TKe Dominion Fruit Conference 



Mr. Chaplin, who represented firms in 

 Great Britain interested in the auction sales 

 system, stated it is impossible for British 

 buyers to buy from Canadian dealers all 

 XXX apples, as the Canadian dealers 

 use their XXX apples to sell their inferior 

 trades. When British dealers know that they 

 can get all the XXX apples they want, they 

 will be willing to buy f.o.b. but not until then. 

 This ended the discussion at this point, Mr. 

 Peart's resolution being referred to the resolu- 

 tion committee, and afterwards reported and 

 adopted as here published. 



THE FRUIT MARKS ACT 



The liveliest discussions of the conference 

 took place in regard to the proposed amend- 

 ments of the Fruit Marks Act. 



A resolution was submitted by the resolutions 

 committee, favoring clause 4 in the Fruit 

 Marks Act, being so amended as to require the 

 markings on the packages to be made in letters 

 of not less than a J^-inch in length. The 

 resolution, which read as follows, was adopted: 



"Every person who by himself, or through 

 the agency of another person, packs fruit in a 

 closed package intended for sale, shall cause 

 the package to be marked in a plain and in- 

 delible manner, in letters not less than J^ an 

 inch in length, before it is taken from the 

 premises where it is packed, etc." 



The committee also reported in favor of 

 clause C of the Fruit Marks Act being struck 

 out and the following words substituted: "With 

 a designation of the grade of fruit which shall 

 include one of the following four marks: ' Fancv,' 

 'No. 1,' 'No. 2,' 'No. 3.'" The. effect of this 

 would be to do away with the X, XX, and XXX 

 marking that is now commonly used. Mr. 

 Brodie stated that growers frequently marked 

 their apples XX only to have the dealers mark 

 an additional X on the barrel, after they buy 

 it, without taking the growers' name off the 

 barrel. This leaves the grower open to jjrose- 

 cution for fraudulent marking. 



Mr. Fisher asked if the shippers would be 

 likely to object to the use of only one grade 

 mark, or if such a change would be likely to 

 affect conditions im the markets to which the 

 apples are shipped. Mr. Graham replied that 

 the trade would tiuickly learn the change and 

 no ill effects should follow. Mr. Parker said 

 that Nova Scotia growers are strongly in favor 

 of such a change. 



Mr. Fisher explained that when the Act was 

 passed there were a considerable number of 

 people in the habit of using the X marks, and 

 they objected to the use of only one set of marks. 

 It was claimed by Mr. Burrell that growers 

 and dealers in the United States have run the X 

 marks to death, until they mean Ijut little. 

 He thought the time had come when Canadian 

 XX 1 , 2, 3's should mean more than any X X 

 marks that can be used. 



Mr. Manson reported from Manitoba and Mr. 

 Starr from Nova Scotia that the 1, 2, 3 marks 

 have been used in their jjrovinces for years 

 with great satisfaction. The projjosed change 

 was adopted unanimously. 



THE "Fancy" grade 



Another resolution reported by the resolu- 

 tions committee recommended that iection 61 

 of the Fruit Marks Act, which describes XXX 

 fruit, be amended as follows: "No persons 

 shall sell, or offer, expose, or have in his posses- 

 sion for sale, any fruit jjacked in a closed package, 

 . upon which package is marked any designation 

 which represents such fruit as of fancy quality 

 unless such fruit consists of well-grown specimens 

 of one variety, sound, of uniform size, andjof 

 good color, for the variety, and of normal shape. 



This brought on a lively discussion, in opening 

 which Mr. Burrell said that in British Columbia 

 the growers feel stronglv that either the XXX 



(Continued from pag'e 82) 



grade should be made to consist of nearly per- 

 fect fruit, or there should be a new class created 

 to include such apples. Ontario growers seem 

 afraid that were this done it would relegate 

 practically all their XXX apples to theXX grade. 

 While this might be the case in Ontario, it was 

 not so in British Columbia where they can pro- 

 duce a much larger proportion of perfect fruit. 



FANCY C.RADE 



Mr. Robert Hamilton, of the Department of 

 Agriculture, reported that for years he had 

 noticed packages of apples that contained 

 fancy apples that had been packed in a lower 

 grade of fruit. Mr. Eaton said that the Nova 

 Scotia delegation was unanimously in favor 

 of the establishrrent of a grade that would V)e 

 above the usual XXX giade. They would favor 

 calling it No. 1 extra, rather than fancy. Mr. 

 Graham was willing to favor a fancy grade 

 if the apples were to be of a larger size than the 

 usual XXX. He was afraid that as there 

 is not enough apples now, were fancy 

 apples to be placed in a grade by themselves. 



A. McNeill, Ottawa 



Chk'fTof the I-niit Division, whose hard work had much 

 to do with the success of the Fruit Conference 



there would not lie enough good apples left to 

 make a strong XXX grade. 



