42 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
markets and kept a reasonably long time, 
under ordinary conditions with practical¬ 
ly no loss from this source. 
These are lessons of inestimable value 
to the grower and packer, and if this 
truth could be indelibly engraved upon 
the minds of all growers, packers, pickers 
and others who have the handling of our 
fruits, the good work which these men 
have done would not be in vain. 
Therefore, if you are expecting to win 
a favorable reputation for your brands 
in the market, it goes without saying that 
you have taken every precaution to pro¬ 
tect your fruit from injury through every 
step of progress from the tree to the load¬ 
ing of the finished package into the car. 
As I am not an experienced packing 
house manager, I shall not dwell at length 
on working details; leaving these to be 
worked out in the field and packing house, 
by those who have it to do, and know how. 
All I shall attempt is to briefly outline 
such methods as may seem conducive to 
the most satisfactory results. 
We are in the midst of an epoch of 
wonderful development and rapid changes 
in the citrus fruit business, compelling us 
to adopt up-to-date methods or submit to 
being pushed aside by the on-rushing 
wave of competition and progress. 
Our big sister state, and powerful com¬ 
petitor, California, has had us pretty well 
pushed out of some of our once enjoyed 
markets, and is clamoring vigorously for 
the lion’s share, winning by her up-to- 
date methods of packing and marketing, 
and by her extensive and persistent adver¬ 
tising, but Florida has seized the agres- 
sor’s weapons and is now winning back 
some of her lost prestige; compelling our 
rival to accept a diminishing share of the 
coveted markets. 
There are a few cardinal objects which 
must be kept dearly in mind in all pack¬ 
ing operations. Briefly stated they are 
expedition, economy, dependability and 
attractiveness of the finished product. All 
methods, processes and efforts must lead 
unerringly to these all important results. 
These attainments can be secured in the 
maximum degree only where thorough 
system prevails, where the needed equip¬ 
ment is installed and a well organized 
force kept continuously occupied at nor¬ 
mal capacity. 
The product should be uniform in . 
quality for the various grades, neat in 
appearance, and stand as the embodiment 
of a square deal, from bottom to top, from 
end to end, from surface to center. 
These are the outlines of method, and 
the underlying principles on which we 
should undertake the marketing of our 
fruits and when faithfully lived up to, 
should give the shipper a well earned 
reputation in the markets. 
I know of no better way of procedure 
to secure these aims than to follow the 
plan of operation practiced at packing 
houses at Florence Villa. 
I pray an indulgence by my hearers for 
thus referring to an institution with which 
I am personally connected, for I assure 
you that it is not with the idea that we 
are doing things any better than some 
others, for we rejoice that there are sev¬ 
eral really up-to-date packing houses in 
the state; some of them not so large, but 
all putting out fine packs and standing 
high in the markets, and we hope it will 
be but a few years when every citrus fruit 
