The Canadian Horticultun^ 



Floral Edition 



IVol. XXXIX 



PETERBORO. SEPTEMBER, 1916 



No. 9 



i 



Standardization of Fruit Packages 



A. H. Slack. Dominion Fruit Inspector, Winnipeg 



T a time when our fruit industry 

 is passing through trying con- 

 ditions, and when united action 

 is needed, we should approach the 

 jquestion of the standardization of fruit 

 fijjaekages with a broad mind, endeav- 

 "Jjoring to select the best from all view- 

 points regardless of where the pack- 

 ages originated. The first step is to 

 [recognize that standardization will be 

 to your advantage as fruit growers, 

 whether we dispose of j'our fruit 

 through cooperative channels, inde- 

 pendent channels, or direct. Some dif- 

 ilties may arise in determining the 

 ^t packages to adopt, but I do not 

 i think that these will be formidable 

 piovided they are considered with an 

 (ipen mind. 



.Some misunderstandings probably 

 exist as to what is meant by standard- 

 ization. I have heard growers oppose 

 any move in this direction by stating 

 that they would not agree to any legis- 

 lation that required them to pack a 

 particular kind of fruit in any par- 



• Outline of an address deUvered recently at 

 several different meetings of fruit growers in 

 British Columbia, which resulted in a com- 

 iiiitte© of representative fruit growers being 

 f'>rmed to deal with the suggestions made by 

 Mr. Slack. 



ticular package, claiming that it would 

 not be to their advantage to do so. As 

 a matter of fact standardization need 

 not require this, so that any objections 

 from this viewpoint should be easily, 

 removed. 



It would be necessary to select from 

 the various packages at present in use, 

 what would 'be considered the best 

 peach box, four basket crate, berry 

 crate, pear box, apple box, apple crate, 

 etc., and standardize the packages 

 selected. This would not mean that a 

 packer would be required to pack only 

 peaches in a peach box, or pears in a 

 pear box, etc., but it would require that 

 whatever package-was u.sed would have 

 to be of a specified size. 



There are several reasons in favor of 

 this. There are on our markets several 

 sizes of peach boxes, apple boxes and 

 crates, berry crates, etc. This results 

 in confusion to the wholesale trade, re- 

 tailer and consumer, and, in some in- 

 stances, results in price cutting. 



A number of our shippers have 

 adopted the Oregon apple 'box for do- 

 mestic purposes. It may surprise 

 some to hear that whereas the recog- 

 nized size of this package is HI/2 in. 

 in width, IOI/2 in- in depth and 18 in. 



in length, inside measurement, with a 

 cu'bic capacity of 21731/2 cubic inches, 

 some boxes have been made only 10 in. 

 deep containing only 2070 cubic 

 inches. During the last season the 

 24 deep pint berry crate was used 

 by some shippers, with a supposed 

 cubic content of 33.6 cubic inches, but 

 packages have arrived on our mar- 

 kets intended for deep pints but in 

 reality containing only 27.89 cubic 

 inches, or 5.71 cubic inches short. 



In conversation with manufacturers 

 of box material, both in British 

 ("olumbia and Washington, they have 

 advised me that they are sometimes 

 approached to manufacture packages, 

 particularly berry packages, just a 

 little smaller than the usual size. AVith- 

 out standardization this condition can- 

 not be controlled. It is not necessary 

 to emphasize that it is a situation far 

 from desirable. '^ 



Outside Competition. 



Standardization would act as a pro- 

 tective measui'e against the importa- 

 tion of fruit in packages other than 

 those adopted by us. Our competitors 

 in the western states have, on several 

 occasions, introduced packages on our 



iiticton, B.C., here .shown, is at the foot of the Kootenay L/akes, and is in one of the leading fruit dl.strlcts of the province. 



of fruit growers, lasting .several days, was held in Penticton the latter part of July. 



An important conftrence 



