President's Annual Address 81 



in all that acquaintance; and I cheerfully express my belief that there is not 

 A more faithful, energetic and honorable guild of business men in this coun- 

 try. I am glad to welcome so many of these essential friends of the fruit 

 grower in our meeting to-day. They are as much interested as we arc in 

 all that pertains to this gigantic business which we are all engaged in build- 

 ing up. I desire that they shall feel fully identified with the interests of this 

 society, as with all schemes which tends to the healthful development of so 

 grand an institution as American horticulture. 



THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS OF FRUIT PACKAGES AND PACKING AND OF THE 

 BEST METHODS OF TRANSPORTATION 



Will be brought up before us by able papers to be presented, but I will sug- 

 gest a preliminary thought. It is my belief that fully half the market value 

 of our products is determined by the treatment they receive after they leave 

 the tree or vine. Indeed, I have sometimes known good packing alone to 

 double the market price of consignments. In regard to packages I desire to 

 urge the importance of our securing uniformity in the size and in style or 

 proportion of our packages. The terms "a quart of strawberries," a "basket 

 of peaches," or a " barrel of apples," should convey to the mind of the pur- 

 chaser a definite idea of a certain precise measure of these commodities. 

 And in berry jmckages especially there would be an advantage in havmg 

 the boxes from the different manufacturers all made with the same propor- 

 tions. The Michigan quart box, for instance, is much deeper than the box 

 used in the Southwest, and with a less surface area holds no more, does not 

 look as large, does not show the fruit as well, and does not carry it as well. 

 But with oblong quarts, square quarts, octagon quarts, deep quarts and shal- 

 low quarts, saying nothing about the numerous styles of baskets in use in 

 some sect'ons, the minds of purchasers are in some confusion as to which of 

 all these boxes holds the "honest quart" which their hearts yearn for. The 

 common conclusion is that the various styles are so many attempts to get 

 boxes that will hold a less amount of berries than they pay for. There is no 

 advantage in all this. There is a best style of box — one having the proper 

 proportion between length, breadth and depth to carry the berries best and 

 show them best, and this style should be adopted by us all, and, I think, Ihis 

 Society should record its opinion on this subject and use all of its influence 

 for uniformity. That marketing system under which the packages are re- 

 turned to the grower should continue to receive the condemnation of tliis 

 Society. There is nothing but evil results and poor economy attending this 

 system. When I say that the same fruit will bring enough, more in most or 

 all markets, in new clean packages to pay for the packages, I need not add 

 other arguments, and yet many other reasons might be given against the 

 return system. The system grew up in pioneer times, when the materials 

 for fruit packages were more costly and difficult to secure in large quantity 

 than they now are. There is no longer any good excuse for its continuance. 



