114 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



here and they say that if it is passed it will put them out of business." 

 I asked him why, and he replied that it would do that, and asked that 

 I come over. This was in May, and as I was very busy, I did not feel 

 that I could go, and said to him that I judged that he had already made 

 up his mind on the matter, and I did not know that my going over to 

 Lansing would help matters any. He replied that he thought that he 

 would veto the bill. For the life of me I can not understand why he 

 took that attitude, or what there was about the bill that would put the 

 canning men out of business, for there was not one thing in it that even 

 in the remotest way referred to them or canned goods of any descrip- 

 tion. The bill read, *'A11 fresh fruits and vegetables" packed in boxes 

 or in packages covered with slats or any cover so that the surface could 

 be exposed to view, and the barrel ijackage was considered as a closed 

 package. 



A Member — Do we understand that our Governor upholds men in 

 putting out apples with a half bushel the best in the pile and the rest of 

 the barrel not fit for cider api^les, and then marking it as No. 1? 



Mr. Smythe — I do not think Governor Osboru does that, but I do not 

 think he got at the spirit of the law. The fact is, the fruit from Michi- 

 gan is regarded as dishonestly packed, but it is my opinion that many 

 of the buyers are not packing any more honestly than the farmers. I 

 know of orchards where the buyers have come in and packed the fruit 

 and the work was done by boys and incompetent help so that the re- 

 sults were anything but satisfactory. I have had some actual experience 

 in this direction and know what I am talking about. 



Mr. Bassett— What are we going to do about it? When Gov. Osborn 

 answered that there was opposition to the bill, we should have been 

 prepared to raise our voices good and loud. I do not care whether he 

 is Republican or Democrat — this is not a political question — this is a 

 bill that vitally interests us, and we want to show our colors and let it 

 be known that we are supporting the bill. (Applause.) When this 

 matter comes up again at the next legislature, as it will, we want to 

 say that we demand a law for our own protection. We are demanding 

 a law for the correction of our own faults. The consumers are not 

 asking for this law. Here is a body of growers who show their honesty 

 and interest by asking for a law to make themselves honest. There is 

 not a man big enough to carry it through if all the rest oppose it. This 

 law is asked only for the betterment of Michigan. 



Mr, Smythe — As I said before, I can not for the life of me see why 

 the Governor vetoed this bill. It must have been looked over by those 

 who had it in charge and when it came before them, it was voted on 

 favorably. And the bill was vetoed after the legislature had adjourned. 

 I think it is time for the farmers to wake up. The state of Wisconsin 

 has more farmers in the legislature than any other class, and there is 

 more being done to better the condition of the farmer than almost any 

 other state in the Union; so much so that Wisconsin is counted as one 

 of the leading states of the Union in almost every line of work. What 

 the matter with us is that we are sending a lot of shyster lawyers up 

 there who don't care a rap for the interest of the farmers, and as 

 long as we farmers let this thing go on without a protest, it will go on. 

 I should like to see some legislative talk in all our winter meetings. You 



