Shall Apple Advertising Have 
Voluntary or Legislative Support? 
A Matter of Great Importance to All Fruit Growers 
By Ken B. Crawford 
It is a little hard to do a strictly 
impartial job of reporting on this sub- 
ject of advertising of apples. As with 
most subjects, there seem to be two 
sides to this one, and the advocates 
of each side display so much warmth 
of feeling, that one who listens to them 
talk is likely to be swayed first one 
way and then the other. 
Still, when you get down to figuring 
it out in a hard “brass-tacks’’ way, 
we must admit that something has got 
to be done, and done quickly, and 
done effectively. So the best way to 
get it done effectively, is the way to 
do it. And on sober consideration, it 
seems to us that the apple boys out 
on the coast have found the answer. 
The subject of apple advertising 
has been receiving much serious con- 
sideration in the central fruit grow- 
ing states, with probably more activity 
in Michigan and Ohio right now than 
in other states. In Michigan, a series 
of meetings of growers and _horti- 
cultural men has been held in several 
towns, at which the growers have 
come right out in meetings and said 
their say. Which is good. 
Only two states now have compul- 
sory apple advertising laws, we un- 
derstand,—these are Washington and 
Michigan. Many other states are 
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flirting with the idea and some action 
can be expected soon in several of 
them. Reports from Washington 
State are to the effect that the law 
as administered there has proven 
very satisfactory to the large majority 
of growers. 
Several fruit growing states have 
voluntary advertising programs, and 
the proportion of growers who sup- 
port these, varies from 25% in New 
England to 55% in certain east coast 
states. It is said that even before 
Washington had a compulsory law, 
they were getting about 92% volun- 
tary cooperation,—still the growers 
prefer the legal method, as it makes 
collection simpler and assures the job 
being done. 
In Michigan an attempt was made 
a few years ago to work out a volun- 
tary organization, with the backing 
of some of the large growers. But 
not enough of the growers supported 
the plan, and it didn’t get anywhere. 
The Michigan State Horticultural 
Society and Michigan Apple Institute 
asked the state legislature to provide 
for the promotion of their apples by 
a commission appointed by the gover- 
nor, and supported by an assessment 
on all apples sold. The law was en- 
acted and provided for collection of 









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Looks Like We Need More ‘‘ Muscle Men!’’ 
