Page 6 



of any one defect. A variation in size 

 of three-eighths inch, measured by the 

 smallest diameter, is allowed. The B 

 grade difTers from California Fancy 

 only slightly. Apples that have codling- 

 moth bites which have healed in the 

 process of maturity may be packed in 

 this grade, also fruit that is slightly 

 misshapen. The variation in size and 

 requirements respecting insect pests 

 and diseases are exactly the same as in 

 the case of California Fancy. The re- 

 quirements of C grade are the same 

 with respect to insect pests and dis- 

 eases. This grade does not, however, 

 require the careful sizing of the fruit 

 and the law does not state any par- 

 ticular variation in size that will be 

 allowed. The following chart shows in 

 a graphic way the requirements of the 

 apple standardization act: 



CHART ILLUSTRATING REQUIREMENTS OF 



THE APPLE STANDARniZATION 



ACT OF 1917. 



Prepared by State Commission of Horticultuie 



Sacramento, California. 



California B C 



Fancy Grade Grade 



Well giown X x 



Properly matured x x x 



One variety only x x x 



Hand picked x x 



Stems retained! X 



Well colored for variety x 



Uniform size - x x 



Well packed x x 



Free from 



Insect pests and dis- 

 eases 3 X X X 



Visible rot x x x 



Visible dry rot x x x 



Visible Baldwin spot, x x x 



Insect bites * x x 



Bruises, frost marks, 

 sunburn and other 



defects 5 x x 



Virtually free from dirt, x x 



Box Marking. 

 Grade (California Fancy, B, or C). » 

 Number in box, or net weight. ' 

 Variety, s 



Name and address of packer. (Either first 

 pack or repack.) 



Date when packed or repacked. 

 No misleading statements. 



X in vertical columns indicates requirements 

 of each grade. 



Remarks. 



1 Gravensteins may be packed as "California 

 Fancy" with stems removed. 



2 A variation in size not to exceed three- 

 eighths of an inch, measured by the smallest 

 diameter, shall be allowed. 



3 Three per cent of any one defect, not to ex- 

 ceed 10 per cent total defects shall be allowed. 



* In "B" Grade, insect bites which have healed 

 in the process of maturing and slightly mis- 

 shapen apples shall be permitted. 



6 An exception will be made of bruises and 

 other defects necessarily caused in packing, 

 and in "B" Grade slightly frost-marked or sun- 

 burned apples shall be allowed. 



6 Stamps designating grade may be purchased 

 from the State Commission of Horticulture at 

 V2 cent each. State inspectors are paid from 

 tiie fund accruing from sale of these stamps. 

 When state stamps are not used the same grade 

 requirements must be met and boxes stamped 

 with proper grade in letters not less than one- 

 half inch high. 



7 A variation of five apples more or less than 

 the number stated shall be allowed. 



8 If variety is unknown to the packer the 

 statement "Variety unknown" must appear on 

 the box. 



Apples which do not conform to the packing 

 requirements may be sold in bulk to by-pro- 

 ducts factories or consigned to a packer for 

 packing. 



The enforcement of the apple act is 

 placed in the hands of the State Horti- 

 cultural Commissioner. A fund to 

 employ inspectors to carry out the pro- 

 visions of the act is created by the sale 

 of stamps or labels signifying the grade 

 of the fruit for one-half cent each. 

 These stamps are designed and printed 

 by the State Commissioner of Horticul- 



BETTER FRUIT 



October 



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J"OOD ACl«ir4l)SlrKft.T1l<35~ 



ture, and while their use is not com- 

 pulsory it goes without saying that 

 apples which are not packed under this 

 stamp are subject to the closest in- 

 spection in the markets of California. 

 Last season the sale of stamps in the 

 two main producing apple districts, 

 namely, the Pajaro Valley district, of 

 which Watsonville is the leading city, 

 and the Sebastopol district, brought in 

 a fund of about $9,000, which was suffi- 

 cient to cover all costs of inspection. 

 When the state stamps are not placed 

 on packed boxes of apples California 

 Fancy, B or C grade must be used to 

 designate the grade of fruit packed, and 

 such grade designations must be in let- 

 ters not less than one-half inch in 

 height. This point should be borne in 

 mind by apple dealers in Oregon or 

 other states who are shipping into 

 California. Last season there were a 

 number of shipments which violated 

 the law with respect to the marketing 

 of the grades. Necessarily time is re- 

 quired to educate the people in other 

 states to the requirements of the Cali- 

 fornia apple standardization act and we 

 have many times been lenient when 

 under the law we could have been 

 otherwise. • 



The purpose of the apple standardiza- 

 tion act of California is to promote and 

 protect the apple industry of the state. 

 In California, as elsewhere, there have 

 been seasons when apple growers re- 

 ceived such poor prices for their fruit 

 that some of them contemplated going 

 out of business, if they did not actually 

 do so. The standardization of the pack 

 has already meant much to our grow- 

 ers. Never before was the quality of 

 fruit in a fancy pack as good as today. 

 The state stamp, especially of the Cali- 

 fornia Fancy grade, has meant that the 

 fruit in packages upon which it oc- 

 curred was good. The trade has come 

 to accept this fruit as being first class 

 without an inspection. While the work 

 is in its infancy results have been such 

 that we can but predict a successful 

 future for the apple business of Cali- 

 fornia because of the standardization of 

 the pack. 



As would be expected those who are 



intrusted with the enforcement of this 

 law meet with many difficulties. Dur- 

 ing seasons of light crops fruit is usu- 

 ally more wormy than during seasons 

 when there is a heavy crop, and prices 

 are very apt to be better. Conse- 

 quently there is a tendency for the 

 packer to place the poorer grade of 

 fruit in the California Fancy boxes. 

 To overcome this tendency the closest 

 watch in the packing houses is neces- 

 sary. Of course a violation in the 

 packing of fruit will lay the packer 

 liable to arrest and conviction, when 

 a tine of not less than $50 nor more 

 than $500 or imprisonment in the 

 county jail for six months may be im- 

 posed. This severe penalty no doubt 

 has a tendency to make the packer 

 much more careful than he would be 

 were there less danger of loss of money 

 and time because of violations. 



California utilizes large quantities of 

 apples from Oregon and Washington 

 each season. As a rule such fruit has 

 been well packed and has commanded 

 even higher prices in our markets than 

 our own fruit. At times it is true that 

 quantities of inferior fruit have been 

 dumped in some of our larger markets. 

 This practice will no longer be toler- 

 ated, since the apple standardization 

 act makes it possible for us to condemn 

 all shipments that are not up to the 

 standard of the act. If California 

 apples sold in the markets of this or 

 other states are not up to the standard 

 we would welcome information to that 

 effect. On the other hand, when your 

 apples come to us in a condition that is 

 not satisfactory we feel that you should 

 welcome information from us as to 

 their condition. We want California 

 apples to be of such a high grade that 

 when they are placed in the markets 

 in competition with your fruits they 

 will stand an equal chance of bringing 

 satisfactory prices. We hope that 

 during the coming season all apples 

 shipped into California from the states 

 to the north of us will meet the re- 

 quirements of the apple act with 

 respect to grades and the pack in gen- 

 eral. To that end your aid is earnestly 

 requested. 



