1015. 
'1' I-I E> K.UUiA.Iv NEW-VOKKER 
357* 
Honest Apples Appreciated. 
N page 249 we printed a picture of apples found 
in a barrel under “New York Brand.” We 
called it a badge of shame, and the name surely 
lit ted the parties who pack in that way. The New 
York growers who pack honestly and put good fruit 
into the barrel are seriously injured by such work. 
We have just had a letter from one grower who says 
he puts a card in every barrel asking the consumer 
to write stating the condition of the fruit, and 
whether any improvement can bo made in the pack. 
Having printed “the badge of shame” we are pleased 
to print the following compliment: 
I opened a barrel of apples Saturday that was packed 
by you, in which I found a card asking us to let you 
know its condition upon arrival, and I am pleased to 
state that it was as nice fruit as I have received this 
season, or in fact it was the nicest, and we have sold 
s veral hundreds of barrels of apples. I sincerely hope 
that the time will soon come when all packers will he 
as careful as you in packing their fruit. It will en¬ 
able the packers to get better prices, the retailers to 
get better profits, and the consumers to get better val¬ 
ues. In the future when I see apples offered for sale 
that have “Johnson & Davis” printed on the outside 
of the barrel, I shall take them in preference, for l 
know what they have proven to he in the past. 
While it is true that some of the misguided, care¬ 
less or dishonest packers will hurt the reputation of 
New York fruit, this letter shows that an honest 
pack is appreciated and will advertise itself. 
Unsatisfactory Markets in Washington. 
A SUPERINTENDENT EXPLAINS.—An interest¬ 
ing side of the marketing question was presented 
at the annual Farmers’ Convention of Montgomery 
County, Maryland, held for its forty-second consecutive 
time in the neighhohood of Sandy Spring. As a result 
of a dib.cult" in sec ing a satisfactory location in 
Washington City for a hay market and public scales 
the farmers of the county invited the Superintendent 
,,f Markets. Mr. Sherman, to he' with them and explain 
to their satisfaction, if he could, why their request 
was not given a reasonable hearing before the Congres¬ 
sional Committee. Mr. Sherman having explained tli.i 
peculiar state of affairs existing in the management 
, f District matters hv the foregoing committee was 
invited to further express his views of marketing con¬ 
ditions in the city, especially, as to causes for low prices 
in table products. 
CAUSES AND CONDITIONS.—Ilis statement of 
conditions and causes for them was most illuminating 
to his farmer audience—aside, whether or not the 
whole truth that they had not had presented before. 
He said that Washington, like other cities, received 
the hulk of its eggs from the far South, and its meats 
from even it greater distance. Much of the farm pro¬ 
duce shipped in both from distance and near at hand 
is wasted—hundreds of carloads going to rot for want 
of it proper knowledge of distribution or timely market¬ 
ing. This he gave as the main reason for the consumer 
paying three times the price received by the producer 
for his products, lie stated that tie doubted if half 
the stuff produced and shipped to Washington city as 
food supply to its people was ever eaten. Of canta¬ 
loupes shipped in during the past year less than 40 
per cent, ever reached tlie consumer; of peaches less 
than 70 per cent. Yet the city people were far from 
having either cheaper food or enough of it. One ex¬ 
ample he cited was particularly striking, and anyone 
wim, like myself, has marketed pears, or tomatoes or 
cantaloupes in Washington city knows that such condi¬ 
tions do exist and that the same alternate glut 
and scarcity of common table products is of frequent 
occurrence. The writer remembers, especially, one oc¬ 
casion where he sent in 20 boxes of pears which when 
all expenses were paid netted him just 10 cents for the 
whole lot in return for the labor of picking, packing 
and delivery. Very glad to get even the boxes back, too. 
Do you wonder that I and many others choose to let 
our stuff fall from the trees and rot, rather than ship 
at a loss? Just such an example, Mr. Sherman quoted. 
CANTALOUPE RETURNS.—Last Summer, one 
day, on the wharves of Washington, crates containing 
2,0 fine cantaloupes each were selling at 40 cents a 
crate. Up town in the retail market, cantaloupes of 
an inferior quality were priced at three for 25 cents, 
which disregarding the difference in quality, places tin* 
retail price for a crate of 30 cantaloupes at $2.25 as 
against 40 cents wholesale. Some difference! Is it any 
wonder local cantaloupe growers quit shipping into 
town for several days? Wlmt next? Well, next week, 
there was a scarcity of cantaloupes right in the height 
of the melon season; none to he had at a reasonable 
figure in town, while outside not 10 miles away, prime 
cantaloupes were either rotting in the fields or being 
fed to hogs. 
