The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-11-17
VERMONT TOOK
MOST AWARDS
CONTINUED from first page)

10 me by New YORK banker VINO rs IN
terested in Vermont apple orchard tina
dealers in New York tell him that TIN
very best box of apples sent TO New
York is sent by G. L. Witherel of Mid
dlebury' What we need in Vermont il
1000 apple growers like Mr.. Witherel
and a few others we have. Then W,
could revolutonize the agricultural in
dustry and change the history of tn,
state.
in 1915 an attempt was made by
some of the New England states to es
tablish grades and standards for apples
by legislative action with a view to mar
ket reform. The House committee on
agriculture reported the bill favorably
with several proposals of amendment
which did not greatly affect the intents
and purposes of the bill. The House
journal shows that Mr.. Hapgood of Peru
moved that the bill be further amended
by adding the following section: This
act does not prevent any person from
shipping apples in the old fashioned or
any other way, in case he so desires
"This amendment was agreed to by
the House but was rejected by the Sen
ate. A compromise, however, was effect
ed by substituting in lieu of the ocular
wording of this amendment other words
which meant practically the same. The
attorney general ruled that the act as
passed applies only to closed packages of
apples which are branded as packed in
accordance with its terms. Therefore, a
man may still use any inscription he
pleases on his packages of apples if he
does not state in this inscription that the
contents are packed and graded according
to provisions of act 1863 of the acts of
1915. Stating the matter plainly, the
apple grading law in its present form is
of use only to occupy so many pages of
the public statutes. Should the law be
amended so that, like the state of Mas
sachusetts, we shall require liapples to
be packed and branded in accordance
with its terms?
Granting the necessity, would the re-
suits of such law work a hardship to
the apple industry of Vermont? 1t was
urged at the hearings before the legisla-
tive committees that it would work a
hardship upon the small farmer. I would
be loath to advocate any legislation
which would unjustly handicap the farm
ers of Vermont, but fail to see how the
law would so operate. Directors think
our apple growers could not acquire the
requisite skill to grade and pack their
apples, but would unwittingly break the
law and be subjected to prosecution. It
occurs to me that if man can grade the
apples which he placed on the top and
bottom of a barrel, which may be read
lily exposed to the view of the purchaser
he can select as well those which go into
the middle. When No. ! apples are Sc
lected for the ends of the barrel and |
culls put into the middle is it not de-
liberate attempt to defraud? Should not |
the offenders be given a lesson in good |
oldfashioned honesty by being hailed into |
court and fned7 / think this is rea-
sonable procedure and one which has am
pie precedent for its justification.
"Would such law be effective7 We
might expect that its enforcement would
put stop to the practice of misrepre-
sentation which is now all too common.
] believe it would lead to a more careful
packing and grading of our fruit. We
might expect our apples to meet more
successfully the competition of Massa-
chusetts and New York apples, in which
states the apple grading law is compul
sorry. On the whole, | believe a COM
pulsory apple grading law would lead to
better quality of Vermont fruit, J. H.
Hale is reported to have said that there
are 400 Hood river valleys up through
Vermont and New Hampshire between
Connecticut and the Canada line. But /
do not believe that compulsory apple
grading law would alone develop the pos
sibilities of single one of them. 1t
takes men to do that-men of ambition,
foresight, business ability. skill, and you
cannot create these qualities by legisla-
ton. Whatever is DONE do not believe :
the law should be left in its present form,
because 1t is practically useless. NV own
recommend would be that our apple :
grading law be made compulsory and
that sufficient appropriation be made SO
that a campaign of education may be
carried on"
Fruit in Washington County.
The growing of fruit in Washington
county was handled by County Agent
Abbott in part as follows:
"This subject is not long one Wash t
ington county is essentially a dairy coun- q
ty comprising about 1000 farmers and n
$4,000 acres, of which about 100000 Il
acres are tillabe. About 1000 acres or l
about per cent of the tillable land is n
by fruit. The county supports c
about 5000 cows, or not quite one COW
to seven acres of tillable land This in c
cludes, of course, abandoned and other r
wise wasted lands. In evidence of this '
we can only produce the large P
number of creameries that are in opera a
ton in the county.
"As county agent, the speaker is sub
ject to many questions. He registers o
about five questions on diaries and crops l
as against one question on fruits and n
fruit growing. Fruit growing is a side e
line, and | am free to admit that it is Y
too much of a sideline in this county. b
Being dairy section, the farmers of q
this county have, of course, made the Il
farm their home and their natural II
thought was to grow such fruit as might !!
be used to decrease their living expenses. 81
This has resulted in the growing of many el
kinds of small'fruits in small quantities, II
all apples and winter apples of all va p
'ieties known. none of which are pro- CT
luced in sufficient quantity to make
market The market used to be give m
away When the farmer had more APP 81
1les or pears than he needed, every neigh ?
-. .aT- a /.