1914. 
THIS RURAL Nli W-YORivSR 
1 :Tyq 
THE NEW YORK APPLE GRADING LAW. 
What It Is, and What It May Do. 
A GOOD LAW.—To begin with, I make the 
claim without fear of intelligent contradiction 
that the New York apple law, which went into 
effect on July 1, i.s the best, apple-packing law ever 
put on the statute hooks of any State. It is a 
reasonable, understandable and workable law, and 
its enforcement will restore New York apples to 
their proper place as the standard of quality every¬ 
where in the markets of the world, and save the 
apple-growing industry of the Empire State from 
ruin toward which it has been drifting headlong 
the past few years, owing to the entire absence of 
honest, uniform grading and packing, I believe that 
the dishonest packing of New York apples has cost 
the apple growers of this State, to speak conserva¬ 
tively, $3,000,000 annually. The T'nited States (Sul- 
zer) law is a good law, but it does not meet the sit¬ 
uation as fully as does the New York law, and the 
fact that it is optional completely destroys its use¬ 
fulness; not one in a hundred growers packed their 
apples under this law last year. We became con¬ 
vinced that the only way the growers 
and dealers of this State could ever be 
induced to pack their apples properly 
was to pass a law to compel them to 
do so. The law has only been in effect 
three months but it has already 
worked wonders. Growers of other 
States recognize that they are “up 
against the real thing,” now; there is 
no competition that can beat New 
York State apples when they are 
properly packed. The Northwestern 
box apple industry is fully awake to 
the fact that excuse for paying fancy 
prices for their product in the East no 
longer exists. No finer apples are 
grown anywhere on earth than in 
New York, and when the consumer 
learns that he can safely purchase a 
barrel of our fruit without danger, to 
say nothing of a certainty, of being 
swindled, he will no longer hesitate to 
buy the apples that taste the best. 
Such a law was absolutely essential to 
keep fruit suited only for the cider 
mill and evaporator, out of barrels 
and out of the market. 
DEALERS AND PACKERS.—Right 
here I wish to say a word in defense 
of the farmer, who has had to bear all 
the ignominy of crooked packing. 
There are undoubtedly some farmers 
who have been shortsighted and penny¬ 
wise enough to pack their apples im¬ 
properly, but I believe it is conserva¬ 
tive to say that 75% of the crooked 
packing of New York apples has been 
done by dealers. During late years a 
large proportion of our apples have 
been purchased by speculators "tree 
run,” and all the farmer has had to 
do with the crop was to pick it and 
draw it to the storage, and it has been 
a matter of common observation that 
mighty few of the apples “escaped” 
to the cider mill or evaporator. Year 
after year the fruit growers’ associa¬ 
tions have met in annual convention, 
discussed the situation and passed re¬ 
solutions condemning the practice of 
poor packing, but the practice has 
gone on in the face of a declining ex¬ 
port trade, and the preference shown 
in the markets for apples from other 
States, until finally last Winter a few growers who 
Could see farther than the end of their nose took a 
determined stand and worked out the details of the 
law, drafted the hill, took it to Albany and secured 
its passage. There is nothing in the law to prevent 
a man packing his apples exactly as he has been in 
the habit of doing; he can put a bushel of cider 
apples in the middle of the barrel if he wishes to, 
but he must put on the head of the barrel his name 
and address; the minimum size of the fruit in the 
barrel and also marl: it “wormy” “scabby” “fun - 
yused,” “rotten” etc., in accordance with the true 
facts; of course he will not do this because there 
is no chance left to deceive the purchaser. 
SCOPE OF THE LAW.—Great care was taken in 
preparing the law to conserve the intei'ests of the 
individuals concerned, the grower, the consumer and 
the industry in general. Four grades are provided: 
“Fancy,” “A,” “B,” and “unclassified.” There 
should be no question as to what constitutes a 
“fancy” apple. Any fruit that is fancy must be 
perfect; it must have good color for the variety, bo 
free of all defects and of good size for the variety. 
Baldwin apples may be called “fancy” if every ap¬ 
ple in the barrel is blood red and perfect, although 
in size they are but 2>4 inches and so marked. 
Kings, Twenty Ounce and other naturally large va¬ 
rieties could not be called “fancy" and packed to 
a minimum size of less than three inches. The “A” 
grade is intended to represent a first class No. 1 
apple; the “R” grade a first class No. 2 apple, and 
the “Unclassified,” as the term implies, apples which 
do not conform to the requirements of the other 
grades, but in the case of the “unclassified,” the 
minimum size, and other facts representing the 
true facts covering the contents, together with the 
name and address of the packer must be marked on 
the head of the barrel. The law is intended to stop 
crooked packing; to put an end to deliberate deceit 
and fraud. Of course we may expect that every 
dishonest apple packer in the State will be against 
the law; that under one pretext or another they will 
endeavor at the first opportunity to have the law 
repealed or amended so that they may continue 
their nefarious business, but the decent growers of 
RESULTS FROM DRAINING WET LAND. Fig. 
