The Canadian Horticulturi^ 



Vol. XXXV 



NOVEMBER, 191^ 



Nv 



1 1 



Cooperation in Packing and Selling Fruit 



GROWERS must accept the princi- 

 ple that they cannot be allowed to 

 judge and grade their own fruit. 

 Human nature is too frail, and the 

 strongest minded of us is sure to 

 be somewhat biassed in favor of his own 

 productions, opinions, or possessions. 

 Those who deem themselves above giv- 

 ing way to personal bias are referred to 

 Herbert Spencer's "Study of Sociol- 

 ogy," in which the learned author ex- 

 pounds the theory that no one is capable 

 of forming a fair and disinterested opin- 

 ion on any subject whatever, so strong 

 is the feeling of personal bias which 

 creeps into all opinions, beliefs, sayings, 

 and doings, no matter whether it is a 

 business, social, political, theological 

 question or what not. 



This point requires particular empha- 

 sis, as is evidenced by what happ)ened 

 two years ago to a large organization in 

 the Niagara peninsula. Some of the 

 growers in this union had their fruit 

 graded and packed at a central station. 

 Others graded and packed for them- 

 selves. These latter, on their own state- 

 ments, packed about ninety per cent, 

 number one fruit and ten per cent, se- 



Dr. H. Johnson, Grimsby, Ont. 



conds. In the central packing house 

 the grade ran about sixty per cent, num- 

 ber one and forty per cent, other quali- 

 ties. But members who packed for 

 themselves received the same price as 

 those who had their packing done in the 

 central station. Clearly this was very 

 unfair ; but apart from the unfairness it 

 shows that it is impossible to guarantee 

 the grade unless packing is done by 

 those not interested in the sale of the 

 fruit. 



Large fruit may be attractive to the eye 

 but it is not generally so well flavored 

 or so succulent as a medium-sized speci- 

 men. Growers, therefore, should make 

 a stand against the fetish worship of 

 large-sized fruit. All fruit that is free 

 from blemish and attains a certain size, 

 not necessarily very large, should be 

 classed as choice fruit. 



A FAIR WAT 



The fairest way of grading apples, and 

 the same system would apply equally 

 well to peaches, appears to be that prac- 

 tised by the Hood River Apple Growers' 

 Union. The fruit is divided into two 

 grades : Number one and number two 

 (and culls). At Hood River they classify 



the grades as "Choice" and "Fancy." 

 This classification is independent of size 

 and applies to color, shape, appearance, 

 and freedom from disease or imperfec- 

 tions. Number one fruit is properly 

 colored and entirely free from disease 

 or blemish. Number two fruit may not 

 be properly colored, and it may possess 

 not more than two stings or blemishes. 

 It must, of course, attain a certain size. 



Both classes of fruit are then sub- 

 divided on the basis of size in the pack, 

 according to the number of apples which 

 will fill the box. Each box of every 

 grade then contains a fixed number of 

 apples of a uniform size and quality. 

 The boxes are sold as three-tier, three 

 and a half tier, four tier, and four and 

 a half tier, and the number of apples in- 

 side is stamped on the box. Both the 

 square and diagonal pack are used. 



This system is fair to all parties from 

 the grower down to the public who 

 finally consume the fruit. It is particu- 

 larly convenient to the retailer who may 

 sell by the pound or by the piece, it en- 

 ables him to choose a grade that exactly 

 suits his customers and the nature of 

 his trade. 



"mi 



" Barnes " Vineyard, one of the Famoui Vineyards in the Niagara Fruit District 



253 —Photo by H. C. Qoodman, St. Catharines, Ont. 



