THIRTY-FOl'RTH FRriT-GRCn\T:RS ' CON^^:NTION. 



59 



third of the aggregate, with the highest prices uniformly going to those 

 utilizing the careful methods most thoroughly, so long the gospel of 

 careful handling of our oranges should be preached by every one 

 interested in the permanent welfare of our industry. 



It is not worthy of any of us to say, or think unsaid. ' ' I have learned 

 how my fruit may be put into the markets at a large increase of profit 

 over old ways, and I am seeing to it that it is done. The other fellow 

 must look out for himself. Whether he uses' the improved methods, 

 does not interest me.'' It should interest every generous minded man 

 connected with the industry, and induce him to join in every effort to 

 secure general adoption of better methods. 



Some of you may question if this can be done. ]Most certainly it can 

 be done. The orange growers of California are an intelligent class of 

 agriculturists. It is true these new laws, the value of which scientists- 

 have demonstrated, are applied with more difficulty by the small grower. 

 But when he is shown that on ,a product of but a thousand boxes there 

 may be an actual saving of from $250 to $500. he is going to find a way 

 to secure it. Besides this money view. I confess to some sentiment in 

 this matter. The production of oranges in California, to my mind, 

 offers the most inviting of all agricultural pursuits for an intelligent, 

 cultivated people. That the 50,000 cars of this fruit per season, to go 

 from California orchards in the near future, may be produced under 

 the management of a few great landed proprietors, because of their 

 keen, farsighted. prompt adoption of better methods, neglected by 

 smaller growers, is not a pleasing thought to me. I prefer to think of 

 this great prbduct of ours, that will soon be found on the table of the 

 wealthy epicures of all nations, because of its qualities, and on the tables 

 of the intelligent laborer, in our own and other lands, because improved 

 methods have insured a low cost of production and safe carriage to all 

 countries, coming from ten thousand California proprietors, of small 

 holdings, with an intelligent, happy household connected with each. 

 This, I believe, to be quite possible, with all the advantages it would 

 insure to the State, as well as to the local communities and the indi- 

 vidual. It is for this reason, largely, that I believe special effort, indi- 

 vidual and associated, should be made to induce the average grower of 

 to-day to promptly utilize the improved methods, not . only of pro- 

 duction, but of handling our great orange product, which scientific 

 investigations are so clearly demonstrating to us. 



PRESIDENT JEFFREY. :\Ir. Reed has certainly presented this 

 subject in an interesting manner, and we will now hear from Mr. 

 Powell, whose experiments have done so much for the citrus growers 

 of our State. Ladies and s'entlemen. I have pleasure in introducino" 

 Mr. G. Harold Powell. 



THE HANDLING OF ORANGES IN 1908. 



By G. HAROLD POWELL, of Washi^gtox. D. C. 

 The Bureau of Plant Industry since 1904 has been investigating the 

 decay of oranges while in transit from California. . It has ^shown by 

 extensive shipping experiments, and by tests of other kinds, that the 

 decay is caused by a blue-mold fungus which usually gains entrance to^ 



