No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. xix 



The Need of Agricultural Grading Laws. 



The large apple crop of 1914 demonstrated more than ever 

 before the need of some grading laws in the State. Maine has 

 been working under an apple-grading law for four years. New 

 York passed one last year, and Canada has had one for over 

 eight years. From all these sources come only good reports. 

 Nova Scotia says it has raised the price of her apples abroad 

 over $1 per barrel. The same is true of Maine, and dealers in 

 New York say that Baldwin apples, packed under their law, 

 have brought from 65 cents to $1 a barrel more than have 

 Baldwins from Massachusetts. We must adopt such a law 

 sooner or later if we are to compete with the other States, and 

 as all these laws are designed to cover only those apples packed 

 in closed packages and to enforce a true marking of them, it 

 will not interfere with the person who still wishes to pack 

 any old way, except that he must mark his apples "ungraded" 

 or "unclassified." The open package is not affected by the 

 law. 



The Boston Chamber of Commerce has recently appointed a 

 committee, composed of persons representing all branches of 

 the apple industry', to draft a law which may be made uniform 

 in all the New England States, and this committee has devoted 

 a great deal of time and thought to the matter. The law 

 which it proposes to introduce will be based on the best points 

 of all the laws so far enacted. Your secretary is a member of 

 that committee, and has already introduced a bill which may 

 have to be revised in the legislative committee later on, the 

 committee on grading not being ready to report just yet. 



Not only apples, but many other farm products, should 

 come under such laws. We cannot expect to sell in large 

 quantities until we can get large quantities of one grade. Never 

 was this more strikingly illustrated than last fall when the 

 Board, desiring to help in the sale of apples, started the "buy a 

 barrel of apples" movement. Orders came in very fast, and 

 were turned over to the secretary of the Massachusetts Fruit 

 Growers' Association. Difficulty was experienced in finding 

 enough growers who were packing in uniform grades to fill the 

 orders received. Here is another instance of the value of a 



