The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-06-01
HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT

of how much should be included in
this heaping up? The California box
Is slightly better in this matter of
packing by tiers, but it's increased
length of two inches makes it more
unhandy to fit into wagons and cars.
We are willing that either the stand
ard or California box be made the
legal standard for bushel box of ap-
pies, but are not willing to have
forced on us box for which there is
neither reason nor law.
The pear box used on the Pacific
Coast is not as large as the standard
apple box but no effort is made to
have that increased by law Thou
sands of carloads of pears are sent
to the large cities of the Atlantic
Coast every year in this small box
Why should not 1t be regulated as
we'll as the apple box? The only
reason I can see for this difference
is that comparably few pears are
raised in the Eastern States and hence
the pear growers there are not stirred
up over the competition encountered
by the large shipment of pears from
the Pacific Coast. But with apples
it is different. This effort to change
the size of the apple box is to meet
this competition from the West or at
least to retaliate by putting the West
ern grower to disadvantage.
There are many good features in
this proposed law and it is to be COM
mended for these but there is no le-
Ultimate excuse for meddling with our
method of putting UP our fruit. 1t
behooves the fruit growers on the
Coast to look we'll into this matter
l shall be very much surprised if the
agricultural press of the Coast is not
a unit in opOsing this proposed
change. If it is thought best to have
uniform box over the whole United
States, and I am in favor of that,
then let the people who use the box
settle the question as to it's size and
not those who use only barrels. Ger
tainly in this case every fairminded
man will be in favor of "local option"
The orange and lemon growers of Cali
fornia and Florida settle the question
of the size of boxes they use. How
very much it would be out of place
for the people of the North to die
tate to the citrus growers of the
South in matter of this kind Equally
so must it be for the people who do
not use boxes at all to force us
against our better judgment and long
established custom, to change in this
case
The New York Fruit Trade Journal
and Produce Record has given this bill
introduced by Congressman Porter to
the public and I have clipped it from
that paper. 1t is as follows:
"a Bill Concerning Standard Pack
ages, Grades and Marketing
of Apples"
Be it enacted by the Senate and House
of Representatives of the United
States of America, in Congress
assembled:
Section 1. That the provisions of
this Act shall apply to closed pack
ages of apples that are, or may be-
transported from one state or terri
tory of the United States, or the Dis
trict Of Columbia to any other state
or territory of the United States. or
the District of Columbia, or from one
place in territory to another place
in the same territory, or from any
place in the United States through a
foreign country, to any other place
in the United States.
Sec. 2. That in this Act, unless the
context otherwise requires, the ex-
preston "closed package" means a
barrel. box or basket, of which the
contents cannot readily be seen or in.
spected when such package is pre-
pared for market.
Apples packed in closed crates, bar
rels or boxes, covered with Stat
covers, burlap or tarlatan, shall come
within the meaning of the expression
"closed packages"