R 



inois Needs Centralized 

 Apple Packing Plants 



Annual Fruit Exchange 



Meeting Centralia May 10 



By Harry W. Day 



If 



IN normal years, from 15'; to 20% of 

 the total apple crop produced in the 

 United States is exported to Eng- 

 land, Germany, and France. .-Xt the 

 pre.«ent time, we have practically lost 

 that export market. This means that al- 

 most all the apples produced in the 

 United States must be sold in domestic 

 markets. This, therefore, means greater 

 and keener competition between our ap- 

 ple producing sections and this competi- 

 tion to our Illinois growers comes pri- 

 marily from the states of Virginia, New 

 York, Michigan, and the box apple pro- 

 ducing section of the Northwest. In 

 order to meet this keen competition, it 

 is absolutely essential that our own 

 growers put themselves in better posi- 

 tion to meet such competition, by a bet- 

 ter program of grading, packing, and 

 marketing. 



The governmental regulation with 

 respect to arsenic and lead, or spray 

 residue on apples is also a very impor- 

 tant factor with respect to this com- 

 petition. A number of years ago, the 

 federal go%'ernment adopted regulations 

 which allowed a certain amount of 

 ar.senic and lead on apples, and further 

 stated that any fruit having an excess 

 of this tolerance should not be offered 

 for sale in interstate commerce. Dur- 

 ing the past five years, this tolerance 

 has been gradually lowered, until at the 

 pre.sent time and for the season 1935. 

 the Department of Agriculture has an- 

 nounced the spray residue tolerance to be 

 .01 grains of arsenic trioxide and .018 

 grains of lead per pound of fruit. 



The infestation of codling moth has 

 increased to such proportions in the past 

 few years that a very thorough program 

 of spraying with poisons and oils is 

 necessary to control this insect. The 

 recommended spray schedules for the 

 control of this insect will put on most 

 apples an amount of lead and arsenic 

 greater than that allowed by the gov- 

 ernment regulations. Furthermore, it is 

 quite probable that a state regulation 

 will be adopted which will conform to 

 the federal regulation, and if so, no ap- 

 ples can be sold or offered for sale with- 

 in the state that carry a greater amount 

 "f lead and arsenic than allowed by the 

 tolerance. 



Removal of this spray residue can be 

 effectively accomplished by washing the 

 apples in a solution of sodium silicate 



and hydrochloric acid. The installation 

 of (Kiuipment by individual growers is 

 highly expensive. The operation of such 

 equipment is a specialized .iob. The need 

 of large quantities of water prohibits 

 some growers in some localities from the 

 operation of such equipment. With the 

 absolute need of a better program of 

 packing, grading, and marketing, and 

 with the absolute need of meeting the 

 government spray residue regulations 

 certainly centralized plants for spray 

 residue removal and packing is the best 

 and most logical answer to the problem. 

 With this in mind, we are at the pres- 

 ent time conducting a group of meetings 

 in certain localities in an effort to as- 

 sist growers in meeting these problems. 

 Inasmuch as the Illinois Fruit Growers 

 Exchange has the corporate set-up to 

 perform this service, the program is be- 

 ing conducted through that organization. 

 The high points of the pro.iect are: 



(a) Survey of orchards, growers, and 

 prospective volume in a community. 



(b) Determination of size and capac- 

 ity of equipment and building required 

 to handle the volume. 



(c) Raising njoney among apple grow- 

 ers through sales of Class "A," Pre- 

 ferred Stock in the Illinois Fruit Grow- 

 ers Exchange for the value of the pro- 

 posed plant. 



(d) Construction, operation, and han- 

 dling of the plant by the Illinois Fruit 

 Growers Exchange. 



(e) Washing, packing, and sales of 

 apples through the Exchange. 



The net result of this program, as we 

 see it, will be to remove the spray 

 residue from the apples, so that the fruit 

 will meet government regulations. It 

 will improve the packing of apples and 

 result in a better grade, pack, and price. 



At least three or four new plants will 

 probably be installed before the next 

 apple harvest. The only thing that will 

 slow up this development is lack of 

 funds. It is our thought that one-half 

 of the stock sub.scription should be paid 

 in cash, and the balance checked off at 

 the rate of five cents per bushel as the 

 apples pass through the facilities. This 

 five cents per bushel check-off should 

 be continued even when stock subscrip- 

 tions have been fully paid, and the money 

 used to retire stock in a revolving pro- 

 gram directed by the board of directors. 



The annual meeting of Illinois Fruit 

 Growers Exchange will be held at Cen- 

 tralia on Friday. May 10th, .starting at 

 ten o'clock A. M. The meeting is open 

 to anyone interested, reports Manager 

 H. W. Day. 



Following is the official notice to 

 members: 



" '^^- ■^-' NOTICE 

 To Individual and .Association 

 Members, and All Affiliated •>• 



with the Illinois Fruit 

 Growers Exchange 



NOTICE is hereby given that the an- 

 nual meeting of the members of the Illi- 

 nois Fruit Growers Exchange will be 

 held at Centralia. Illinois, on Friday. 

 May 10th, 1935. beginning at ten o'clock 

 .\. M. for the following purposes: 



Receive and, if approved, confirm the 

 reports of the officei^s and Board of Di- 

 rectors of the Illinois Fruit Growers Ex- 

 change for the Fiscal Y*ar ending April 

 30, 1935; and to consider and, if ap- 

 proved, ratify and confirm all the ac- 

 tions and proceedings of the Board of 

 Directors done and taken since the last 

 .■\nnual Meeting of the Illinois Fruit 

 Growers Exchange; to consider proposed 

 amendments of the .Articles of Incorpo- 

 ration and of the By-Laws of the Illinois 

 Fruit Growers Exchange; to elect direc- 

 tors; and for the transaction of such 

 other business as may properly come be- 

 fore the meeting. 



Dated at Centralia, Illinois. .April 10. 

 193.5. 



LOGAN N. COLP. Secy. 



Perry County Farniers 



Want a Farm Bureau 



Wide awake Perry county farmers who 

 have been discussing the advisability of 

 having a Farm Bureau in that county 

 held a meeting at Pinckneyville. April 2. 

 with a \:iew of organizing the Perry 

 County Farm Bureau. Perry county has 

 approximately 150 Farm Bureau mem- 

 bers who carry memberships in adjoin- 

 ing county organizations. Perry is the 

 only remaining county in Illinois without 

 a Farm Bureau. 



The Federal Land Bank of St. Louis 

 called for redemption on May 1 of all its 

 outstanding federal farm loan bonds (5 

 per cent) dated May 1 and November 1. 

 1921. The bonds are payable at par on 

 presentation at any federal reserve bank 

 on and after May 1. 



MAY. 1M5 



J 



