]5(j THE MONTH! V Bl I I.KTIN. 



act of 1915, for if fruit is not well grown do amount of standardization 

 will put good fruit on tin' marki I 



After effectively caring for the pests and diseases with which the 

 orchardist was beset, the pack came in for attention; the early pack 

 having been what is generally known as the jumble pack, the top being 

 faced while the balance of the apples were placed in the box in any 

 old way, the bottom of the box being nailed on at the finish. Some 

 time later better methods were practiced, a solid pack having developed, 

 which was a marked improvement, but unscrupulous packers took 

 advantage of the buyer, by facing with sound fruit, while placing poor 

 quality and pest infected apples in the center where they would not 

 he easily delected. This and other causes brought about an investiga- 

 tion of markets, which resulted in recommendations for better and more 

 honest packing methods. 



About (his time, the year 1900, the first attempt at compulsory stand- 

 ardization was inaugurated; the horticultural commissioner appointed 

 three inspect! rs to inspect the apples in the packing houses as they 

 were being packed: however, this progressive step was too advanced an 

 idea at that time, and met with little favor from packers, who generally 

 opposed it. as the growers and packers had previously opposed spraying. 



While the apples grown were supposed to be packed in a more or 

 less uniform manner, it will lie sei n no standard was lived up to; the 

 pack dift'eri il from year to year with the varying condition of the crops 

 grown, as well as the will of the packers, so that buyers never knew 

 what they wen' getting without having a personal representative or 

 inspector in the packing house while tin- fruit was being packed. This 

 condition and the improved methods used in some of the other apple- 

 growing sections on the Pacific coast, rapidly coming to the front, in 

 the production of apples at this time, resulted in a back seat for the 

 apple industry of California, which had been in the lead up to this 

 period, and gradually reduced prices for the product of the Pajaro 

 Valley was a natural and inevitable result, particularly in years of 

 plenty, so that the grower did not realize, year in and year out, the 

 real cost of production. 



The situation, briefly outlined, continued on until the bumper erop 

 of 1912, when an attempt to fix and maintain prices was tried, but no 

 standard pack was even suggested and the disastrous failure experienced 

 was a natural consequence. The crop of 1913 was unusually small 

 and good prices, or what were considered good prices, were realized, 

 but the large crop produced in 1914 resulted in a most disastrous 

 season, and some of the packers realized thai something must be done 

 to remedy the deplorable conditions, under which each packer and 

 grower was a competitor with his neighbor. To remedy this situation, 

 organization was necessary, and the first difficulty to be considered was 

 the unregulated pack. Therefore, a number of vitally interested parties 

 got together ami worked out the suggestion for a voluntary apple 

 standardization act. This movement was continued until it resulted 

 in the ultimate passage of the standard apple act of 1015, as the apple 

 standardization bill is called. 



Under this act the inspection of apples while being packed is done 

 by officers appointed by the State Commissioner of Horticulture, who 

 appoints them under civil service regulations, examinations of appli- 

 cants being held for that purpose, and thus an absolutely fair inspection 