“What have you been doing with your apples here¬ 
tofore?” I asked him. “Oh. I've been putting them 
in the barrel,” he replied. “Well,” I said, “you can 
continue to do so if you like; all that is necessary 
is that you put your name and address on the head 
of the barrel, also the minimum size and mark them 
•fungused’ and ‘wormy.’” “Oh, but I can’t do that 
you know,” he replied. Of course no law is of much 
account if it is not enforced, but it is the intention 
of the real fruit growers of New York that this law 
shall be enforced, and it can be very easily and at 
little expense. Only a few intelligent, capable in¬ 
spectors are necessary. The Commissioner of Agri¬ 
culture is, I believe, ready and willing to do Ills 
part to enforce the statute, and if the intelligent 
progressive growers will all get behind the law and 
support it, the task will be easy, and it is up to 
everyone of them to do this thing. 
DISHONEST PACKING.—The grower who is 
trying his best to obey the law is not the man we 
are after, but the fellow who does not wish to pack 
honestly and will not do so unless he is watched and 
punished, is the chap to get after. It is not going 
to be so hard to find these gentry, and after they 
have been caught and punished, the ef¬ 
fect will be very wholesome. One very 
important thing this law has already 
accomplished, is the proper sizing of 
apples; hundreds of growers this Fall 
have purchased and are now using for 
the first time, apple-grading machines. 
These machines are not very expen¬ 
sive and will pay for themselves in 
one season on a large crop of apples, 
in the labor saved. To begin with they 
take out all the small cider apples, 
and easily save two men’s wages do¬ 
ing that; then they make three or four 
accurate grades as to size, and this 
can only be properly done with a ma¬ 
chine. It has always been a mistake 
to put large and small apples in the 
same barrel, even though the small 
ones were 2Vi or 214 inches; they look 
a great deal better and sell a great 
deal better packed separately. The 
reports received from many markets 
this Fall are very gratifying. Several 
letters and telegrams have come to us 
stating: “We have never before seen 
such fine fruit from New York State” 
and “It is no trouble to sell your 
fruit this year.” The fruit is not any 
better than formerly, but it is packed 
right, and for the first time the marks 
on the head of the barrel really mean 
something. That is the whole answer. 
SETII .T. T. BUSH. 
T 
PRODUCE ON TIIE WAY TO CHICAGO MARKET. Fig. 538. 
the State, the real men engaged in the industry 
who recognize the absolute necessity of such a law, 
if the great apple industry of New York is to sur¬ 
vive, are going to fight the crooks to a finish. The 
practice of killing the goose that lays the golden 
eggs has gone on long enough : it is a question of 
honesty or dishonesty, of good healthy life or sui¬ 
cide. Let those who care to align themselves on 
the side of fraud and deceit, do so; they will find 
plenty of opposition and a tough row to hoe if they 
try it. The law has the unqualified endorsement 
of the two largest fruit growers' associations in the 
State, as well as that of the International Apple 
Shippers’ Association, the secretary of which aided 
very materially in drafting the law. 
OBJECTIONS TO THE LAW.—A certain grower 
came to us and said: “I can't puck my apples under 
this law.” "Why not?” we asked. “Well." he replied, 
“you see in my part of the State we don’t grow as 
fine apples as you do in Western New York, we 
have a lot of fungus and our apples are wormy.” 
FREE MARKETS AT CHICAGO. 
HERE is now going on in Chi¬ 
cago a contest that is of interest 
to every man who tills the soil, 
and every person who makes use of the 
product to sustain life. The Chicago 
city government established in a dis¬ 
used school building a city market, 
where city people are able to buy 
fruits and vegetables independent of 
the commission men. It is a plan by 
which it is sought to wipe out some of 
the profits of the middlemen, and give 
the advantage to the consumer. But 
the commission men are on the alert; 
they are said to have started a propa¬ 
ganda by the spi'ead of which among 
the growers the latter will still dis¬ 
pose of their stuff to the eorumision 
men, who can in turn sell it to the gi-ocerymen. The 
argument of the commission men is that they have 
sought to keep up prices, by which the producers get 
more for their crops than by selling to any city 
ma rket. 
Despite these efforts to cut out the middleman, 
however, new ideas in middle dealing crop out almost, 
every day. The other day a government worker lost 
his $2,300 job. Almost at once this man undertook 
a plan to get a profit on eggs somewhere between the 
heix and the consumer. I met this man on a Lake 
Michigan steamer the other night, lie was on his 
way to Michigan to hire a man to buy eggs from the 
farmer. The ex-government clerk pays the buyer a 
dollar a case for buying them, the farmer ships 
the case to the former clerk who candles them and 
then sells them to the corner grocery man, who dis¬ 
poses of them to the consumer. The picture at Fig. 
53N shows a marker gardener’s load which sold for 
$100 or more, without having to pass thx'ouglx th® 
middleman’s hands. j. l. obaff. 
