42 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
One of the principal evils of our present 
system of packing and shipping is the 
want of uniformity. This is evidenced in 
every department of our industry. 
It is just as important that we should 
have a uniform system, as it is necessary 
for the railroads to have a uni¬ 
form gage for their tracks. Who 
does not remember the embarrass¬ 
ment and inconvenience that grew out of 
the “broad gage,” “standard gage” and 
“narrow gage” of former rival railroads. 
There must be—above all—a uniform 
standard of shipping boxes, applicable 
alike to every State in the union produc¬ 
ing the citrus friuts. 
The size of the California box is 
ii i-2xi i 1-2x26, slats 26 inches by 3 
while the size of the box in general use in 
Florida is 12x12x26 1-2, making a differ¬ 
ence of 12 per cent, in favor of the Cali¬ 
fornia box. This is a discrimination 
against Florida fruit, and the general pub¬ 
lic are not educated to note the difference. 
To them, a box of oranges, is a box of 
oranges—without a thought of the fact 
that one contains more than another. 
There seems now to be a willingness on 
the part of our Congress to establish a 
uniform package for many of the fruits 
entering into interstate commerce. The 
influence of every member of this as¬ 
sociation should be exerted to the utmost, 
to have the packages for marketing the 
citrus fruits included in this legislation; 
and every section engaged in the business 
should be compelled to use a package of 
the same cubical contents—or if any sec¬ 
tion persists in using a package below the 
standard, they should be marked, “short” 
when used in interstate commerce. 
There should be uniformity in the hand¬ 
ling and marketing of fruit, which in¬ 
volves central packing houses in different 
well defined, sections. 
These separate, district, packing houses 
should at least be under a single advisory 
head; so as to maintain, as far as possible, 
uniformity and co-operation in grading 
for each district. 
Perhaps these may be considered Uto¬ 
pian conditions in the present chaotic con¬ 
ditions of the fruit industry of Florida; 
but, my experience of one year in Cali¬ 
fornia, fully convinced me that it is im¬ 
perative—that substantially the same sys¬ 
tem*—as used in California—must, sooner 
or later, be introduced here. 
I venture to predict, in advance of the 
report of the committee lately returned 
from that State, that their recommenda¬ 
tions will be along this line. 
Along the line of shipping early fruit 
I wish to point out the great harm to our 
industry by unscrupulous buyers and 
growers shipping our late varieties under 
the brand and name of our earliest va¬ 
rieties. This is a palpable fraud and 
should, if possible, be regulated by the 
police powers of the State—making it a 
misdemeanor for any one to ship the im¬ 
mature and unripe late varieties under 
the name of the earliest varieties. It is a 
fact, well known to all growers, that we 
have early oranges that will go on the 
market in a fairly ripe and palatable con¬ 
dition as early as October, but it is unfair 
to the consumer, as well as very detri¬ 
mental to the grower, to* have the imma¬ 
ture, unripe, and sour fruit, of the latest 
varieties, hastily colored by artificial 
means, and offered to the Thanksgiving 
trade as an average sample of Florida 
oranges. Of course no* reputable grow- 
