FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT. 47 



Fruit growers on the other side of the state last winter asked and 

 obtained a coniuiission merchants license law aimed at the "Fly by 

 nights." It is of no great importance to us as our commission mer- 

 chants live outside the state. 



Under the caption of Dairy and Food comes a whole bevy of laws im- 

 portant to everyone, particularly to agriculturists. The Dairy and Food 

 <()mmissi()ner is a sort of "taster to the king," and stands for purity 

 and honesty in food products. The law makers were reminiscent of 

 breakfast for they make especial mention of buckwheat flour, butter, 

 maple syrup, and honey adding to these cheese and vinegar and finally 

 passing "An act to prohibit and provent adulteration, fraud and decep- 

 tion in the manufacture and sale of all articles of food and drink." 



Under this class comes the Smythe honor fruit packing act which 

 brings us again to the text, '-The whole round of a fruit giMiwers' 

 existence is a running fight with his enemies, seen and unseen, and every 

 l)rofitab]e harvest is a victor's couquest." What is the fruit growers' 

 worst enemy? Is it floods, drought, noxious weeds, untimely frosts? 

 Xo. nature's forces often create havoc but it is none of these. Is it 

 fungus, scale, blight, cutworm or codling moth? No, because science 

 has trained her microscope upon the unseen enemy and brought them 

 forth from their invisible ambush, mechanics has put us on the firing 

 line with a gun and chemistry has given us ammunition that kills, so 

 none of these are our woret enemy. 



Who, then, is this Goliath? 



It is the dishonest fruit grower who by crooked ways and shifty 

 tricks seeks to get ahead of the game by fooling the buyer and defraud- 

 ing the ultimate consumer; he it is who fouls the whole nest not only 

 for himself but everyone engaged in the business. 



Does this sound sensational? 



I know it is more popular to kick the middle man and curse the 

 connnission house but dishonesty outside the ranks can never do us 

 so much harm as crookedness within our own camp. 



Michigan, our Michigan, with the greatest possibilities for profitable 

 fruit culture in the world. Our land is typical fruit soil, climatic con- 

 ditions that lavish color and stuft* with flavor. Between two great 

 bodies of water, Lake Huron on one hand. Lake Michigan on the other, 

 enfolding with their protecting forces this beloved state to temper the 

 winter winds to the tender buds and restrain the Spring blossoms till 

 time of safety arrives. How does it do this? By that physical paradox 

 that "freezing is a thawing process and thawing is a freezing process." 

 Cheap freight rate and free refrigerator service across the Lake ; and then 

 to know that with all these advantages we have a black record and a most 

 unsavory reputation for dishonestly packed fruit in the greatest fruit 

 distributing center of the country. 



The Chicago Packer this week quotes western box apples selling at 

 G6% more than Michigan baiTels. Why? Because the buyer of a box 

 of western apples is absolutely sure that every specimen in the box 

 is as gx>od as the face and the man with a barrel of Michigan apples 

 is just as sure that there is not another apple in the barrel as good as 

 the face. Are western fruit growers more honest than w^e? No. The 

 conditions under which they operate makes it imperative that there be 

 honesty while we with our superior advantages can practice all the 

 foolish deceptions known to tricksters and still make a living. 



