The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1913-02-20
The Farmers Worst Enemy
Story about the Country general but which should be
read by every Canon City orchardist especially.

I considerable difficulty in getting the
last two barrels into the car. In try
ing to work the last barrel up over
the top tier, it slipped from our hands
and was completely smashed. The
apples out on the frozen earth were
simply trash. There were just enough
good ones to form one outside layer.
The farmer certainly did some good
acting. He appeared to be Mortified.
Somewhere, he protested. should find
on that barrel a mark showing they
were seconds and had been put into
the load by mistake. l told him I'D
pay him just one-half the agreed
amount for the apples and let them go
along to the warehouse. There /
would have every barrel opened and
inspected. IL all were alike the brok-
en- barrel he would get no more mon-
ey: but IL they came up to his original
representations the balance of the
agreed price would be sent him The
Inspection proved that every barrel in
the lot had been very cleyerly dea-
coned. as we cali it, This was a case
OF outright crookedness. When L
grower is Intentionally honest but Is
careless and ignorant OF right stand
ards. his poor apples are scattered
through the barrel without discrimina-
ton as to where they are placed. but
the grower whose crookedness Is a
matter Of malice atoreshought fnres
the barrel with choice fruit after I'LL
ing the interior with trash. l could
repeat many of these experiences. bL;
this one will serve as a type of the
kind OF practice that has done SO much
harm to Michigan and other states
where apples of the finest favor are
grown
The whole point OF the matter Is
this though: The entire apple-grow-
ing Industry OF the state is paying the
penalty for these tricks: and 1t Will
keep on paying It until an honest pack
becomes standardized when that is
done Michigan will take her rightful
place as one of the best apple-produc-
ing states in the Union. Whether this
will be done by legislative enactment
or by the pressure brought to bear b.
the organizations OF growers. no one
can now say. But a standard pack
age and a standard pack are the two
things necessary to clear up the reps-
tation OF the state and put the Mich
igan apple farmer where the merit :.
his product gives him the right %
stand-in the front rank.
In all the associations OF apple
growers In Michigan are groups of
earnest men who are striving TO SEE
cure these remedies and are packing
their own apples in a careful and In
telligent way. could name n dozen
growers there who get a premium 4
about a dollar a'barrel. because they
have built up a reputation for pack
that is invariably right
Their example is doing much 20
help the cause along. Like the man
who has made his Duchess apples FAM
Gus. they are fighting for individual
markets. Where they find one they
make good and help to restore conf
dence. but II viii be slow work until
they are In position to make their own
honest pack the standard OF the state.
The same sort OF fight Is going on
In New England. A few big leaders
headed by ]. II. Hale are doing the
pioneer work and are demonstrating
that II pays to put up a right pack;
but there. too. they will never come
into their own until they can estas-
lish and standardize a pack. Until
then the shifty. the careless. the ig-
norant and the shortsIshtsd grower
viii hold the reputation Of the region
At his mercy and make the innocsas
and upright ssasr sor NE slas q ~
Euilsy.-