STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 29 



of the question of amending the present law, (a) to require 

 that, in addition to present specifications, the name of the grow- 

 er and also the packer, in plain, legible letters be placed on a 

 card, inside of every closed package; (b) that an appropria- 

 tion be secured to cover the expenses of enforcement; (c) that 

 an amendment be secured to provide for the inspection, by 

 proper officers, of closed packages, barrels or boxes; (d) that 

 legislation be obtained to make obligatory the removal of all 

 dead and worthless trees and the spraying of all orchards and 

 living trees. 



The character and uniformity of the fruit here exhibited fur- 

 nish the best possible proof of what would become general all 

 through the fruit sections of the State under the wise enforce- 

 ment of such measures. The cry that these are drastic and 

 burdensome fails utterly when we remember that the sole pur- 

 pose is to lift the standard of all Maine fruit to a level where 

 uniform quality will be guaranteed and a higher and more uni- 

 form price insured. There is no hardship, no oppression, no 

 extra expense imposed upon any individual. Such a law would 

 simply require of a man that he do what is for his own best 

 and permanent good. This much the friends of the industry 

 have a right to demand. No individual or number of individ- 

 uals can in justice jeopardize the best interests of others or the 

 permanent development of the industry. The day has gone for 

 individual standards to govern in grading or packing fruit. 

 The battle royal to regain and hold the markets of the East, and 

 to the East, can never be successful until the growers of the 

 East stand with united front to grow, to grade, and to pack the 

 best fruit which can here be produced and to eliminate all which 

 fails to come up to this standard. The most difficult step for 

 the New England farmer to take is that wherein he surrenders 

 his individuality, yet that is the universal law of business. The 

 individual is lost in corporate interests. That this applies as 

 tenaciously with the man on the farm as he of the mill must be 

 recognized. Because of this individuality of work there is no 

 means by which the interests of the industry as a whole can be 

 safe guarded. Individual shipments of fruit remove all con- 

 trol and put every man's product on the market against his 

 neighbor's. Today we are bidding against each other for busi- 

 ness. The West has fought the fight and learned the lesson; 



