UNITED STATES. 



THE REGULATION OF THE FRUIT TRADE. 



OPFICIAI, SOURCES: 



An Act to fix the standard rarrkl for fruits, vkgetables and other dry commodi- 

 ties. 4 March 191 5. Public. No. 307 63rd Conprcss. 



An Act to fix standards for Climax basbstts for grapes and other fruits and vegeta- 

 bles, AND TO fix standards FOR BASKETS AND OTHER CONTAINERS FOR SMALL FRUITS, 

 BERRIES, AND VEGETABLES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 3I AugUSt I916. PublJC. No. 248 



64th Congress. 

 An Act to est.\blish a Standard Barrel and Standard Grades for Apples when Packed 



IN Barrels .and for other purposes. 3 August 1912. 

 The Del.aware Apple I^.aw. 12 March 191 5. «• 



An act to ESTABLISH A ST.\NDARD FOR THE P.ACKING IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA OF THE KINDS 

 OF FRESH FRUITS SPECIFIED IN THIS ACT, FOR SALE OR FOR TRANSPORT.'^TION FOR SALE, 

 FOR INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN SHIPMENT, AND TO PREVENT DECEPTION IN THE PACKING ; 

 ALSO TO ESTABLISH A SYSTEM OF INSPECTION OF THE SAME. 10 JUUe I915. Chapter 659. 



A. B. 851. 

 An Act Regulating the sale, offering for s.'\le or exposing for sale of vegetables, 

 gr.apes and frxhts ; providing standard containers, baskets and trays, therefor; 

 AND IMPOSING PENALTIES. I Ma}' 1916. Pennsylvania, N°i2i. 



OTHER SOURCES : 



California Fruit News. Vol. 54, Nos. 1483 to i486 ; 9, 16, 23 and 30 December 1916 ; San 

 Francisco. 



For several years there has been in the United States a movement to- 

 wards giving a more stable basis to the trade in fruit and vegetables so as 

 to simplify to a great extent the relations between the producer and the 

 buyer. Congress and the assemblies of several States have taken the matter 

 up and have sought to standardize the various products, if not for a whole 

 State at least for the whole territory of a county, and to determine the 

 ^hape, kind and dimensions of standard receptacles in which they are trans- 

 ported, so that a merchant knows exactly, having the guarantee of State 

 inspection, the weight and quantity of friut in any box or other package 

 which he receives. 



The importance of such measures has been similarly recognized in 

 other countries, such as Canada and Australia, where also the fruit trade 

 is regulated for the prevention of frauds at the expense of merchants or 

 consumers and the simplification of transactions of purchase and sale. 



The Californian law, which we will presently analyse, has conside- 

 rable bearing not only on trade but also on the production of the State in 

 general. The fixing of standards results in closing the foreign market to 



