196 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. — Sept., 1922. 

 The Packing of South African Fruit. 



The Department constantly impresses upon fruit growers the 

 importance of marketing their produce in accordance with the 

 methods advocated by its officers, and publishes official reports from 

 oversea regarding the condition of fruit shipments on arrival, point- 

 ing out where defects may be remedied. The lessons of the past 

 have been well applied, for among the exporters of South African 

 fruit there are to-day those whose packing is unsurpassed by any of 

 their competitors on the world's market. But there are others who 

 have much to learn, and how their lack of experience or carelessness 

 results in loss to themselves and dissatisfaction to the fruit traders 

 is graphically told in a contribution to the Cape Tivies of the 

 8th July last. It describes the all-embracing nature of Covent 

 Garden, London, the great market where fruit from many parts of 

 the world is gathered in competition : it relates how the abundance 

 of attractively arrayed fruits impresses, more than any other, the 

 outstanding truth that the deciding factor in the great fight for 

 supremacy is that of packing. The opinion is prevalent oversea that 

 no fruit in the world can compare with ours, but this natural advan- 

 tage is easily lost if it only is relied upon, for, as the writer states, 

 the only conclusion that was possible is that the future is with the 

 best packers. He proceeds to describe the condition in which he 

 found some of our fruit: there was, for instance, a large consignment 

 of pines, the average of those saleable working out at less than one 

 a box. They varied in size, and their condition almost defied 

 description, some being quite green and others covered with mould. 

 Here and there were some excellent pines which met a ready sale, 

 but the consignment as a whole was a dismal failure. On the other 

 hand, he found in splendid condition consignments of pears, from 

 the western districts of the Cape, that had already been in a dealer's 

 cool chamber for a month, an example of what good packing, and 

 picking at the right time, could produce. Fruit of this condition, 

 it was stated, could be disposed of at the rate of 50,000 cases per 

 week. Another dealer, referring to a South African firm, stated : 

 " They are without exception the finest packers in the world. Their 

 fruit is good, but their packing is superb. When their stuff comes 

 to hand we just put up a notice, and within an hour or so it is all 

 sold, although their fruit — apples — has to faee the biggest competi- 

 tion of all." 



On a market, therefore, where compete not only the growers of 

 South Africa, but where Tasmania, New Zealand, and Australia 

 send their shiploads of apples, and the cherries and oranges from 

 Prance, the Azores and Spain add to the competition, which is 

 swelled again from many other sources, it is imperative that our 

 fruit should attract and not repel. " Some of your packing," said 

 a prominent authority, " is the best I have ever seen, but you spoil 

 the market by the variableness of the quality and the sloppy methods 

 of packing that many adopt." " The marketing of produce," the 

 writer of the article points out, " is a matter every bit as important 

 in agriculture as production itself. The packing of fruit, correctly 

 graded, uniformly selected, with full precautionary methods as to its 

 condition at the time of plucking and packing, is just as important 

 as the production of the fruit itself. In fact, if these are not 

 efficiently carried out, then it would be far better to cut out the 



