Arizona republican., 1915-02-07
BENEFITS OF UNIFORM PRODUCE GRADING LAW
Packing Rules Aid Both Producer and
 Consumer-Some Examples

Among the things accomplished through cooperation on the part of the farmer, the fruit and vegetable raisers Of the Salt River Valley before they can expect to receive recognition anu first class prices in the big markets is the standardization of grades of products and methods of packing. In every To- | cality in the United States that is fam l ous for the products of it's soil will be found an association that guarantees not only the quality and grade of it's product but the capasity of the packag- es used.
 In the first stage of the development of this idea comes the local association which regulates grades, quality and size of package Next these local associa- tionS organize to include entire val leys or large districts. Then these dis tricts form state organizations, which finally combine in groups covering sev- en or eight states and these in turn unite in a national association. And as each step is made the grades are stan- dardized for the entire group and pack i ages are named identically. This guar antees to every shipper, each commits sion man. dealer or ultimate consumer | that he will get exactly what he ex- poets when he buys any specified pack | age.
 The commission man can safely buy i from a brief telegraphed or written de- l scription, knowing that he is turn car absolutely guarantee the goods to his dealers without seeing them.
 The great orange growers associa tions of Florida and California, the l peach associations of Georgia an6 Michigan and the melon raisers ot | Rocky Ford, are among the many in- stances where this has been success fully worked out. It has remained 1 however, for the apple growers of tht Pacific northwest to develop to a re- | markable degree most efficient an( satisfactory method of handling thei product The North Pacific Fruit Dis tributors. whose home office is in Spo kane. Washington, sells the apples Q nine of the most famous apple raisers ! associations of Washington. Montan; Oregon and Idaho This is a mutua non- profit organize tion. one that ha done much to put the northwest app | industry on d business like basis, an to make 1t possible to so grade an pack apples that they could take ran as staples and be described as accl rately as dry goods or hardware. A members of the various association are obliged to conform to the exceed ingly detailed and explicit Grade ar Pack Rules" of the association, Whic
 although printed in small type, fill
 booklet of sixteen pages. part of the il
 structions however. referring to oth
 deciduous fruits grown in those local
 ties. Not only are there given the mo
 minute restrictions regarding the ph = sical condition of the apple for ca - grade, but the method of packing. t number of apples per box for the va
 ious varieties is also thoroughly co
 cred. The color shading or stripping
 scores of varieties is fully covered.
 well as many other technical details
 One of the most famous of the ass
 ciations in the group referred to is [
 Yakima Valley Fruit Growers associ
 "
 apples enough carloads have be
 placed in Arizona this season to ma
 a good sized train load. These app
 have been distributed through the Jo
 r. Barker Produce company of Il
 city, which makes speciality of {
 hig "" apples of the Yakima wall.
 and it is interesting indeed to vi
 their warehouses and inspect the met
 cd of handling the apples from tf
 district. Not only is the guarantee
 the association's inspection on eve
 box, but the name of the apple is plai
 ly marked, it's grade, the name of [
 district where it was raised and {
 name of the owner of the orchard. T
 cubic inch capacity of the box is al
 given. The barrel apple raisers of t
 east have succeeded in securing O
 standard size of apple barrel throug
 out the country. and there is now |
 before congress which will determi
 the standard size for apple boxes.
 the present time the box used in
 northwest is considerably larger tn
 the California apple box. point oft
 overlooked by the customer and poi
 which well illustrates the desirabili for IiuifurTn parIsipp rpuiiirpmeptc