490 ANNUAL. REPORT OP THE Off. Dec, 



$75.00 an acre clear profit on that worthless laud. I think you are 

 making a success under you conditions so you certainly should 

 study your conditions and apply the best methods. 



PROF. STEWART: Do you raise orchard grass? 



MR. COX: We generally sow clover and orchard grass together. 

 I believe a little mulch applied oftener would be more effective 

 than a whole lot. 



PROPOSED NATIONAL LEGISLATION FOR UNIFORM PACK- 

 AGES, ETC. 



By Mr. U. T. COX. 



I don't know why you called on me to open this discussion. I am 

 sorry that Mr. Rothwell cannot be here and I am sorry that I can- 

 not fill Mr. Rothwell's shoes, but I can't begin to talk with him. 

 I have studied a little bit on this bill in regard to regulating inter- 

 state and foreign shipments of apples and I have come to the cou- 

 clusion that we should have some such a law as this, but there are 

 some few points in it that are objectionable to some of the growers. 

 One of the points is, that the box that they specify in that bill must 

 have certain dimensions. Now some varieties of apples you could 

 pack in that to a greater advantage than others. I don't see why you 

 couldn't make a box a different shape if you wish to. I don't see 

 why you should make the box just the same for all varieties. An- 

 other objection that I would have to it, you cannot erase the marks 

 from a box without having a penalty attached to it. That may be 

 right and it may be wrong. If you have a box and pack apples in 

 that box, that are not according to the grade that is marked on it 

 and you wish to erase those marks, you cannot do so without being 

 subject to a fine. This law, as I understand it, carries a penalty of 

 25 cents to a dollar for each package. I think we should be allowed 

 to pack them iu any shape, provided we mark on the package just 

 what is contained therein. The people of other countries are getting 

 distrustful of the American people because they buy so many apples 

 that are not true to the face. These people buy choice Baldwin or 

 any other variety and expect a high grade fruit, but when they open 

 the box, they find that it is very inferior cull stuff. And some 

 people also put in the fruit buds and the leaves off the trees, simply 

 to fill up, but, of course, that is an exception. But, anyway, we 

 should not have anything there but what the box specifies. Now, 

 if a person wants to put up apples, he ought to have the privilege 

 of selling those apples somewhere. It is all right I believe that we 

 put certain restrictions on apple packing. I would like to see Con- 

 gress pass that bill or another one with similar regulations. It is 

 under the direction of the Department of Ariculture and if a per- 

 son does not pack his apples honestly and market them honestly he 

 should be fined. That practice is ruining our trade in this country. 

 We lost a great deal last year and our foreign trade is lost, I say, 

 lost, simply because we sent out so many apples that were not hon- 

 estly packed, Canada has some such a law as this and they can ship 

 apples to foreign markets, and they can get more money for them 

 than for the apples that come from the United States, The people 

 are subject to a fine if they don't put these apples up honestly, and 



