BETTER FRUIT 



AN ILLUSTRATED JL\GAZINE PUBLISHED MONTHLY IN THE INTEREST OF MonERN. PROGRESSIVE FRUIT GROWTXG AND MARKETING 



League-State Inspection System 



DIKING the winter of 1914-1915 

 there developed in the Wenat- 

 chee Valley an organization of 

 growers known as the Wenatchee 

 North Central Washington (irowers' 

 League. This is a non-partisan organi- 

 zation of growers, with membership in 

 all fruit-selling organizations and in all 

 communities, including in its rolls a 

 large per cent of the ranchers of the 

 district. This league was formed as an 

 agent of the organized growers in deal- 

 ing with selling agencies operating 

 within the district. The first aim of 

 the league was the establishing and 

 enfoi-cing of a standard grade and pack 

 for the Wenatchee district. The horti- 

 cultural code of the state specified the 

 interpretation of grades and made jios- 

 siblc the enforcing of those grades, ex- 

 cept that no provision was made for 

 financing a corps of inspectors suffi- 

 cient to carry on the work. 



A contract was entered into between 

 the Growers' League and the shippers 

 of the district whereby the latter 

 agreed to ]5ay to the league one cent 

 a box on all apples shipped by them. 

 The fund so established to be used for 

 the establishment of a sxstem of uni- 

 form inspection. All the fruit organi- 

 zations and agencies except two en- 

 tered into this agreement, thus guaran- 

 teeing almost universal sujjport from 

 the agencies. The bankers, business 

 men and newspapers of the valley 

 gave the movement their unanimous 

 support. It was largely through this 

 loyal support that the move was able 

 to survive and accomplish the work 

 that has been done. With this assur- 

 ance of financial and moral support 

 this office was given the task of de- 

 veloping a plan of inspection to be 

 effective over four counties. The plan 

 as developed was an outgrowth of a 

 combination of ideas and plans, and 

 meant to cover as nearly as practicable 

 the recognized value of advisory field 

 work and the absolutely essential final 

 check of warehouse inspection and 

 check inspection for the development 

 of uniformity. 



The district was cut up into ten sub- 

 divisions, the boundaries of each deter- 

 mined by location and points of ship- 

 ment. Over each of these subdivisions 

 a field inspector was put in charge, 

 and where deemed necessary assistant 

 field men weie supplied In ever\- case 

 the field man was a trained horticul- 

 turist and with but one exception had 

 had considerable experience as an in- 

 spector. These men passed examina- 

 tions under the State Department of 

 Agricidlure and received certificates of 



By 0. T. Clawson, Inspector, Wenatchee, Washington 



authority giving them full power to 

 enforce the horticultural code of the 

 state. Within his particular territory 

 each man was given com|)lete authority 

 except as regardeil the inspector at 

 large and any check inspectors sent 

 into the territory. All other inspectors 

 working within the territory were un- 

 der his direct ordeis and supervision. 

 The field inspectors, each furnished 

 with a Ford car, began work .July first, 

 making an orchard survey and croj) 

 estimate for the district, and during the 

 month of .July and the first half of 

 August covered every commercial 

 orchard in the four counties. They 

 not only securetl the desired informa- 

 tion but were able to give the orchards 

 of tlie district the most complete in- 

 spection they have ever had and to 

 advise with the ranchers as to the solu- 

 tions of their various troubles. 



No attempt was made to cover the 

 inspection of soft fruit. During the 

 early part of the shipment of apples 

 the field inspectors were able to pass 

 upon all fruit going out of each dis- 

 trict without extra help. As the work 

 increased additional men were placed 

 in each district under the field man's 

 supervision, until during the height of 

 the season there were fifty-three men 

 on the force. Where there was sufii- 

 cient tonnage passing through one 

 warehouse to justify it, the complete 

 time of one inspector was given that 

 warehouse. In a few of the larger 

 warehouses it was found necessary to 

 use two men continuously throughout 

 the rush. Wherever possible, however, 

 each man was used to cover more than 

 one point, in this way permitting a 

 reduction in the size of the force and 

 developing greater uniformity among 

 the difTercnt shipping concerns. 



Preceding the main rush there was 

 considerable shifting of inspectors in 

 order to increase the uniformilx of 

 action and broaden the viewjjoint of 

 each man, as w^ell as to elinnnate the 

 likelihood of personal preferences and 

 infiuenccs. ^^'ith the connng of the 

 rush the shifting of inspectors was 

 piacticallx- discontinued, and the work 

 of field inspectors, check inspectors 

 and conferences depended upon to 

 keep the grade as uniform as possible 

 throughout the district. In any w.ire- 

 house where more than one inspectoi- 

 was employed, one of them was the 

 superior. Kach shipping ])oint icipiir- 

 ing more than one inspector had one of 

 lliem designated as chief and his de- 

 cision had prefei'ence over any ware- 

 house inspector, but in turn was sub- 

 ordinate to that of the field inspector. 



and his in turn to the cluck inspector 

 and the inspector at huge. This i)ro- 

 vided a regular gradation of authority 

 and a coi'respondingly well-developed 

 system of checks. In Wenatchee, Cash- 

 mere and wherever else it was possible 

 for the inspectors to get together, 

 weekly meetings were held for the dis- 

 cussion of topics of connnon interest. 



The supervisory work and check in- 

 spection of the field man was but a 

 portion of his duties. Perhaps his most 

 effective work was that of advising and 

 assisting the ranchers in putting the 

 fruit up to the standard desired. Any 

 fruit re.jecteil at a warehouse was re- 

 ported to the field man operating in 

 the district and it was his duty to visit 

 the i)acking shed of the unfortunate or 

 erring lancher and show him the dilfi- 

 cnlties with his grade, so that there 

 need be no repetition of the rejection. 

 In turn the field man kept his ware- 

 housemen posted as to the conditions 

 found at the ranches. Each warehouse 

 inspector was duly appointed by the 

 Slate Department with jurisdiction 

 over grade and pack. A certificate of 

 authoiitx and a badge denoting such 

 were given each man. A stamp was 

 furnished him with a number corre- 

 snonding to the nu'nber of the badge. 

 Each box inspected by any man was 

 stamped with the number of the in- 

 spector and the date of the inspection. 

 The same was required of check in- 

 spection and inspection in and out of 

 storage so that any inelliciency could 

 be traced directly to the responsible 

 party. Certificates of insjjcction were 

 made in triplicate for each car, one 

 being sent to the league office for future 

 reference and the first two being given 

 the shiijper. One of these two was 

 generally attached to the l)ill of lading 

 and the second retained for the shij)- 

 per's files. 



In general the results have been very 

 satisfa<'tor> . The season's experience 

 has disclosed some phases of the sys- 

 tem which will need slight I'emodeling. 

 The field force should be increased, 

 and at least in remote districts be given 

 the added duty of passing on the fruit 

 before delivery. This method was tried 

 in one district this year and the results 

 were such ;is to indicate that it can be 

 made entirely feasible. Whenever the 

 field inspector exanuned and |)assed a 

 bunch of fruit he stamijcd all of the 

 boxes rather than merely the boxes 

 opened. When the fruit came into the 

 warehouse all unstamped boxes were 

 known to be uninspected and were 

 examined at that point. The stamped 



