Evening star., 1914-07-12

De sure ne ls getting an honest barrel
even when he Is buying apples.
Nearly two years ago Congress passed
an act to establish a standard barrel for
apples. The same law eeta blished stand
ard grades for. apples when packed in
barrels. The legislation went into effect
July l, 1918. and although the use Of the
standard apple barrel was not made COM
pulsoty. the establishment of the stand
ard was strongly indorsed by the Inter
national Apple Shippers Association. and
the size fixed by Congress has been gem
The standard apple barrel contains los
dry quarts. which is the size of the flour
barrel most commonly in Use At the pres
ent time. however, many commodities are
sold In barrels Of much less than 1O5
quarts, sometimes even less than 100
Ihe cranberry barrel is only eighty-three
quarts measure. To the average person
shortage Of only five quarts In a barrel
oa ,a any ordinary commodity sold in bulk
may not seem to be large enough an item
OF loss to cause much worry
FIVE quarts Of apples or potatoes, for
instance. would not be missed BY the pur-
enadert, enaser OF r. single barrel Of these
however, that the shortage makes Itself
felt. and weight and measure EXPERTS
point out that when 1t Is remembered
that shortage Of five quarts in twenty
pne Sn parreis makes loss Of one whole
oarrei. the reasons for adopting a stand
stood.
;, Why Congress- enacted a law estab-
iisning standard sized barrel in which
10 10 PACK apples and did not standardize
commodities is more than any one has
attempted to answer The principal rea-
son, perhaps. Is that both the apple
Shippers and the purchasing public
wanted standard sized apple barrel
congress was given the authority to fix
the standard of weights and measures
IN the same section of the Constitution
OF the United States which provides for
the coinage of money, yet the first law
Ixins a standard measure for CONNER
cial products to be placed on American
statute books was the apple barrel law
enacted two years ago.
A law which establishes a standard
oarrei for all dry commodities is now
after having passed the Senate. The bill
was introduced In the Senate by Senator
John w. Weeks Of Massachusetts, and
IN the House by Representative Will
liam E. Tuttle of New Jersey. 1t fixes
compulsory standard barrel measure
for all dry commodities, and prescribes
penalty for the use Of any other bar
rel 1t Is generally admitted that there
is no doubt about the constiutionality
Of the pending law. because ample au-
ton Of the Constitution providing for
the fixing of standards Of weights and
measures
The need for a standard sized barrel is
urged by weights and measures experts
in all parts Of the country and by COM
mission merchants and purchasers OF food
products and other dry commodities
which are shipped in barrels. At the
present time number Of states have
barrel measure laws. These laws are
barrel of 100 quarts or less has been
adopted. Virginia. for instance, has
adopted short barrel standard. and
when her products are shipped to New
York or to other markets the purchaser
is always bewildered in trying to find
out whether he is buying full or short
measure. Speaking of the needs of a
standard barrel law. L. A. Fischer. chief
of the division of weights And measures
of the United States bureau of stand
ards says:
ITO protect the consumers of all dry
measure products there Is an urgent
need Of a standard barrel law which
will make 1t a misdemeanor to sell any
of the standard prescribed in the law:
1t is generally agreed that the barrel
standard should be the same as the d.
mensions prescribed by Congress for a
standard apple barrel. with content OF
1O5 dry quarts, the same size as the
ordinary -four barrel.
There Is no reason why shippers OF
various products should be permitted by
the purchasing public to use containers
of different dimensions and to call one Of
these containers a barrel To permit any
sized container to be sold as barrel.
even when the capacity Is marked on
the outside. Is just as logical as 70 per-
nit any sized measure to be called
or to allow any quantity Of coal to be
called a ton. providing the number OF
pounds is given. Any law which virtual
ly legalizes short measure would result
in confusion rather than protection TO
those purchasing by the barrel.
81
Government experts who are interested
In AGRICULTURAL by-products and the util-
ization of waste
Making Oil From are following close
ly reports which
try OF the new tomato seed oil industry
which is growing up in italy. Experts
of the Department Of Agriculture believe
that this process will soon be introduced
successfully in this country.
The making Of oil from tomato seeds
is comparatively a new industry in Italy.
and was started at Parma in 1910. The
seeds are taken from the tomato refuse
from catsup and canning factories, and
the oil extracted from the seeds Is used
extensively In the manufacture OF soap.
The Italians are now conducting expert
ments looking to the manufacture Of an
edible oil from the crude tomato seed oil.
and this oil, 1t is expected. will become
a cheap substitute for olive oil in the
preparation Of food
The tomato seed oil industry was sue
cessful in Italy from the first year. and
at the present time between 5000 and
5000 tons of wet tomato refuse are
worked out in the industry in this way
each year.
1t is estimated that the 5000 tons Of
wet tomato refuse will yield approxi-
mately 2,4OO tons of dried residue. which,
in turn, yields 24O tons. or nearly 5000
gallons, Of tomato seed oil. Besides the
oil yielded from 5000 tons of tomato ref
use. 1t is estimated that 1900 tons of oil
cake Is produced as a by-product, and
this has taken an important place as a
stock food In Italy. There are about 800
tons of tomato peel in each 5000 tons of
wet refuse from canning factories. and
although no particular use has been
found for the peel up to the present time.
the Italians are making experiments with
the object Of finding out its value as a
fertilizer.
The establishment of the tomato seed
Oil Industry in Italy has given an added
source of income to the tomato preserv-
ing and catsup factories from the sales
Of the refuse material which was former
ly thrown away. The seeds from the to-
mato preserving factories sell for slightly
more than IA cents per 100 pounds. and
the wet refuse just as it comes from the
calls from, ALL fo copfS nor 100