July. 1917 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
183 
A Michigan Experiment in 
Marketing Grapes. 
James N. McBride, Michigan 
Director of Markets 
It was an experiment in stand- 
ardization in the marketing of 
fruit known to be of high quality. 
Two inspectors were stationed in 
the territory and they examined 
the grapes brought in by groweis 
of one of the larger shipping 
associatior s. Grapes which were 
found to meet the Michigan 
standard which is as follows: 
'‘Grapes that are mature, sound, 
clean, of ripe color, practically 
free from rot, mildew, mold, dis- 
eases and insects, true to name for 
variety indicated, medium to large 
berries; bunches well formed and 
compact; packages of legal size 
and full weight, were loaded into a 
certified car. Grapes not coming 
up to the standard were mark ted 
as in the past. Certificates were is- 
sued for certified grapes, these cer- 
i tificates going with the bill of lad- 
ing ,to the purchaser. At first it 
I required a high order of salesman- 
| ship to get better prices for certi- 
fled fruit, but by the end of the 
second week the shipping associa- 
j tion had more orders for certified 
| grapes than it could fill. From one. 
I to two cents more a basket war 
I charged for certified fruit. This 
I amount went to the growers. A 
| total of 24 certificates were issued : 
I! 14 of these were for straight cars 
1 of certified grapes, 10 were for 
| cars in which only part of the 
1 grapes were up to the standard. 
Three conclusions have been 
I reached as a result of the work of 
1 the inspectors These are as fol- 
|| lows: First — as the grape market- 
H ing is now done, there is little re- 
I ward for the grower who produces 
1 fruit above the average. He has 
| the satisfaction of knowing that l e 
| is a good grower and that his 
grading and packing are well 
done, but his lruit goes into cars 
along with the grapes from his 
neighbor, who may be an indiffer- 
ent grower and no packer at all. 
And both get the same average 
price. 
The second conclusion is— that 
the local shipping associations are 
unable to provide a uniform sys- 
tem that is efficient. Their grow- 
ers are their e'i nts and to offend 
one means that they lose in volume 
of business and that a rival ship- 
ping association gains in volume of 
business. 
The third conclusion is that the 
state can work out an inspection 
system that will be fair to all con- 
cerned. It is- a neutral party and 
is interested neither in s filing 
fruit nor in the buying of it. The 
shippers should defray the ex- 
penses of the inspection service. 
The inspection system used in 
connection with grapes has this 
advantage — that it is no police 
regulation, punishing people be- 
cause of failure to do certain 
things, but is a system whereby 
those who do better than the aver- 
age receive a reward in recognition 
of their efforts. 
It was discovered that part of the 
trade was net enthusiastic over re- 
ceiving state certificates of quality. 
It injured their chance' of making 
good on claims for allowances 
when the market was declining. 
Use Garden Hoe to Fight the Foe. 
Cultivate your war garden often 
and thoroughly. 
Cultivation means the keeping 
of the surface soil, the upper two 
inches, loose. 
Cultivate more in dry weather 
than in wet. 
Cultivation makes a dust blanket 
and prevents the loss of soil mois- 
ture by evaporation. 
To know the tricks of the enemy 
is half the battle. Know the in- 
sects and diseases which attack 
your vegetables and you will know 
how to fight them. 
Sod when thoroughly broken up 
makes the soil richer. The job is 
to get it broken up and worked 
into the soil. 
The easiest time to kill weeds is 
just as they begin to start. There- 
fore, start the garden hoe and the 
cultivator early. 
Skill is shown and good results 
obtained when the gardener does 
each job at the right time and in 
the right way. — R. S. Macintosh, 
Universty Farm, St. Paul, Minn. 
Orchard and Garden. 
Every farm home should have 
a good strawberry bed, seventy- 
five or more raspberry bushes and 
a few black, white, and red cur- 
rant bushes. The black currants 
are thrifty and vigorous of 
growth. Red currants are some- 
times a discouragement because 
the currant worm gets the leaves. 
This is easily prevented by spray- 
ing with paris green or arsenate 
of lead. 
Plant peonies or rhubarb as 
soon as the ground can be worked. 
The following are good varities 
of peonies : Festive Maxima, 
Mons, Jules Eire, Marie Lemoine, 
Baroness Schroeder and Felix 
Crousse. 
Farm Gardens Pay Handsome 
Profits. 
The garden every year is be- 
coming a more important part of 
the up-to-date farm. The reason 
for this is that more and more 
farmers are seeing in it a source 
of big profits. A half acre gar- 
den, for example, can give a net 
profit of about $45. 
