No. 7. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. . 64S 



It is regretable that we must have page after page of laws on 

 our statute books relating to pure food, and an army of inspectors 

 and detectives to enforce them, and now we have another proposed 

 law known as the Porter Bill, which will be introduced at Wash- 

 ington this winter to regulate the packing, grading and marking of 

 fruit, which in its present shape will require another large army of 

 inspectors to enforce. In my opinion the only additional law we 

 need is one that will define the exact size of the several packages 

 used in the general market, and require the name of the packer to 

 be placed thereon, and let each fruit section, and each individual, 

 profit or loss by the manner in which the fruit is packed. Let me 

 illustrate my point by a short article which appeared in one of our 

 trade papers under date of October 30th, as follows : 



''New York, October 30. 



"At this writing Steinhardt & Kelly have received some 10 or 12 

 cars of Hood River apples packed under the terms of their con- 

 tract with the Hood River Apple Growers' Union. The apples that 

 have been coming along are fruit that might very aptly have been 

 grown and plucked in the Garden of Eden itself. It would be im- 

 possible for the artist to paint prettier apples than these Hood Rivers, 

 and the best of it all is that in the top, bottom, sides and middle 

 of the boxes they are all the same — so much alike in color, con- 

 formation and unblemished beauty that one can not tell 'tother from 

 which. No higher standard of packing is humanly possible and 

 the contents of the cars already received fully bear out the statement 

 of H. M. Huxley. 



"By this magnificent kind of pack the Union is not only helping 

 Steinhardt & Kelly to work out on a big deal in a successful manner, 

 but it is also helping itself and the Hood River Valley beyond all 

 words. For car after car to turn out with every apple in every 

 box a perfect specimen of its tribe is the biggest and best advertise- 

 ment that the Hood River section could ever get." 



It seems to me we do not need laws and inspectors so much to 

 enforce business honesty among fruit growers, as we need leader- 

 ship. Let each individual member of this Society make up his mind 

 that he will be a leader in his community, and will try to induce 

 others to follow his lead. In this way and in this only can Ave estab- 

 lish a reputation that will be proof against all competition. 



You will notice in the short sentence which I quoted from Dr. 

 Hunt's address, he referred to the economic production of a high 

 class article. By economic production is not meant growing a crop 

 with the least possible expense. It has been found that when money 

 and labor are judiciously expended on any farm crop, the net profit 

 will steadily increase up to a certain point. After that point has 

 been passed, while there may be a slight additional gain from the 

 added care and expense, it is not equal to the cost. How many of 

 us have ever reached the limit of profitable expenditure in the care of 

 our orchards? 



We have not nearly reached the limit of economy in the produc- 

 tion of our crops, there are a number of important questions that 

 must be answered before we can hope to reap the maximum profit 

 from our orchards, to answer which requires a knowledge of the 

 great principles which underlie all plant growth, animal growth, and 

 the chemical and physical changes that are constantly occurring in 

 the earth itself. 

 35—7—1908. 



