THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



CALIFORNIA STATE COMMISSION OF HORTICULTURE 



FRUIT INSPECTION IN OAKLAND MARKETS. 



By Fred Seulberger, County Horticultural Commissioner, Oakland, Cal. 



Since the Apple Standardization Law ana the Fresh Fruit Standardization Law 

 became effective on July 27, 1917, we have been enforcing them by inspecting all 

 shipments coming to Alameda County markets. It is a significant fact that since 



making these inspections there has been a marked 

 improvement in the standard of the fruit shipped to 

 our markets. The first month of inspection proved 

 hard on account of fruits coming from unsprayed or 

 poorly-sprayed orchards, where the owners discovered 

 that they had a very small portion of good fruit to 

 send to the market. As a result they mixed the 

 wormy, diseased, windfalls, bruised and otherwise 

 low-grade rubbish in the boxes, and then topped it 

 off with fairly good fruit. This fruit was promptly 

 condemned, some being returned to the shipper and 

 some sent to the driers and the rest fed to hogs. Any 

 fruit that does not comply with the standardization 

 laws will not be allowed to be sold in the Alameda 

 County markets. 



Apples, pears, peaches and all kinds of fruits are 

 not worth a dollar while merely hanging on the trees. 

 Their only value lies in the ability to change them 

 into money, and this change comes from the con- 

 sumer. Then the thought and care therefore ought 

 to be to please him from the time these fruits are in 

 blossom until they are packed, and especially while being packed the consumer should 

 be borne in mind. Instead of doing this, however, the sole thought of some has 

 been to unload just as much "junk" as possible and take the chance of being able 



to dispose of it. 



The Apple Standardization and Fresh Fruit Standardization laws require the 

 cooperation of the farmer, the commission man, the retailer and the consumer, to aid 

 in the elimination of the shiftless grower from marketing his culls. The honest 

 pack and a square deal with it tell the world that our products are right. Stand- 

 ardization proclaims, if honestly enforced, that there are no worms, diseased, bruised, 

 windfall or cull fruit in the middle of the package. By standardizing our fruit pack 

 and establishing markets for high-grade fruits contained therein, we increase con- 

 sumption, stabilize prices, decrease the risk and cost of handling and form a proper 

 basis for advertising. , . ' 



The retailers and commission men have been handling fruit in the dark. On Mon- 

 day the fruit may prove to be good, on Tuesday fair and all the rest of the week very 

 poor The waste in manv instances from low-grade fruit in the center of boxes and 

 also from diseased fruit is great. The retailer, therefore, is forced to put his selling 

 price high as a protection against such undesirable stock. With this uncertainty 

 eliminated and a standard pack assured he can afford to handle it on a smll margin 

 because he knows that he can depend upon the reliability of the commodity. In the 

 standard grade we should have something definite and capable of identification so that 

 none will be misled. It should be a specific brand so that when a box of fruit is 

 purchased with that brand upon it the quality is guaranteed. 