Mr. Burrell: "In British Columbia we can 

 put up thoiuands of barrels of what you call 

 XXX apples, with this exception, that they 

 are practically perfect. This being the case 

 we feel that it is only right that we should have 

 a grade for such apples, that we may be able 

 to sell them for what they are worth." 



Mr. Fisher: "As 1 read the resolution, it 

 means that 'fancy' must con.sist of practically 

 perfect fruit, while the definition of XXX 

 fruit requires that only 90 per cent, shall be 

 perfect." 



Mr. Grant: "In the Western States, the 

 fruit growers are the most progressive and 

 enterprising in the world, and they force our 

 growers in British Columbia to stay awake 

 nights to study how best to compete with 

 them. We may not be able to beat them, but 

 we are able to hold them. We find we must 

 try to reach perfection. We have thousands 

 of boxes of perfect fruit, and we feel that we 

 should get credit for such fruit, and that there 

 should be a grade for it." 



Mr. Eaton: "In Nova Scotia we have been 

 in the habit of packing an extra grade of fruit 



and of calling it No. 1 extra. Our best fruit 

 has been picked out and used in this grade." 



Mr. Parker: "As I understand the matter, 

 the British Columbia growers make two sizes of 

 their No. 1 as we do in the east. Mr. Boies, 

 the expert from British Columbia who visited 

 Nova Scotia last fall, giaded the apples accord- 

 ing to color and size. We have never gone 

 into it as thoroughly as that, but believe we 

 must if we are to keep up with the rest." 



Mr. Smith agreed with Mr. Graham that the 

 question of size should be considered, and 

 that fancy apples should be above the normal 

 in size. 



Mr. Ross: "We Ontario growers appreciate 

 the abihty of our British Columbia friends and 

 their desire to put up a fancy article, but if 

 such a grade is accepted they will practically 

 have a corner on it. (Cries of "No! No!") 

 They have thrown down the gauntlet to us 

 and we are inclined to accept the challenge. 

 (Applause). But if the definition of fancy as 

 contained in the resolution is adopted, it will 

 be a great hardship if a grower is fined because 

 there may be a single apple in the box or barrel 

 that is not fancy. It is practically impossible 

 to pack a box of jjerfect fruit, where growers 

 are troubled with apple scab and codling 

 moth, as they are in Ontario. If I am correctly 

 informed, British Columbia growers are not 

 entirely free from these troubles, and there is 

 no telling how soon their difficulties in this 

 regard will be greatly increased." 



Mr. Burrell: "We from British Columbia 

 appreciate the remarks of Mr. Ross, but 

 we feel that it would be dangerous to start 

 to lower the grade." (Applause). 



Mr. Fisher: "It strikes me it would not be 

 wise to put such fancy apples in barrels and that 

 they should be packed only in boxes." (Ap- 

 plause). 



Mr. Graham: "Mr. Fisher's suggestion is 

 an excellent one. I feel that our No. 1 is going 

 to be our commercial apple, and that if we 

 try to put up fancy apples in barrels they will 

 conflict with our No. 1, but if they are put up 

 in boxes it will be all right." 



Mr. E. D. Smith: "Were all the fancy apples 

 to be packed in boxes, it would be a great 

 hardship on the big shippers, as they would be 

 forced to send boxes to every orchard they 

 picked, as well as barrels, which would greatly 

 increase the labor and exj^ense." 



It was pointed out by Mr. Sherrington that 

 the system of having buyers send gangs to the 

 orchards is one that should be discouraged, 

 as all apples should be packed in central ware- 

 houses, so that a unifonn grade can be secured. 

 He was in favor of having fancy apples packed 

 only in boxes, so as to prevent confusion in 

 the minds of packers, many^of whom, even yet, 

 do not know what constitutes a No. 1 grade. 

 He favored the abolition of the auction sales 

 system. 



Mr. Fisher: "There is no definition of the 

 different grades, except No. 1. If we adopt 

 a fancy grade we will have to define it." 



Mr. Bunting agreed with Mr. Fisher's sug- 

 gestion regarding packing fancy fruit in boxes. 

 He believed the time is coming when the bulk 

 of the fruit of Ontario will be handled on the 

 co-operative principle. While admiring the 

 enterprise of the British Columbia growers, 

 he doubted their ability to put up such a large 

 proportion of perfect fruit. He believed Mr. 

 Ross voiced the feeling of the Ontario growers, 

 when he sounded a warning in regard to the 

 difficulty of packing nothing but perfect speci- 

 mens. While attending various exhibitions, 

 such as the Pan-American, and the New York 

 State Exhibition, he had carefully examined 

 the fruit exhibited, and although it was sup- 

 posed to be the best fruits the various Statts 

 and Provinces could produce, he did not have 

 much difficulty in finding numerotis specimens 



