Marketing and Storage 331 



not improbable that the growers will find it advisable to 

 market, a part of their crop in smaller packages in order 

 to attract the smaller purchaser. 



The bulk handling of apples should receive separate 

 consideration. In normal years, at least half of the pro- 

 duction of the Ozark and the Missouri Eiver region is sold 

 in bulk. Kecently bulk handling has featured in the move- 

 ment of the apple crop from Colorado and New Mexico. 

 Middle western growers maintain that the bulk handling 

 of a certain grade of apples is an efficient system since 

 it enables them to sell a portion of their crop to a class 

 of trade which would otherwise be unable to buy commer- 

 cial apples. The middle western grower further main- 

 tains that after carefully bedding a car with straw, he is 

 able to load apples in bulk without severe bruising. It 

 must be remembered that this bulk movement from the 

 West is essentially competitive with the barreled crop. 



Many state laws have been enacted looking towards the 

 establishment of uniform grades and standards for com- 

 mercial apples. For the most part, these laws are inac- 

 tive on account of lack of funds for their enforcement. 

 Washington has devoted as much effort along these lines 

 as probably any other state, unless it is New York. The 

 Washington grading laws provide for an annual meeting of 

 apple-growers, at which time uniform grade specifications 

 are adopted for the ensuing year. In other words, no 

 hard and fast rules are laid down for a period of years and 

 the specifications are subject to change each year at the 

 majority will of the growers. Obviously, a law which 

 would be applicable for all states, and furthermore which 

 could be enf orced, would have to be rather general. Such 

 a law, however, would tend to keep poorly graded fruit 



