194 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



must necessarily follow that the present movement toward standardiza- 

 tion means a concern with a minimum above the average, otherwise 

 there would be no call for the exploitation and development of the stand- 

 ard proposal. This convention lias been largely considering, as a 

 reading of this program indicates, advancement in quality and the 

 establishment of standards, which, as I say, must be contemplated as 

 being above the average, otherwise there would be no call for a consid- 

 eration of the question. All this is in the right direction beyond 

 question, to my mind, and, so far as I am personally concerned, is most 

 heartily advocatei I . 



It would seem, however, unpopular as it may be, during what is 

 almost a crusade in the interest of higher standards, that some cog- 

 nizance should be taken of the other side of the question lest we be 

 carried away with the theory to the exclusion of practice, which must, 

 I take it, result in less final accomplishment, when considered from the 

 standpoint of the whole concrete result, than a procedure tempered by 

 expediency, if you please, and a consideration of at least the rights 

 and possible merits of the average. Hence, my subject, "What About 

 Fruit Below Established Standards?" 



Obviously, unless the established standards fall far short of what 

 should be considered as standards, there is always going to be much 

 fruit that will not come under the class of as good as or better than the 

 established standard. Personally, I wish it were not so, but we must 

 be practical. 



Little time need be wasted with thought or consideration of fruit or 

 any other product that is so materially below current standards of what 

 is acceptable as to be utterly undesirable or commercially lacking in 

 value under the tastes and requirements existing during any particular 

 time. Such a product is the result of the efforts of inability and an 

 intelligence not in keeping with the times in which it exists and follows 

 indolence and slothfulness, which should be discouraged and never 

 encouraged through any consideration of the thought or time of those 

 concerned with progress toward better things, which alone is for the 

 best good, not only of the future but of the present. We may accord- 

 ingly pass over as unworthy of time and thought the results of the 

 labor of anyone as shown in the production of fruit (which is the product 

 we have under particular consideration at this time) , which is plainly an 

 inferior and undesirable product for general consumption. 



The aim of the standard and standardizer is to improve the average, 

 and, accordingly, as the average improves, the ideal of the standardizer, 

 as expressed in the standard of the moment, becomes higher, with the 

 result that a considerable proportion, at least, of our fruit in quality 

 hovers close around and possibly just under the standard, using the 

 word standard as a measure of quality, both in the article itself and its 

 method of handling, packing and delivery to the consumer. It is well 

 that all of any product should not be the very best. I wish to particu- 

 larly emphasize that statement, because it is born of a conviction with 

 me that arises from my personal disbelief in the ultimate working out 

 of any theory which is based upon an entire equality. 



To have standards and high quality in our fruit there must be some 

 incentive for the effort required to produce and maintain that high 

 quality, which the individal who does not or can not attain it, does not 



