The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-09-13
FEDERAL GRADING OF
APPLES is FAVORED
Public Should be Protected from Dis
honest Packing of Frult--13
States Have Such Laws


States Have Such Laws
Warrington, Sept. 12.-There is a
growing sentiment beth among apple
growers and dealers, in favor of stan
dard apple grading laws, say special
lists of the federal bureau of markets
The object, they say, to be attained by
such laws are: Elimination of fraud
and deception, prevention Of waste
establishing a basis for trading, Great
ion and maintenance of confidence,
sterilization of the market, and en-
couragement of better methods CT pro-
ducing and handling.
The first definite attempt towards Sc
curing the passage of national APP
pie grade law was initiated in 1907 by q
number of prominent growers, ship
pers and dealers who were instru-
mental after working on the problem
for several years. in getting the Sulzer
bill enacted in Congress. This bill be-
came law in August, 1912, when it
was signed by the president to take
effect July /, 1913 Although this law
was not mandatory, it served a valu-
able purpose in awakening and crystal
lizing public sentiment throughout the
country favoring the enactment of leg
tislaticn which would serve to STABILIZE
ing the barrel apple industry by eli
minating fraudulent and deceptive
packing and by establishing uniform
basis for buying and selling.
The first state mandatory apple
grade law was passed in Maine in
1913. The following year New York
passed a similar law covering barreled
apples which is still in effect in an
amended form. This was followed by
similar legislation in Massachusetts
Vermont, New Hampshire, Connect
cut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Vir
ginia and Wisconsin, total of /;
states
The state laws have not been Who'll
ly successful in obtaining the desired
results, because the requirements il
some classes have not been practical
and because the extent to which they
have been enforced in the different
states have varied so greatly that il
many instances the grade terms have
| come to have little value. However
they have done much good In spite
of the objections mentioned a STATE
law that is practical in its specificat
ions and lntelligently enforced vii
carry with it many advantages.
! Specialists in the bureau of mar
kets have conducted Investigations il
all large producing sections and al
| packing houses handling the product,
of approximately 1000 commercial or
chards from the Atlantic to the Paci
fic coasts to ascertain the need of {
national uniform apple grade law Ap
! pie dealers, country agricultural
agents and state college horticultur
lists were also consulted on the ques
tion. Ninety per cent of the grover.
and dealers who were visited were i
favor of apple garding laws, and eoun
try agents and college horticulturist
4 were unaniinthe' n their favor
Without established grades, the spe
cialists say, here Ia no recognized
basis for buying and selling; there il
no common language by which In,
grower shipper, transportation com
pany dealer and consumer may clearl,
understand each ether; and there i
no standard quality by which value
and prices may be fixed. Such
basis can not be established through
individual producers and association
representing hundreds of thousands o
farms in widely separated districts
shipping their products to the sam,
markets.
Confidence is the foundation 0
trade and without grade standardiza
ton confidence in the fruit and prc
duce market can not he establishe
and maintained. For the want of COZ
fidence fruits and vegetables are large
ly sold subject TO inspection, or cor
signed to commission houses to b
sold on their merits as revealed whel
the packages are opened. A misundeI
standing or a difference Of opinion a
} to what the grade or quality should b
|, results in many reflections, whic
necessitates resales and consequent
delays and higher prices in placin
the product in the hands of the COZ
: sumer.
Standardized grades furnish a basi
: for market quotations and tend 20 st;
Billie the price OF the commodity. Il.
cept as based on recognized standar
grades, market quotations cannot b
comprehensive and reliable, and tn
. national market news service oannC
= be developed to its highest efiicienc
: The value OF. such market reports d
. ponds to a large extent upon the a
curacy with which the product may |
described through the use of fixt
grade terms.
t There is an educational value in e
g forcing standardized grades. By beir
S forced to comply with definite stan
o ards the producer will improve II
methods in both growing and handlir
his crop, and he viii be compensate