The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-01-14

waYman and $1,000 taken out oil ms
pockets, it would have been smaller
and less punishable crime. Yet the
laws of Oregon permit this crime to go
unnoticed. II / can do nothing else in
this meeting than arouse your actions
fn seeking legislation for the punishment
OF this class of criminals, | will feel fully
paid for coming here.
Pardon me for reference to myself for
few moments. In the springs OF 1897
9S, / planted 20-acre CONNER
cial apple orchard in Hood River valley;
and ever since that time have spared
neither time nor money in giving it the
best OF care. Two years ago began to
discover had been robbed by the nur-
seryman selling me improbable vari-
eties / had not ordered. These untrue
to-name varieties we're represented by
over 800 King of Tompkins County, l45
Ganos, 80 Early Harvest, 10 Northern
Spies, several Red Cheek Pippins, Nam
mouth Black Twigs, Seeding sweet APP
Piles and God only knows what others.
| don't believe the nurseryman ever
knew what he sold me, neither do be-
lieve he cared. His total mistakes dis
covered up to date are 566 trees untrue
to name, out of an order OF 1860 trees.
Brother fruit growers, know you will
pardon me after having heard my tes-
timony for asking you to help prevent
such a crime as this And yet our state,
yes, our entire United States, have
many such nurserymen still preying up
on the innocent public.
But / hear some nurseryman say, "We
guarantee to make good any such mis-
takes by replacing other trees, true to
name, without cost" And | am sorry
to say the laws OF Oregon uphold such
contract as fulfilling their obligations
Shame on such a decision. 1t is SO
untrue, so unjust and so ridiculous that
| will not attempt to waste words upon
it. | believe the nurseryman selling
trees untrue to name should be declared
a criminal and treated as such by law.
And he should by all means be held re-
sponsible for all damages done any fruit
grower who has been swindled by his
INSCRIPTIONS methods. Give us laws
that will protect US from INSCRIPTIONS
nurserymen and dealers in spray mate
rials by making them responsible for all
damages done to each fruit grower, and
also liable to heavy fines; then give our
state board of horticulture powerand
money to prosecute the perpetrators of
these abuses, and | believe no fruit
grower will ever regret having assisted
in getting these laws on our statute
books.
Another law is needed relative TO sell
ling apples infested with the San Jose
oaa 10 n foi nil ho fai
the Goblin moth worm. Our state hor-
ticultural law says: 1T shall be unaw-
full for any person, firm or corporation
to import or sell any infected or iseased
fruit OF any kind in the state Of Oregon"
II we will take trip down Front street,
and cast our eyes on the wormy apples
offered for sale, we would feel like ex-
claiming, eye gods and little fshes"
A law so fagrantly violated is dis
grace to any state. Let us ask for law
giving us the right to sell such fruit to
no one, except to those who are COM
PEELED to use it in fruit cannery, cider
or vineger factory. And, if it is in the
power of man and law, let us. ha e it
strictly enforced To many this may
seem tvranncal; but on ANALYSIS you
will find it will prove beneficial to both
grower and consumer. 1t will force the
growers to give their orchards better
care, and supply the consumer with
better grade OF fruit, 1t will drive the
indolent, shiftless and sloven orchardist
from the field of competition. 1t will
elevate the growing OF an apple orchard
TO a scientific, interesting and enobling
industry.
We need law regulating the size OF
our apple boxes. In my opinion this
organization should select a committee
on legislation from each state herein
represented, and also request the fruit
growers of California to select a like
committee to join them in their cooper
ative work then each Of these legisla-
tive committees should have a similar
bill introduced at the next legislature
of their respective states, to become
law as soon as possible, regulating the
size of an apple box.
This is of great Importance to all ap-
pie growers. 1t has been said, Com
petition is the life of trade" want to
deny this untrue adage. Competition
is the life of dishonesty. A few years
ago roll of butter in Oregon contained
two pounds, but competition kept reduc-
ing it until the poor consumer was pay
ing for full roll, and in many cases
was receiving only piece of creased
paper containing less than one and one
half pounds of butter Our state legis-
lature was wise in framing and passing
law defining the weight of roll of
butter.
In like manner the apple box is
creature of competitive circumstances.
1t means one size in one community and
another size in another community. To
illustrate: Southern Oregon has cut the
Especial" box d inch in depth and add
ed = inch in length. The California
export apple box, so | am creditably in
formed, is so small it would almost be
lost in our STANDARD" box. Yet all
these boxes when filled with certain APP
pies, such as Yellow Newtowns, are
shipped to the same markets in compe-
tition with each other. 1t is a deplor-
able condition, and should be corrected
and regulated by strict laws similar to
our laws on other weights and measures.
Last, but not least, we need law to
assist us in getting better roads over
! WHICH W ilhul Jul iiutl W maj w
fruit grower who hauls his fruit, espec-
tally during the winter months, can de-
liver it in a first.class marketable con-
dition after jolting it over a few miles Of
our country roads. We need a road law
that will give state and county assistance
to anv road district whose citizens are
enterprising enough to share one-half
the expense in building frst-class ma
cadam roads. This thought may be a
little foreign to a fruit growers meet
ing, but hint to the wise is sufficient.
Fellow fruit growers, my thoughts
herein expressed may be summarized
under the following heads:
First-A law making the selling of
fruit trees untrue to name a criminal
offense, punishable by heavy fine or
imprisonment or both, and the guilty
party liable for all damages done to the
purchaser Of such trees.
Second-A law making any dealer
selling adulterated spray materials sub