292 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



INSPECTION OK APPLES. 



E have just received a copy of the " Act to Further Amend the 

 (ieneral Inspection/ Act," to which has been added a section pro. 

 ' \\d\x\giori\\Q inspection of apples. This, of course, was in response 

 to the request of our Association, made through a committee to 

 the House of Commons at Ottawa. Unfortunately, the wording 

 of this amendment has been done without consultation with the 

 members of our committee, or with any apple giower ; and the 

 standards have been made so absurdly exacting that it will be absolutely impos- 

 sible for our packers to come up to the requirements. In consequence, no one 

 will be likely to attempt to comply, and the Act will become a dead letter. 

 The following are the sections referred to : 



109. (1.) In the inspection of closed packages of apples, the inspector shall open not 

 less tlian one package in every five ; and, if the manner of packing is found to be fraudu- 

 lent, or unfair, then he shall oi)en all the packages put up by the shipper of such package. 



{•!.) Every brand found to be fairly and properly packed he shall brand as No. 1 In- 

 spected Canadian Apples, or. No. '2 Inspected Canadian Apples, as the case may be, if tit 

 to be so branded. 



(3.) The inspecter shall also examine the varieties of apples submitted for inspection, 

 and shall correct the nomenclature if incorrectly marked, or, if the name of the variety is 

 not marked, he shall cause it to be marked on the package. 



(4. ) The inspector may charge a fee of ten cents for each package inspected by him, 

 and such charge shall cover the cost of opening and closing the package. 



110. (1) No. 1 Inspected Canadian Apples shall consist of perfect specimens of one 

 variety, of uniform size, and, in the case of a colored variety, of fairly uniform color, and 

 shall be free from scab, worm holes, knots and blemishes of any kind. 



{•!.) No. 2 Inspected Canadian Apples shall consist of specimens of one variety, free 

 from scab, worm holes, knots and blemishes of any kind, but not of uniform size or color. 



Now let us look into the matter. To open one barrel in five my be neces- 

 sary in the case of shippers that are known to be somewhat careless, but we are 

 of the opinion that, where the inspector has become acquainted with the charac- 

 ter of a certain packer, it is not at all necessary that he should open more than 

 one barrel in ten, taken at random. To open one barrel in five would mean at 

 least thirty barrels in a car-load. Now this would cause too great a delay of a 

 shipment of apples, at Montreal, or at whatever port they were inspected and 

 transferred to the steamer. The inspector should not be obliged by the Act to 

 open more than one barrel in ten. 



It is all right to correct the nomenclature, if incorrectly marked ; but to 

 make it compulsory that every unnamed lot should hv named by the inspector 

 might frecjuently give him a task which no human being could satisfactorily 

 accomplish. 



The fee of ten cents a barrel is too high, at least while the benefits of inspec- 

 tion are as yet unproved. The Dominion (iovernment should provide for the 

 larger part of the work ; a small fee of two or three cents would be enough for 

 the shipjjcr to j)ay, and, if found r.ecessary, after the benefits are fully appre- 

 ciated, the fee might be raised. 



