44 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



unavoidable if the difference in the size of packages is not 

 easily detected, but also the cost of marketing is increased 

 by the greater expense of manufacturing a large number of 

 unnecessary styles and sizes and by breakage in transit, some- 

 times attributable to the difficulty of loading odd-sized con- 

 tainers. These losses constitute a wholly unnecessary tax on 

 the fruit and vegetable industry.^ 



A move to standardize hampers, round-staved baskets and 

 other containers, which is now taking the form of national 

 legislation, has been endorsed by this Division. Passage of an 

 act standardizing boxes and half boxes for farm produce, passed 

 by the legislation of 1921, constitutes a local move directly in 

 line with the national standard container program. As an out- 

 come of this legislation a commission, composed of the Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture, the Director of the Division of Mar- 

 kets, the Commissioner of Labor and Industries and the 

 Director of Standards, was directed by chapter 8 of the Re- 

 solves of 1921 to investigate the expediency of revising the 

 schedule of bushel weights prescribed for fruits, vegetables and 

 other commodities by section 173 of chapter 94 of the General 

 Laws, and to make such recommendations for legislation in 

 relation thereto as may appear necessary, together with any 

 other recommendations for legislation that would tend to 

 establish a more satisfactory basis for retail sale of said com- 

 modities. 



In order to determine as many facts as possible in regard to 

 expediency of the then present weight per measure system, a 

 number of weights were made of all varieties of fruits and 

 vegetables for which there was a legal weight per measure. 

 The relationship of such factors as variety, size, condition and 

 shrinkage in storage were considered and analyzed in these 

 investigations. A total of 532 weights were taken by the 

 investigators of this Division. The complete report of the facts 

 of this commission appeared in House Document No. 1021. 

 However, we quote here briefly the conclusion and recomrnen- 

 dations arrived at by this commission: — 



The fallacy of attempting to remedy the conditions outlined ... by 

 any changes in the established bushel weights is apparent, as any weight 

 adopted must necessarily be arbitrary and cannot reasonably be expected 



1 Farmers' Bulletin 1196, U. S. D. A. 



