103 STATE P03I0L0GICAL SOCIETY. 



The question (No. 5) was then taken up. It is as follows : 



^^Wliat is the hest kind of package for shipmeyit of pears to distant markets T' 



Dr. Sylvester said he had been compelled to change his style of package. 

 During the war he had shipped in crates, but since then so much inferior 

 Southern fruit had been shipped in that form that they had become unpopu- 

 lar. At present ships pears in half barrels, except very choice ones, which he 

 ships in bushel crates, every one wrapped in paper. 



Mr. Babcock gave his experience in shipping early pears a long distance, 

 lie found that open crates had done the best lor him. In barrels they often 

 arrived at their destination over-ripe. 



Mr. Maxwell and Mr. John Morse of Cayuga Bridge used half barrels 

 almost altogether. 



Mr. Eoot inquired if pears would not lose their flavor in open crates. 



Mr. Spence said New York men regarded half barrels as the best, but they 

 should be aired. 



Mr. Sylvester said airing depended upon the season. Early in the season he 

 aired, but left barrels unaired late in the season. 



Mr. Rathbone had found shipping in full barrels pay the best when the 

 prices were low. 



Mr. Parce of Fairport had found half barrels the best. 



Mr. Barry spoke in favor of open crates. 



The sixth question, which is as follows, was then taken up: 



"Caw this tyociety so far i}ifluence coopers as to have fruit barrels made of 

 legal size 9" 



Mr. Sylvester thought this a serious matter, and recounted the efforts which 

 had been made to change the law, as it now is. He had found it impractica- 

 ble to get coopers to make their barrels the legal size. He told of his diffi- 

 culty in procuring uniform packages. 



Mr. Moody said the Niagara fruit-growers had got up a bill to inflict a pen- 

 alty for making barrels smaller than the legal size, which passed the lower 

 House, but was thrown out by the Senate. 



Mr. Babcock read the draft of the bill in question, which is in the form of 

 an amendment to the present law. He thought there would be no difficulty 

 in procuring its passage by the Legislature. The making of small barrels, he 

 said, often worked against the fruit-growers of Western New York. He 

 wanted uniformity. 



Dr. Sylvester said dealers in cities largely opposed legislation in this respect. 

 He complained that barrels were not made uniform. 



Mr. Chapin recounted the difficulty of making barrels exactly the same size. 

 He did not think barrels could be made uniform. 



Mr. Babcock said what we wanted was a restriction against making barrels 

 smaller than the legal measure. He moved the appointment of a committee 

 of three to procure the passage of a proper amendment by the Legislature. 

 The motion was carried. 



Question No. 7 was then taken up. It is as follows : 



'^Can any action he taken hy this Society to induce railroad companies to 

 transport fruit on the same terms as other farm products ?" 



Mr. Bogue of Batavia said there was a manifest injustice in shipping prices 

 of apples from Batavia to New York. Potatoes were shipped for aboat half 

 the sum that apples were. 



