THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
138 
CALIFORNIA CITRUS PROTECTIVE LEAGUE 
The general manager and secretary of the California 
Citrus Protective League has issued an interesting state¬ 
ment regarding the purpose and plans of this organization, 
designed to promote the citrus industry of the Pacific 
Coast. 
THE ORGANIZATION 
The Citrus Protective League of California is a voluntary 
organization, formed in March, 1906, by representatives of 
growers, shippers, and shipping organizations in nearly all 
of the citrus growing localities in the State to handle the 
public policy questions that affect the industry as a whole. 
Its purpose is to represent the grower and shipper in 
handling such questio.ns as: railroad rates and transporta¬ 
tion problems; customs tariffs and other governmental 
relations; State and Federal legislation that applies directly 
to the business; and all other questions of a general nature 
that affect the upbuilding of the industry, except the 
marketing of the fruit. 
The League is directed by an Executive Committee of 
nine and by a Secretary and Manager, the Executive Com¬ 
mittee having been appointed by an Administrative Com¬ 
mittee of thirty of the principal growers and shippers who 
act as a governing committee, and who were selected from 
the representative delegates who organized the League in 
1906. 
The citrus industry represents from $150,000,000.00 to 
$200,000,000.00 capital invested, 10,000 growers are in¬ 
terested in the cultivation of the fruit, 100,000 people 
depend on it for a livelihood, and nearly 50,000 carloads are 
expected to be shipped from the State during the present 
season. No other agricultural industry in America is so 
highly specialized. None is more closely tied together by 
common interests. None is brought more closely in contact 
with organized business interests from the grower to the 
consumer, and as a result has larger and more far reaching 
general questions confronting it. 
The League is supported by funds raised by general 
assessment based on the number of cars of fruit shipped br¬ 
each member during the preceding year. Fourteen assess¬ 
ments were levied to December"3ist, 1910, and $68,654.88 
have been paid in by the members in the five years since the 
League was organized, of which approximately $65,000.00 
was expended in the management of its business to Decem- 
ber3ist, 1910. 
THE THINGS THE LEAGUE HAS ACCOMPLISHED 
The League has played an important part in the progress 
of the citrus industry in the past five years, by its work in 
connection with the reduction in the freight rate on oranges, 
the change in the refrigeration tariff, the citrus fruit tariff, 
the citrus fruit customs regulations, and the eradication of 
the white fly. 
PROBLEMS BEFORE THE'LEAGUE 
The problems before the League at the present time are 
far reaching in scope. The rate cases will require attention 
until they are finally settled. A determined effort is being 
made by the importers to have Congress reduce the duties 
on citrus fruits. The League is preparing to meet the 
efforts of the importers. It will endeavor to safeguard the 
common interests of the orange and the lemon grower by 
every honorable means whenever the question of citrus 
duties is raised, either by the Tariff Board or by Congress. 
The League will use every effort to bring to the help of 
the grower special investigators from the State and Federal 
Governments to study the diseases, the insects, the soil 
problems, and other cultural, fruit handling, and fruit 
transportation problems that affect the industry. It will 
maintain an agricultural reference library without expense 
to the grower, and will develop a bureau of information 
showing the international movement of citrus fruit and 
other fruits that have a relation to the industry. 
Legislation 
MONTANA NURSERYMEN ACTIVE 
Dear Sir: 
I have pleasure in informing you that the Florists’ and 
Nurserymen’s Association of Montana has recently obtained 
some very important amendments to the Horticultural Law 
of this State. 
A clause debarring nurserymen from being represented 
on the State Board of Horticulture has been cut out, green¬ 
house plants have been exempted from inspection and 
provision made for appeal to the State Board of Horticulture 
against an inspector’s decision when necessary. All fees 
collected by inspectors are now to be turned into the State 
Treasury; previously the inspectors were allowed to keep 
$150 each month as wages. 
Previously the law provided for nursery stock grown in 
Montana to be inspected after it was dug from the rows or 
grounds, the nurserymen to give five days’ notice when the 
stock was ready for inspection and also after the stock had 
been inspected to give in writing, with an invoice of the 
goods being shipped, five days’ notice to the State Board of 
Horticulture before shipping. 
This has now been amended and the State Board of 
Horticulture is to designate the manner and time of inspec¬ 
tion in each case and the five days’ notice before shipment 
has, by amendments, been made to apply only to unin¬ 
spected stock. 
There are even yet many objectional and useless features 
in the Horticultural Law of this State which we hope at some 
future time to see corrected. 
The association is now endeavoring to arrange for com¬ 
petitive florists’ and nurserymen’s exhibits at the State Fair 
this year. The annual meeting of the Association will be 
held at Helena, during Fair Week about September 26th. 
Mr. W^. J. Hugo has resigned the office of secretary and J. W. 
Mallinson has been appointed to succeed him. 
Helena, Mont. J. W. Mallinson. 
