The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-06-01
Edited by F. Walden

was the difference would not be 207
cubic inches for what goes above the
top of the half bushel,
The custom of measuring apples in
a half bushel when they are not
packed but are sold in bulk prevails
in most of the states in the East but
does not exist at all on the Pacific
Coast. Here we practically measure
nothing. Wheat, oats and barley,
while sold frequently for a certain
price per bushel are not measured but
| weighed Potatoes are weighed or are
sold by the sack. If we sell apples not
packed we measure them in the STAN
| dard box. If they are culls we may
not be particular to have the box just
level full, but there is no rule about
heaping them When we sell apples
in a closed box we fill it full and give
a slight bulge in the center of the
box, but there is no heaping. Our
| box contains more than the Winches-
! ter, but not quite as much as the I'm
perial bushel so far as the contents
are indicated in the measurement Our
standard box is indicated by 10k
| inches deep, liz inches wide and 10
inches long in the clear. Any one, by
| figuring this out, can see that this
box contains 2,173.5 cubic inches. This
exceeds the Winchester bushel by 23.1
cubic inches. But while our boxes
are nominally Is inches in the clear
they are about one half inch more
than this for the end pieces are sup
posed to be an inch thick, but as they
are dressed on both sides they do not
| much exceed three-quarters of an
| inch in thickness. If these ends are
| not more than three-quarters of an
| inch thick then our box contains
2,238S cubic inches or 1876 more than
| the Imperial bushel. It is safe to say
that our box does not fall one inch
short of the largest bushel known to
the laws of our country. There is no
standard for the heaped up bushel,
hence, to pass law requiring a closed
box of apples to contain 346 more
cubic inches than the largest legal
bushel known in our country is arbi-
trary and unjust to the people who
use boxes.
| We who have thought out this
whole box question, have established
an honest box, have established our
trade in this country and in foreign
countries and we should not be mo-
lCOCCo' IL PCOpIC LdOC w lOI WduC W
buy our packed apples, they can re-
fuse to do so. But the manner in
which their buyers ransack our coun-
try to get our apples and buy them
in thousands Of cases without MUIR
muir shows how acceptable they are.
This fact perhaps explains why man
who represents a committee of New
York apple growers is trying to get
bill through Congress that will work
hardship on the western growers.
The members of Congress from the
states where boxes are used should
see to it that no such law is passed
unless the people whom they repre-
sent desire the change.
Some one may say that if we in
crease the size of our box, we can in
crease the price and no one will lose
anything. That may seem fair, but
1t is more specious than fair. We
have built up our trade on prices per
box and many will never take into
, consideration that we have added one
seventh to the size of our box. We
would still have to sell our apples for
so much per bushel box when it Is
perfectly clear that we are forced to
put into this so-called bushel box one
seventh more than has ever been re-
quired by any legal bushel in this
country or in England.
But there is another serious diff
Guilty in this contemplated change. We
pack our fruit by tiers as already
shown. The pack of the Pacific Coast
apples has won the admiration of the
world. On this fine pack we have won
our trade and this is of immense value
to us. Shall this all be thrown away
because, forsooth, in some parts Of
our country the custom grew up of
Il an nino The hole huoI.nI ~