226 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 28, 1917. 



Ijetter to retain interior grades of frait than to ship 

 their entire crops to market, without discrimination. 

 Fruit prepared with taste and judgment possess, when 

 submitted to the purchaser, an attractiveness that 

 benefits the producer as much as un.spanng labour and 

 .good cultivation have aided him in its production. 

 Persistent disregard to the importance of accurate 

 gi-ading and careful packing and the regrettable action 

 of producers in shipping immature or overripe products, 

 have done more than anything else to jeopardize the 

 future of the West Indian fruit industry. 



The present situation in Dominica demonstrates, 

 ■once more, the urgency for establishing uniform standard 

 grades for fruits to be exported from the West Indies 

 so as to establish fixed bases upon which producer and 

 importer can deal. Two systems exist for attaining 

 this end, one being Government inspection, the other 

 inspection and grading by co-operative associations 

 ■which need not necessarily be formeil for trading 

 purposes. 



With regard to official inspection, the Colonial 

 Secretary of Jamaica at the Conference of the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture held in 1902 proposed a 

 general scl.eme on the lines of that adopted in Canada^ 

 the main features of which were the establishment of a 

 •complete register of growers and packers with licences 

 for packing houses; the marking of packages with the 

 name of the packer and the packing house: the estab- 

 ilishmenc of stanilard grades for size and quality of 

 fiuit throughout the West Indies: the inspection of 

 packing houses and packages by proper inspectors at 

 any point before shipment: and the presence of a 

 responsible agent in the principal ptirchasing markets. 

 Up to the present, however, legislative action has not 

 been taken, partly, perhaps, on account of friction to 

 be anticipated at what might be regarded as official 

 restriction on private enterprise, and, partly, perhaps, 

 on account of the large ex{)enditure which the employ- 

 ment of numerous skilled inspectors would entail. 

 There is, moreover, the necessity for considering the 

 limitations of the fruit growers and the peculiar con- 

 ditions existing in the.se islands. Fruit plots ai-e 

 fre(iuently miles from the place of shipment, and fruit 

 has lo be packed on the spot to protect it from injury 

 in its transport over rough roads. The crop is perish- 

 able and has to be handle<l quickly, and the packing 

 has to be done by inexperienced persons to save the 

 cost of employing an expert packer. Under these and 

 many other circumstances, it would be disastrous to 

 enact arbitrary and ciiticai standards for packing or 

 for maturity. 



It seems, therefore, that, instead of awaiting 

 official action, it will be wiser to endeavour to secure 

 improvement in the grading of West Indian fruits 

 through the medium of voluntary co-operative associ- 

 ation. There are obvious benefits, educative as well 

 as commercial, to be gained by growers acting together 

 voluntarily in this matter, and this system has in 

 many parts of the United States proved to be the 

 most successful method of securing a uniform grade 

 of perishable products, properly packed in standard 

 packages. In Florida, California, Virginia and other 

 States, where, as Teportedia Farmer's Bidletin 7.53, far- 

 mers have found it necessary, in order to build up a 

 profitable business in potatoes and gain a reputa- 

 tion for shipping products of high quality, to establish 

 their own associations or private packing plants 

 in which the produce of the growers may be 

 graded and packed by skilled workers, these organi- 

 zations supply the greater part oi standardized fruit 

 found upon the American market at the present time. 

 In one district in A'irginia, the management of the 

 growers' co-operative organization, which ships large 

 quantities T)f potatoes, strongly believes that the proper 

 grading of the crop is of primary importance. Although 

 this association has become widely known for its 

 dependable output, the management is not yet satis- 

 fied with present results but is aiming at standard- 

 izing its shipments even more accurately. An inspector 

 is employed at each of the leading stations maintained 

 by the organization, and a chief in.spector superintends 

 the work of all. These inspectors are held strictly 

 responsible for the grade of shipments leaving their 

 stations, and each realizes that his standing with the 

 association depends largely upon how much of the 

 produce inspected and shipped by him is eventually 

 rejected or forms the cause of complaints on arrival in 

 the markets. 



In Sicily, of which one of the most important 

 industries is the cultivation of the lemon, the great 

 rival of the lime in the American and other markets, 

 exists an association, to which the majority of the 

 shippers belong and which protects the members in 

 various ways and looks after their interests. The 

 Sicilian lemon is graded and packed to meet tlje 

 requirements of the different markets. There is 

 little (litference in the packing for the ditiferent 

 countries, except that the English market prefers 

 large-sized lemons, whereas the American, which requires 

 the small fruit, takes a large-sized case as well as the 

 regular size. The Russian market requires a medium- 

 sized fruit, but of the best quality. 



