No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 493 



matter up at the next meeting. The trade is lost to us. It means 

 as much to you people here as it does to us. What are we going 

 to do about it? Some of us who have had experience in these things 

 favored the Canadian Law. International jealousies interfered. 

 Just that one word, ''Canadian" was like a red flag to many of our 

 people. It was impossible to do anything in our meetings as there 

 was too much opposition and it seemed best to do something in a 

 quiet way, and finally they agreed to compromise and I think it 

 drifted along until about the first of June. The present bill is weak. 

 It is awfully weak. I am very glad that your society has taken this 

 matter up and believe you have an outline of something here which 

 is very much better. Some of our people objected to inspection. 

 That is, they thought that a careful grower M'ith an established 

 trade under an established brand should be permitted to market his 

 fruit in that way. A majorltj^ of our growers, however, found it 

 would be a benefit to the trade to have a suitable law. But the 

 proposed law does not put it strong enough. As the matter now 

 stands, the one who would purchase a carload of apples in the East 

 has to take his chances. Our English friends are able to deal in 

 Canadian fruits as our people here deal in cereals. There is a very 

 large fruit firm in England. For two years the head of the con- 

 cern was with us. Now he is able to buy carloads of Canadian 

 apples, to buy ten carloads if he wishes. He knows what he is 

 buying. He has the guarantee of the Canadian government back of 

 him. The method of packing which prevails here is getting worse 

 and worse every year. As friend Cox said, the dealers are the worst 

 sinners. Thev certainlv are. Thev throw the blame on the grow- 

 ers. The local dealers buy a few of the good crops along with the 

 bad and it is all sold. They take enough of the good to fix up both 

 ends. If there is trouble at the other end, they compromise. There 

 seems to be no limit to the low grades of fruit that is being jmt 

 in the apple barrels. Another disadvantage to this old method of 

 packing fruits is that the grades are growing lower and lower. I 

 regret that to-day in Western New York they are packing a cider 

 apple and sending out carloads of this low grade fruit which goes 

 on the market. You people of this territory are growing fine fruits. 

 You should pack them well and be protected in a good market. 



Without taking more of your valuable time, I would suggest 

 that before you people adjourn here in this annual session that yon 

 appoint a committee to attend our New York meeting and look into 

 this matter of legislation and give us encouragement and we hope 

 before the winter is over to pass a bill. We would bo very glad to 

 have a representative from this association meet with us in some of 

 our big meetings up there. I hope that you can see your way clear 

 to make such a trip. 



MR. CHESTER TYSON : I would like to ask Mr. Catchpole whether 

 it is the general feeling of the people that the Porter Rill can pass? 



MR. CATCHPOLE: I think there are great doubts in regard to the 

 Porter Bill for some reason which it would not be proper fo state 

 here. 



MR. E. C. TYSON: I have the same information. I am informed 

 from several sources that on account of Mr. Porter's political ene- 

 mies, it is very doubtful if anything can be done and Mr. Porter 

 was defeated for re-election, and I presume goes home the 4th of 

 March. 