NEED OF IMPROVEMENT.—Is it any wonder 
that Mr. Sherman stated the United States Department 
of Agriculture needs to turns its efforts to finding a 
better system of distributing and marketing perishable 
table products far more than increasing their produc¬ 
tion? That the commendable work of (lie State Demon¬ 
stration Service, which the convention had gone on 
record as supporting, was making useless efforts to 
lmld the farm boys and girls for country life through 
canning clubs and the like if they did not find a profit¬ 
able market for the products which they saved from 
waste and put up in attractive form? Mr. Sherman 
was undoubtedly right in his statement that the coun¬ 
ties around Washington are its logical territory source 
of supply in fresh table products. But does he or anyone 
else believe that the grain or general farmer is going 
to forsake his comparatively easy method of business 
for the painstaking work of the truck and table 
products farmer unless he is paid a fair advance for 
his extra effort and pains? Or that the farm hoy or 
girl in these countries will find a permanent interest in 
country life through being encouraged in some home 
industry, if the profits from that industry do not tend 
to give them some of the things they long for, and 
which, whether it will or not, they are prone to be¬ 
lieve city life will give them? 
A POOR SYSTEM.—Mr. Sherman is no doubt right 
in laying much of the unsatisfactory state of affairs 
to the unsystematic distribution of farm products. No 
doubt he and his city friends see plainly the causes for 
(his condition. No doubt the more honest of the middle¬ 
men have begun to realize that farmers, farm wives 
and farm hoys and girls are beginning to tire of 
gambling in table products. No doubt lie is right in 
his appeal for intelligent cooperation, in his wish that 
we were Germans as far as being able t<> enforce disci¬ 
pline in production, in buying and selling, upon us. 
But we, who should logically he the producers of table 
products for Washington city are just what we are. a 
dissatisfied people who have been forced to gamble 
every time we have sent a dozen eggs or a barrel of 
apples to Washington city. We •may have been unwise 
in the time we selected for sending our stuff, in the 
method of transportation we have used, in not getting 
together and experimenting for ourselves in marketing 
these products. We may have been all this, hut have 
the consumers and the middlemen of the city ever given 
The Cultivator Cure For “Nerves.” 
the matter serious thought or followed products back 
to (In 1 farm? Have they with their newspapers to pro¬ 
mote exhaustive investigations and favorable condi¬ 
tions ever thought of lending intelligent cooperation 
before? reuben brioham. 
THE NEW YORK APPLE LAW. 
A “ Resolution” at Rochester. 
WAS much impressed by the article on page 250 
entitled “A Badge of Shame.” and the illustration 
showing how some of the New York apples have 
been packed this past season. In a recent trip West 
I listened to comments from dealers about, to the same 
effect and in one instance in even much more emphatic 
language. I have of late also been impressed by the 
fact that business men here in Western New York have 
seemingly not been aware to what extent our apples 
are discredited. I agree with you that it is time this 
matter is more fully discussed and better understood. 
At the late horticultural society meeting in Rochester 
Mr. Welsh, agriculturist of the New York Central Rail¬ 
road. made a suggestion as to an amendment to tin* 
packing law which he thought might he practical and 
work out to good effect. Following this suggestion I 
presented the matter at a meeting of the community 
council of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce. This 
community council is comprised of delegates from the 
Boards of Trade of 27 villages in the surrounding ter¬ 
ritory, who meet to discuss matters of practical and 
The Sutton Beauty Apple Tree Broadens Its Head 
As It Fruits. 
mutual interest. I was asked to draft a referendum 
submitting the subject to the consideration of the mem¬ 
bers of these bodies. It is as follows: 
“The prosperity of an agricultural community being 
so closely related to the prosperity of a commercial or 
business community it has been suggested to the com¬ 
munity council of "the Rochester Chamber of Commerce 
that the discussion of amendments to the State packing 
law relating to apples may be a matter proper for con¬ 
sideration by the Chamber of Commerce of the affiliated 
towns, villages and cities. 
“Amendments to (his law will undoubtedly be pre¬ 
sented to the present Legislature. In this connection, it 
has been suggested that it might prove to be of advan¬ 
tage of the State as a whole to have incorporated in 
the law a provision to the following effect: That a 
grower, dealer or association, wishing to avail himself 
or themselves of tin 1 provision, may ask for and have 
provided by the State an inspector under whose super¬ 
vision the apples would be packed, the package to be 
stamped “State Inspected.” together with the individ¬ 
ual mark of the inspector, thereby permanently estab¬ 
lishing the grade to which the fruit is entitled. Neces¬ 
sarily the law should also provide for some stated fee 
for the service.” 
I have discovered that some dealers who have estab¬ 
lished a reputation for their individual brand do not 
favor this, or in fact, anything but the repeal of the 
law. Possibly it would be of no benefit to them to have 
the brand of others put upon a par with their own. 
But the reputation of the whole State is at stake with 
all the consequences incident thereto. E. l. Matthews. 
Change “Unclassified” to “ Cull Grade.” 
I N regard to the new apple package law I consider 
if the best law ever passed for (he man whose main 
business is growing apples. It should be amended so 
as to include all apples sold, whether in closed 
packages or not. In fact we have graded our apples to 
conform with this law when sold in open packages. 
