INDIANA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 403 



President Stevens: Mr. E. D. Williams, who is on tlie program for 

 a paper on "A Fruit Package Law for Indiana," is unwell, but his 

 brother will represent him. 



Mr. Williams: While I am not engaged in business at the present 

 time, for thirteen years I wrestled with this subject of packing fruit. 

 Of course, the packing of fruit has a gi-eat deal to do with the selling 

 of it. A number of years ago the States of New York and Michigan 

 vied each other for the markets of this State. New Yoi-k had largely 

 the lead of Michigan in the fight. We bought apples then as we do now, 

 by the barrel. New York State had a barrel that they called two and 

 one-half bushels; Michigan had a barrel that they called three bushels. 

 But the New York barrels began to shrink until it got so you could 

 put a hoop on one end and drive it across to the other. Michigan, 

 about that time, passed a law defining what a barrel of apples should be. 

 Then the fight began in earnest. Michigan had a regular size barrel; 

 New York had anything that was put up in staves. It wasn't two years 

 until New York was driven out of the State by their packages. Michi- 

 gan took the field, not because they had better fruit, but simply because 

 they brought to the State an honest package. The snide package busi- 

 ness has prevailed to quite an extent in this State. Last summer I went 

 to a fruit dealer on the market and asked him what he was getting for 

 strawberries. He said so much a quart. I picked up a box and told 

 him I thought he had it wrong side up. He said he thought the box 

 would hold a quart. I askec^ for a quart measure. When he attempted 

 to measure them he found that it took three boxes to make two quarts. 

 When I was in the business it was customary for the gi-ower to look 

 for the man who made the smallest boxes. Then this man came In 

 competition with the man who wanted to give you an honest quart box. 

 I believe one* of the wisest things this Society could do would be to 

 go before' the Legislature and ask for a uniform package law. A short 

 time ago an ordinance was passed in this city providing for a city weigher 

 and sealer. What for? To prevent these snide measures that ai-e com- 

 ing up all the time to deceive the people. A man who will come with 

 a good, honest, fair and square package, one that will hold a bushel of 

 potatoes, a quart of berries or three bushels of apples, will not have 

 much trouble iu getting his goods before the public. Often, people buy 

 apples here on the streets, and will find on measuring them at home 

 that they have received only three pecks for a bushel. I think the meas- 

 ures should all be sealed, and then when the fruit dealers come into the 

 market it will be only a question of the relative quality of the fruit as 

 to the price it will bring. 



Tlie interrogatory is put in the program, "Ought Indiana to have a 

 Uniform Fruit Package Law?" I answer, yes. By all means have a 

 uniform package. It can not work to the disadvantage of any man in 

 this Society, nor to any man outside, but it certainly will be to your 



