746 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10' Dec, 1918. 



a selling standard of value, as, even when fruit is packed so that the 

 faced or shown surface is a true indication of the sizes, degrees of 

 maturity, and soundness of the whole of the fruit in the package, very 

 little guidance is given to the purchaser as to its value for the purposes 

 of re-sale. 



Sale of Fruit in Closed and Open Packages. 

 This is particularly so when fruit is contained in a nailed up package, 

 but even when sold in a package with the lid or side removed, the diffi- 

 culty to assess the value still obtains, though in a lesser degree. It 

 would perhaps be nearer the mark to say that, Avithout standardized 

 grading for colour, size, and soundness, and the marking of cases in 

 conformity therewith, it is impossible to accurately gauge the value of 

 a closed case of fruit, and is almost impossible to do so even when the lid 

 or side of the case is removed. Under such conditions a wholesale pur- 

 chaser who buys, say, a line of 100 cases of apples is compelled to open 

 a large percentage of these, and even then, after all his trouble and loss 

 of time, has little more than a vague idea as to whether he is receiving 



Plate VII. 

 (a) Punnet used for berry fruits; {h) Bucket used for berry fruits. 



full value for his money. The retailer who buys in the market labours 

 under the same disability, and is compelled to waste much valuable time 

 in overhauling the fruit offered for sale before he can decide upon a 

 purchase. The seller, too, often suffers, as, if the intending purchaser, 

 when inspecting a case of fruit, discovers that it contains specimens of 

 varying sizes, colour, and soundness, he is naturally prone to magnify 

 the defects and assess the value of the whole case of fruit on the basis 

 of the worst specimens. Most of the difficulties mentioned may be over- 

 come by adopting the principle of packing according to standards which 

 embrace colour, shape, size, soundness, variety, and freedom from 

 disease. 



These have all been provided for in the Eruit Act regulations, which 

 came into force on 15th May, 1918. A short description of the provi- 

 sions of the Act and regulations will be given in a subsequent article. 



(To he continued.) 



