STANDARDIZATION AND INSPECTION FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 7 
industry before the establishment of State and national standards and before 
legislation was enacted to govern the standardization of fruits and vegetables. 
GOVERNMENT PARTICIPATES IN FIELD OF STANDARDIZATION 
Representatives of Congress in Washington naturally became conscious of the 
chaotic conditions existing in the fruit and vegetable industry through their 
constituents. The first attempt of the Federal Government to relieve the situation 
was 1n 1912 when Congress passed the Sulzer bill, otherwise known as the United 
States Apple Grading Law. This act specified dimensions for the standard apple 
barrel and provided certain requirements for standard grades of apples of various 
sizes when packed in standard barrels. ‘The act provided a penalty of one dollar 
and costs for each barrel of apples sold or offered for sale if it was marked as to 
grade and failed to meet the requirements specified in the act. Packing of apples 
under the requirements of this act was voluntary, and the quantity so packed was 
insignificant. 
Congressional action in 1913 marked the real beginning of concentrated effort 
by the Federal Government to aid the fruit and vegetable industry as a whole in 
the marketing of their products. In that year Congress made the first appropria- 
tion for conducting studies in the marketing of farm products. An appropria- 
tion of $50,000 was made to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to diffuse among 
the people useful information on subjects connected with the marketing and 
distribution of farm products. Thus, the original authority for conducting 
investigations with a view to establishing standards came about through the 
passage of the regular agricultural appropriation bill and not through an organic 
act, as may be commonly supposed. This procedure was followed until 1954. 
Since that time the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 has been cited as authority 
for the development and promulgation of U. S. standards for fresh fruits and 
vegetables. 
Shortly after the first appropriation was made, the Secretary of Agriculture 
created the Office of Markets to carry out the work authorized by this provision. 
Workers were soon assigned to make field investigations, with a view to even- 
tually establishing U.S. standards. During the first 2 years major efforts in this 
direction were devoted to potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, cantaloups, and 
peaches. 
In 1915, the need for national standards for fruits and vegetables was greatly 
emphasized by the inauguration of a telegraphic market news service by the 
Department of Agriculture. It soon became obvious that unless prices quoted were 
based upon products of comparable quality, no particular significance could be 
attached to price variations in the different markets. Staff technicians, therefore, 
redoubled their efforts in field investigational work with a view to establishing 
practical grades for the country as a whole. 
Progress in formulating standards during the first few years was naturally 
slow. Investigators were obliged to visit all commercial producing sections 
where standards for any particular crop were under consideration. Countless 
numbers of meetings and conferences had to be held and there were many 
differences of opinion to iron out between growers, shippers, and receivers 
before standards suitable to the whole country could be formulated. 
FIRST UNITED STATES GRADES ISSUED FOR POTATOES 
At the time the United States entered World War I, the marketing of 
potatoes by grade was thought to be practicable. As it happened, the choice 
