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THIRTY-FOURTH P^RCIT-GROWERS ' COXVENTIOX. 



sample — and one man 's is as good as another 's. Not so with the lemon. 

 It often happens that we see a considerable difference in the price that 

 a given market will pay for two cars of practically the same value, 

 because one has the reputation to sustain it and the other has not. 

 Therefore, the moral of the present situation is, unremitting effort in 

 building up and holding such a reputation, for the man who wins 

 it has something of which he can not be deprived so long as he does 

 his part. 



Of all the important factors that go to build up a reputation, perhaps 

 the most important is the assurance to the trade of a uniformly good 

 keeping quality. Mr. Powell's researches have called attention to the 

 importance of care in the handling of oranges, and, above all, he has 

 demonstrated that with it the fruit from districts formerly supposed 

 to produce only weak stock can be shipped so as to stand up well. If 

 the lack of keeping quality is a serious matter with oranges, it is far 

 more so with lemons, and moreover greater watchfulness and system are 

 required to insure soundness in them. Not only must the lemon stand 

 up in transit, but the purchaser may very probably be expecting to 

 hold his fruit for several weeks, during the process of distribution. He 

 naturally buys those brands, even at a considerable premium, which 

 experience has taught him are reliable, in this matter of keeping after 

 arrival. 



From another standpoint, soundness in lemons is even more important 

 than with oranges. Practically our only competitor is Sicih\ To win 

 our markets, we must drive her out. Now Sicily's stronghold in her 

 lemons is their excellent keeping quality. While the best brands from 

 California equal hers in this respect, it is still doubtless true that the 

 average of the imported fruit excels the average of our California 

 product in standing up. The weakness of our fruit is the one criticism 

 which we have to meet from the Eastern trade, and it is the one serious 

 problem which must be solved if we may expect permanent success. 

 As I said, this question of decay, important, as it is, is not of such a vital 

 matter with oranges as with lemons. Our chief competitors there are 

 Florida, Cuba, Porto Rico, and Jamaica. 



The oranges from these districts are poorer keepers than California's 

 were, even before the reform of the last two years had cut out so much 

 cf the decay which we formerlj^ had. The buyer of a California orange 

 is well satisfied if it arrives sound and holds up long enough for dis- 

 tribution. 



In so far as poor work on the part of the individual packer affects 

 injuriously the general reputation of California lemons, it is a matter 

 of concern to all engaged in the industry, whether as packers or growers. 

 Such work plays directly into the hands of the importers, and we are 

 all interested in seeing it stop.' 



In spite of some low prices received for our lemons this winter, the 

 outlook is full of encouragement. We are hardly yet producing one 

 half of the consumption of the country. Although we are not likely 

 ever to shut out imports entirely, we ought to supply a far larger 

 jjroportion of our home market than we now do. This year's crop has 

 shown a sharp increase on any previous one. but it is not likely that 

 this increase will be kept up. for there is no particular enlargement 

 of acreage, and the larger crop is due to the remarkably favorable con- 



