertiliza- 

 tion is largely due to the intelligent and persistent advocacy of one 

 man, Mr. James Mills, of Riverside. Had Mr. Mills rendered it no 

 other service, this alone would have the entire citrus industry of Cali- 

 fornia his debtor. 



But of all these special advanced methods in orange culture and 

 marketing, which have meant so much to the success of the industry, 

 none effected so quick and radical changes, with the promise of so far- 

 reaching, as well as immediate important results to the industry, as the 

 investigations of the Washington Department of Agriculture during 

 the past three years into causes and prevention of decay of oranges in 

 storage and transit are now doing. 



Up to three years ago, the effort of progressive orange-growers was 

 the economical production of good fruit. But little attention was paid 

 to handling. When the fruit was ready for marketing, it was, as a 

 rule, roughly gathered. Men, paid a small price per box, were set to 

 picking. The work must be hurried to make reasonable wages. Little 

 attention was paid as to how the fruit was parted from the tree. The 

 fruit was often dumped from bushel sacks into the boxes, hauled on 

 springless wagons at a trot over rough roads, exposed to the hot sun 

 and dust, to the packing-house, where after rough handling of boxes it 

 was put over grading machinery, usually of a character that treated 

 the fruit as harshly as did the human handlers, then packed in heated 

 cars at the high temperature at which it came from the field, and 

 started across the continent on its ten days' to two weeks' trip. It is 

 true there were orchardists who handled the fruit more carefully than 

 this description would indicate, but they were not the rufe. At the 

 packing-house, ordinarily, identity of their fruit was lost to growers. 

 The vast actual shrinkage from decay, often of from five to sometimes 

 forty per cent, when the fruit was opened at its destination, was seldom 

 known to them, or if quoted it was little heeded. 



This enormous loss to the industry which had been sustained during 

 •all these years had been little realized by the majority of the pro- 

 ducers, and those who had given the matter attention, for the most 



