52 



THE AGRICULTURAL 5IEWS. 



February 13, 1904. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



GRADING AND PACKING FRUIT 

 VEGETABLES. 



AND 



The following is a brief .suiniaary of a leaflet 

 (No. 98) recently issued by the Board of Agriculture 

 and Fisheries on the subject of preparing produce for 

 the market: — 



Admirable and necessary as the liigliest cultivation 

 must always l)e, yet something more is reijuiied to secure 

 complete conimerciiU success, namely, the conveyance of the 

 produce in the best jiossible style to the market or to the 

 consumer. It is at this point too many fail, and a material 

 jiroportion of unprofitalile sales is mainly attributable to 

 neglect in presenting goods in the most satisfactory manner. 



It is not sufficiently recognized how readily all fruits 

 are injured by rough handling. Even hard, unripe ai>ples 

 and pears are soon liruised, and not only do these marks 

 show as serious defects in the appearance of the fruits, but 

 the keeping (jualities are also affected. One general rule is 

 applicable to all fruits, and that is, they should never, if it 

 can be avoided, be gathered when they are wet, especially if 

 they have to be packed for sending a long distance. 



In grading fruits the points of importance are: — (1) 

 freedom from injuries and blemishes : (l*) good size and even 

 form ; (3) colour ; (4) high i[uality with ripeness. The first 

 two are essential to all high-class fruits. The bulk of fruit 

 grading will be mainly concerned with variations in size : it 

 is of the ntmost importance to ensure that each grade be as 

 uniform throughout as close attention can accomjjlish. 



The essential rules in grading vegetables of all kinds 

 are the following : — (1) Exclude all immature, overgrown, 

 coarse or defective specimens from the leading grades. (2) 

 Make each grade as uniform as possible. (3) Let freshness 

 and fitness for use be the characteristics of all vegetables 

 ■when consigned to market or consumers. 



The best culture and most careful grading may lose all 

 their value through neglectful jiackiiig. In dealing with 

 fruits the essentials for success are as follows : — (1) Use 

 only perfectly sound fruits. (2) Pack firmly, without 

 crushing. (3) Use the best, elastic, odourless materials as 

 packing. (4) Place all choice and ripe fruits in small 

 quantities and shallow packages. 



Various materials are available for packing purposes, 

 but much the best are the several grades of wood-wool now 

 prepared, the coarsest being suitable for large packages and 

 heavy fruits, and the finest, softest sam}jles for the choicest 

 and ripe fruits. All choice and delicate fruits should be 



encircled with bands of folded, soft, tissue paper, having a 

 glaced surface, which must be in contact with the fruit. 



In the matter of branding or lal)elling, a grower should 

 ado^it a uniform system and adhere to it, so that his brand 

 may become known and have a market value, and every 

 package ought to have the name of the variety and quality 

 bolilly printed on the label. 



In 



THE CASHEW TREE. 



forwarding an extract from the St. Thomas Mail 



N'utes of January 25 on the cashew tree {AnucanUiun 

 occidental!') Dr. John Hutson, of Barbados, suggests 

 that as this tree grows well over the St. Andrew's 

 hills in Barbados, it might be worth while to make use 

 of its products. 



The e.vtract shows that American botanists are 

 of opinion that the cultivation of the cashew should be 

 encouraged in Porto Rico for the following rea.sons: — 



1. No other luit can compare with it in delicious 

 flavour. Candy manufacturers have a good thing in this nut. 



2. The kernel yields a nutritive oil, equal to almond and 

 superior to olive oil. 



3. The gu]n is of special value being suh-astringent and 

 specially obno.xious to insect life. The mucilage is therefore 

 u.seful for book-binders. 



4. The juice from the trunk is an indelible ink. 



5. The bark is useful for tanning. 



6. Acids obtainable are valuable as stimulants, anses- 

 thetics and lotions. One of the oils is a substitute for iodine. 



7. Valuable as a cosmetic, will remove tans. 



TROPICAL FRUITS IN ENGLAND. 



It is recorded that among the chief attractions of the 

 London fruit market at Christmas time were custard-ajiples, 

 avocado pears, and persimmons. Custiird-apples and avocado 

 pears were of excellent quality, and the prices ran from 12s. 

 to IS.s. per dozen fruits, wholesale. The dee|) orange-red 

 persimmons were selling at 3s. a dozen. It is prolialile that 

 most of these fruits came from Madeira and the Canaries, 

 though the persimmons may have come from the United 

 States, where they are grown to a consideralilc extent. 

 The persimmon is a Japanese fruit that is very little known 

 in England, but it is commonly cultivated in the United 

 .States, being usually propagated by collar-grafting upon 

 seedlings of the native species {Diosjii/ros virijiniana). 