The prices received are ample proof that a grade the 
buyer can depend on is what is wanted. 1 believe in 
giving Ben Davis and apples of its class their place 
and not to tolerate a system that gives a huckster a 
chance to pass them off to the consumer as Northern 
Spy. Change the name of the unclassified grade to cull 
grade, and market this grade largely in the form of 
canned apples and ship them all over the world to 
make New York apple pie. grant g. iiitciiings. 
Enforce It or Repeal It. 
F R< )M the experience I have had with the New 
York apple law l am decidedly in favor of it, if it 
could be enforced, but the way it is working out 
now repeal it at once, as it works against the hon¬ 
est packer. If our societies who meet in Rochester 
would employ a man in each large market to see that 
it was enforced it would be a great thing for the fruit 
industry. It would also take it out of politics and it 
would show that we were in earnest about packing our 
fruit right. Now for a few reasons that I am in favor 
of the law if it could be enforced with some degree of 
thoroughness, first because it is right; second, because 
oranges, grapefruit and bananas are cheap, and will be¬ 
come more so as the years go by, and our apples must 
be packed well in order to compete. Third, packages 
are high and will never be cheaper, and when you stop 
to think what a barrel costs and what barrelled apples 
are selling for the package represents a large per cent, 
of the value, so we should pack to get a fair price for 
our goods, and so there would not be so many barrels. 
Fourth, freight is like barrels, and going higher, and 
that represents a large per cent, of the value of our 
gOOdS. FRANK E. YARKER. 
No Real Wheat Shortage. 
HE Department of Agriculture sustains the posi¬ 
tion we took two weeks ago in reference to the 
wheat situation. The figures show tin* crop for 
1914 was S91.000 >00 bushels. There was a sur¬ 
plus of 76,000,000 carried over from the previous year. 
Thus there was an available surplus of 907.000,000 
bushels. The people of this country require 520,000,- 
000 for food and 90.000.000 bushels for seed. Taking 
these requirements out. there was a surplus <>f 357,000,- 
000 bushels. Up to January 30, 210,000,000 had been 
exported, leaving 147,000,000 above our food needs. 
This amount is sufficient to permit the export of nearly 
1,000,000 bushels a day until July 1. at which time the 
new crop will be available. It seems that the world s 
shortage is about 40.>.000,000 bushels outside the United 
States. In Russia there is a large quantity of wheat 
available for export, but owing to the war, it cannot 
be safely shipped out of the country. Should the Turk¬ 
ish forts in the Dardanelles be destroyed, ships would 
pass through from the Black Sea and distribute at least 
100.000,000 bushels of Russian wheat. As for new 
supplies, the Argentina crop is now coming into market. 
This means 100.000,000 bushels. There will be a sur¬ 
plus of 75,000,000 bushels from India in May or June. 
There was an increased acreage of about 4,000.000 acres 
seeded in the -United States last Fall. 
All nations except those at war have made an in¬ 
crease in their wheat seedings. Even Great Britain 
has increased 10 p-r cent., while Canada will increase 
her wheat seeding by 33 per cent. There is. therefore, 
nothing in sight to indicate a wheat famine or a short¬ 
age of food, and on these figures the prices of wheat 
and Hour should not have gone as high as they are. 
There is a great surplus of other food crops in this coun¬ 
try. for example, corn and potatoes. \\ heat does not 
constitute more than 12 per cent, of the normal diet. 
There are today larger supplies of corn and potatoes 
and fruit than for many years before. The potato pro¬ 
duction in the United States is given on the average of 
3.8 bushels per capita. This year the available supply 
is 4.1 bushels. In view of these facts there seems no 
good reason why prices of wheat and Hour should be so 
high, and there seems every good reason why other 
foods, and especially potatoes, should be substituted for 
at least part of the wheat. This would not only relieve 
the situation, but it would help market the present po¬ 
tato crop, which is now largely held up because there 
is a lighter demand for potatoes. 
The Apple Law. 
The bill to amend the apple grading and packing law 
was introduced in the Assembly Feb. 16 by Mr. Gillett. 
It is the one that has the approval of the horticultural 
societies and the conference of horticulturists and 
others, which met recently in Albany. It. contains 
much new matter. The allowances are, for fancy 
grades, not more than five per cent, on all defects or 
two per cent, on a single defect; for “A grade the al¬ 
lowance is not more than 10 per cent, on all defects or 
five per cent, on a single defect. No apples in this 
grade shall show less than 33 1-3 per cent, of good 
color for the variety. On the “B” grade the allowance 
is not more than 15 per cent, on a combination of all 
defects or five per cent, for a single defeet. The fourth 
grade is not a “grade, ’ but is to be known as ‘un¬ 
graded” instead of as “unclassified” as in the present 
law and the minimum size of the fruit is to be branded 
upon the package in addition to the other marks re¬ 
quired. J- w. I). 
