144 SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE 
could be obtained, he might be willing to sacrifice the society;. 
But it was manifestly impossible to accomplish anything in 
this direction through the society. The attempt could only 
result in lowering the tone and standing of the society, if in¬ 
deed, it did not bring about actual disruption. He was in fa¬ 
vor of an organization for the specific purpose 01 dealing with 
this question, and it was a matter ot sufficient magnitude to 
occupy its entire attention. Such an organization would have 
his hearty sympathy and support, and he believed that, if or¬ 
ganized upon a business basis, as it should be to deal with a 
business question, it could not fail of accomplishing the de¬ 
sired object. But this was a scientific society, and he must 
protest against this subject being brought before it. 
Mr. E. B. Carlton, of Arcadia, DeSoto county, said that he 
could not agree with the gentleman preceding him. He be¬ 
lieved the work of this meeting would be in vain if the mem¬ 
bers went home without acting upon this particular question. 
He was not only a grower but also a shipper. He had lost 
money on nearly all his shipments the past season, and the 
railroad people had the benefit of them. He had put money 
and time into the business for the benefit of the commission 
merchants and the railroads. If it must continue in this way, he 
thought the average growers had better give up the business. 
Five years ago we shipped 100,000 boxes of oranges which 
sold for high prices. To-day our crop amounted to 5,000,000 
boxes and the prices were low. Yet we were paying the same 
lines the same rates for transporting our product. Prices were 
still going down, we were losing money, and the question is 
what we were going to do about it. What were we going to 
do with the fruit pioduced? and what was the use of produc¬ 
ing fruit unless we get a paying price for the product ? 
Mr. Carlton cited instance after instance in which he had 
shipped cars of Iruit which sold for fairly good prices, but 
which, after deducting the transportation and commission 
charges, left him behind the cost of production. 
He said that California, with but 2,000,000 boxes, had se¬ 
cured a favorable rate to the northern markets; a better rate 
to the same markets than we have with 5,000,000 boxes, al¬ 
though we are a thousand miles nearer. California had se¬ 
cured this by organization; we could secure corresponding 
benefits simply by organizing. We raised better fruit than 
they did, but we fell behind them when it came to marketing 
it. He knew no other product that was marketed with as little 
business sense as the Florida orange. It was a useless waste 
to put labor, experience and capital into the orange business, 
and to come here for a week at a time to learn to grow this 
