The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-08-15

EDITOR OF THE RANCH.
w. N. White, an apple buyer of New
York, has written the following letter
to The Ranch in reply to my article
in the June issue relative to chang
ing the size of the apple box:
New York, July 81, 'OS.
My attention has just been called to
your issue of June 1 wherein Mr.. F..
Walden writes about the ACCESSIBILITY or
changing the size of the apple box.
I have hitherto been a great admir-
err of Mr.. Walden's writings and con-
sidered his views on horticulture to be
equal to anything that have ever seen
or heard not only in the West but in
the East, but I confess I have to diff
fer with him as regards the present
apple box or rather boxes, because
each particular country seems to have
it's own style of boxes. MI. Walden is
quite correct about the cubic contents
of the bushel, but that bushel that
he is talking about is the "strick
bushel measure in the same way as
YOU would measure bushel OF corn
and run a stick across the top pushing
off all corn that would be above the
rim. Outside of grain all bushel meas
ures of produce are sold by the heap
ed" bushel, and l have known in Eng
land men selling to the public bushels
of apples and allowing the customer
to put as many apples on the top OF
tie bushel as could be conveniently
placed there.
Potatoes, onions and apples are solo
all over the country by the heaped
measure; that such heaped measure Is
the acknowledged fact, is proved by
the Government figures as to what COLI
stitutes a bushel. Outside OF bananas,
which come into the country duty free,
every kind of produce has to pay tax;
that tax on fruit, onions and potatoes
is at per bushel of so many pounds. A
bushel of green apples is SO pounds, a
bushel of onions is 81 pounds, and
bushel of potatoes is 60 pounds. Those
weights are recognized in most or the
states in the Union; as maCter OIL
fact Wisconsin gives 81 pounds or ap-
nles TO the bushel All boxes in every
state are supposed to be bushel boxes
and it may be that they adopt the
"strick" measure bushel. That they
are not the "heaped" or the legal BUSH
ell is proved by their weights, as their
gross weight does not exceed 30 IDS,
and the box and paper often goes
lbs, and have seen carloads OF some
of these boxes of apples here only
weighing 46-47 lbs. gross.
What are the understood measure
ments? In Washington there are two
kinds of boxes used-one box
1Sx11kx1O1a, equal to 2,173 inches;
another box 2Ox11x10, equal to 2,2Oo
inches. There are also two kinds OF
boxes used in Oregon-one 2OxlOx-
liz, equal to 1887 inches; another
18x1Okx11, equal to 2,174 inches. In
California the box is 20hx11x12, equal
to 2,194 inches. In Colorado the box
is 18x11x12 inches equal to =
376 inches, and I am told that In
British Columbia the box is still OF
different dimensions. In fact, | have
seen it stated that seven different
sizes of boxes have been seen on the
Seattle market at one time.
Mr.. Walden says that ION the Pa
cific Coast you practically measure
nothing, that wheat, oats and barley
being sold by the bushel are not meas
ured, but weighed" If the law OF the
land states that bushel OF apples
shall be fifty pounds to the bushel,
why not have a standard bushel box?
Again: / am rather surprised to