Imperial Valley press., 1923-01-23
SIXTY GROWERS
OF LETTUCE AT
BRAWLEY MEET
Loose Leaf Lettuce Gets
Ban of Growers;
Hear Experts
Waite Name Committee
of Nine Growers for
Crate Decision

over Ou prominent lettuce grow
ers of Imperial Valley met in Braw-
ley yesterday at the request of +.
W. Waite, county horticultural com
missioner, to discuss various topics
of interest TO lettuce growers in
connection with the packing and
marketing of the lettuce crop.
OF chief interest to the growers,
was the adoption of standardized
crate for packing lettuce. At pres
ent there are four styles of crates
used in Imperial Valley, differing
in size and construction, and it was
felt that uniform crate is desir-s
able and will be of considerable as
sistance in handling the lettuce crop
and reckoning production costs. The
horticultural commissioner was re-
qnested to appoint a committee of
nine growers to decide upon a
standard packing crate to be used
next season. This committee will
be named by Mr. Waite within a
few days and will report at meet
ing to be held later in the season.
In the meantime ii will decide upom
a packing crate of uniform con-
structiom and design, which will be
adopted by the growers in general.
Expert Tells Needs
j. j. Wieshaar, i'll charge of the
Esreau of Standardization for the
state of California, presided at the
meeting and told of the efforts of
the bureau to create a standard for
packing vegetables throughout the
state that would be most satisfact-
ory both TO growers and state Off
cials. In arranging the packing Of
lettuce, it was decided at the sug-
gestion of Mr.. Wieshaar, that a var
iation not greater than four heads
in any one layer he made The
valley lettuce is usually Grated in
three layers and under the new ar
rangement, there cannot be diff
ference greater than four heads in
any two layers.
At present the tolerance i'm mark
ing the quantity of lettuce in the
crate is three either way. That is,
there cannot be difference of more
or less than three between the ae-
tuai contents of the crate and the
quantity marked on the outside.
| This tolerance was allowed To stand
as it complies with the law and is
entirely satisfactory to the lettuce
grower
Ban Loose Leaf
After considerable discussion it
was decided that loose leaf lettuce
shall not be packed with the solid
/ head lettuce. There is very little
of the former variety grown in the
valley ana what there is of it VIII
/ be packed separately from the head
/ lettuce.
| w. 4. sherman, director in
charge of the fruit and vegetable di-
vision cf bureau of agricultural
economics of the United States de-
partnent of agriculture, was present
| at the meeting and addressed the
lettuce growers on the difficulties
of obtaining federal appropriations
for agricultural work. Mr. sherman
/ explained that the majority of the
/ members of both branches of con
gress are non farmers and those on
committees having to do with tho
! appropriation of money for agricul-
tural work, being mostly INGREDIENTS,
manufacturers or professional men,
naturally have not the same view
point of the needs of the farmer
that a farmer would have.
When request is made by various
divisions of the department OF agri-
culture for money for work which
they desire to do, il becomes neees-
Sary for the officials of the division
to explain to the members of the
committee just what the money IN
required for, and quite often the
amount requested is whitfield down
by the committee until it is great
deal smaller than she division 1e-
sired. The committees operate on
the plan that il is not what any one
section of the country desires that
concerns them but that monoy mnst
he apportioned where it will do The
most good for all the people Of tho
United States.
Butner Talks
The lettuce growers found Mr..
sherman Is talk most interesting and
( bis explanation OF the relation be.
tween the federal department. ~
agriculture and the various state
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