i8 



having chosen one thing, will probably merge ourselves as individ- 

 uals into the mass of those who do that thing; will be willing to 

 sacrifice part of our individual independence for the sake of the in- 

 fluence of the mass. 



As individuals we recognize the fact that we are not suflicient 

 of ourselves. That only in combination are we able to meet the de- 

 mands made upon us in the business of growing fruit. No one man 

 has time to investigate all its phases. No one man is able to inves- 

 tigate them all. The men who come here as instructors or lecturers 

 are brought here because they have investigated but one part of the 

 subject, and they are careful to sa)^ that many of their deductions 

 have not been certainly established or proven. 



In a discussion of the subject matter of what is now the Lafean 

 Bill in Washington last winter, two of our members represented the 

 Pennsylvania State Horticultural Society and the Fruit Growers' 

 Association of Adams County. The discussion had not progressed 

 very far when.it became evident that very divergent views were held 

 by the delegates from the different parts of the country represented 

 at the conference. Generally speaking, the very Far West in one 

 camp, and the East and the JMiddle West in the other. 



The Far West satisfied with present conditions and insisting 

 that if change were to be made, and packing and packages standard- 

 ized and legalized, that the methods of packing the crop of the coast 

 states, California, Oregon and Washington, were the best in exist- 

 ence, and that their packages should be adopted as standard. They 

 want their present apple boxes standardized as bushel boxes, al- 

 though they hold but 2,150 cubic inches, or the volume of the Win- 

 chester bushel. The Winchester bushel is our stricken measure and 

 would not be accepted in the East as the measure of a bushel of 

 produce, such as apples or potatoes or other vegetables. W e couldn't 

 sell our crops were they measured in that way, and were we the 

 purchasers we wouldn't take that kind of measure. 



The Winchester bushel measured level full is naturally the meas- 

 ure of small grain, which is now almost universally weighed, and 

 which could not be conveniently handled if heaped in a measure. 

 Why should the Winchester bushel be the standard measure for ap- 

 ples in boxes ? Because it is the same in capacity as the Western apple- 

 box, and the delegate from Washington says that our box suits us; 

 we have been using it and we intend to keep on using it. In like 

 manner, and in the same vein, while the conference was discussing 

 the capacity for a barrel: "We don't care Avhat is the capacity of a 

 barrel, we do not use barrels for our fruit." 



The Eafean Bill proposes to make the standard barrel for apples 

 the same as the New York barrel, a package of certain stated dimen- 

 sions and holding 7,026 cubic inches. As it is the practice in many 

 sections to call a barrel of apples three bushels, it was finally decided 

 in the convention, the delegate from Washington always and all the 

 time dissenting, to recommend one-third of the capacity of the stand- 

 ard barrel as the capacity of the standard bushel box, namely, 2,342 

 cubic inches. This was distinctly in a spirit of compromise, as many 

 of the delegates w^ere in favor of a larger package, even as large as 

 2,550 cubic inches. 



It seems to me that there would be gain rather than loss in 



