266 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



Perhaps, however, the most effective measure of safeguarding the state 

 highway department from the destroying influence of politics is to place it 

 under the general control of a commission. This commission should be non- 

 partisan, non-paid, constituted partly by appointment and party ex-officio, 

 on which would be represented the educational and scientific institutions of 

 the state, the appointive members alone being laymen. 



These men should be trusted to select the chief technical oflicials without 

 prejudice and with due regard to their quallflcatlons." 



Coming from such high authority, these advanced but common 

 sense views upon this great question, are certainly worthy of care- 

 ful consideration. We believe that their application will bring 

 about a new era in the State's highway construction and manage- 

 ment so that before many years, Pennsylvania's reputation for good 

 roads will be redeemed. 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON FRUIT AND FRUIT CULTURE 



By W. F. DIDDLE, Chairman. 



Mr. Cbairman and Members of the State Board: The apple crop 

 of 1914 will go down in history as one of the largest, the yield being 

 about 20,000,000 bushels. With this large yield, thousand of bushels 

 went to waste for the want of a market. We have found that part 

 of this waste could have been prevented had there been a canning 

 factory or evaporating plant in easy reach, or had they followed one 

 of the two established systems of retaining soil moisture, or thinned 

 tbeir fruit. The long and severe drought, which covered nearly the 

 whole area of Pennsylvania, influenced the undersize of the fruit. 

 There are a number of fruit growing sections that ought to have 

 canning factories. There is a demand at the city bakeries, restau- 

 rants and hotels for canned apples, with the variety named labeled 

 on the can. Much of this waste may be traced to a lack of co-opera- 

 tion among fruit growers. It is our duty to see that nothing is 

 wasted when there are so many hungry to be fed. Too large a per- 

 centage of the fruit growers are not careful how they handle their 

 fruit at picking and packing time: then when their fruit is put on 

 the market along side of that of the careful and efficient grower, he 

 receives from $1.00 to |2.00 less per baiTel on account of their care- 

 lessness. 



Now it pays to do things right. The last season there were apples 

 sent to the Philadelphia market by some of our Pennsylvania 

 farmers and fruit growers tliat were not honest and straight. There 

 w^as no uniformity in size and color. In several cases I believe the 

 object was intentional deception. Improper methods of displaying 

 fruit have been practiced on several occasions. Great care is taken 

 to have the large and highly colored apples placed in such a position 

 that they can be seen and at the same time hide the undersized ap- 



