OUR AFFILIATED SOCIETIES. 



349 



aimed to reduce the standard oi Canadian 

 apples so as to conform with practices which 

 unfortunately some of our shippers have 

 resorted to. The aim of the Act as it now 

 stands is to compel packers to raise their 

 standard. 



There is nothing in the Fruit Marks Act, 

 1901, which provides for any inspection in 

 Canada except an examination for detective 

 purposes, therefore, I cannot understand 

 your meaning- when you say : "Now by 

 these sections a grower might contract with 

 a buyer in England for a certain number of 

 barrels of apples of grade No. i Canadian, 

 a grade well defined, making the packages 

 subject to inspection, and the buyer could 

 with confidence make such purchase without 

 seeing the goods." 



Surely it is not claimed that sections 6 

 and 7, if enacted, would make apples hold 

 up against bad conditions on shipboard so 

 as to stand inspection in Great Britain. 



That all the amendments made by the 

 Senate to the Bill in question were promptly 

 accepted by the House of Commons with 

 the concurrence of the Government is pretty 

 good evidence of the correctness of the lines 

 on which the Senate acted. 



Tulloch Avenue, I am yours, 



Charlottetown, P. E. I. D. Ferguson. 



July 22nd, 1901. 



Note by Editor. 



Since "half a loaf is better than no bread," 

 and the bill is settled for the present, we 

 wait to see its workings before criticising 

 farther the omission of those important 

 clauses, No. 6 and 7. We have no doubt 

 that the Honorable D. Ferguson is as 

 anxious for the advancement of the interest 

 of the fruit growers of the Dominion as we 

 are, and we only hope the bill as amended 

 through his instrumentality will tend to raise 



the standard of Canadian apples in foreign 

 markets. 



On first thought it does seem too much 

 freedom to make allowance for even a small 

 percentage of defective fruit in a barrel, but 

 if our honorable friend were an apple packer 

 he would know how difficult absolute perfec- 

 tion is, and how easy, when pushing the 

 packing with hired help, it is for one apple 

 in ten to pass unobserved into the barrel, 

 though aiming at perfect samples only. 

 This 80 or 90 per cent, perfect would be a 

 very high standard compared with Canad-,an 

 apples as usually packed by speculators, in 

 which 80 or 90 per cent, are blemished and 

 the 10 or 20 per cent, of perfect apples used 

 to face up the ends of the barrels. 



Our honorable friend claims that these 

 clauses would not give any confidence to a 

 buyer in England when bargaining with a 

 grower or packer in Canada for a shipment 

 of apples, whrch were to be A No. i Cana- 

 dian, of a certain specified minimum diam- 

 eter, because they would not necessarily be in- 

 spected, but only subject to inspection. On 

 this we beg to diff'er from him ; we believe 

 the fact of a few travelling inspectors being 

 appointed, with power to impose heavy pen- 

 alties upon any shipper found selling apples 

 marked with the Dominion grade marks, 

 would prevent any one using those marks 

 unless his goods warranted their use, and 

 this fact would give confidence to the buyer. 



However we are thankful for small favors, 

 and hope some future day we may yet have 

 the satisfaction of having certain defined 

 grades w^hich will form a basis of sale to 

 foreign buyers. 



©Mr Aff o(IO(lit(i(^ i®(go(iy®s. 



CoBOURG. — The Society here issued a circular 

 about April the 20th, giving with other informa- 

 tion, the following full list of premiums for each 

 member : Pasonia nivensis, Iris Germanica, Iris 

 Koempferi, Kelway's English Gaillardias, Phlox, 



Doronicum excelsum, Spiraea, Japonica Bumalda, 

 Baker's Extra Early Potato, New Triumph Celery, 

 Kendall's Early Giant Sweet Corn, New Dwarf 

 Telephone Pea, White Pearl Radish. 



