ACTION AT HEREFORD 191 



To advertise and make known the excellence of Herefordshire 

 fruit, by offering it for sale in a reliable and attractive form. 



To classify the leading varieties of apples and pears (which have 

 been proved to be best adapted for this county), and to grade these 

 varieties into standard brands, according to their season. To 

 recommend nurserymen and fruit-growers to propagate and grow 

 these varieties as their main crop. 



To offer to the best advantage the many excellent but little 

 known, named and unnamed, varieties of cooking and dessert 

 apples of this county, by packing and marking them in distinct 

 grades of size and quality. 



To bring the apples of different growers together, so as to make 

 up large consignments for market of uniform variety and grade.* 



These aims, it will be seen, are essentially practical, 

 and they are being carried out on very practical lines. 

 The members send their apples to the society's depot 

 at Hereford, and the different kinds of fruit are there 

 divided into four classes for each variety ' Ai,' which 

 represent the largest size ; ' ist,' medium size ; ' 2nd,' 

 small size ; and 'cullings,' the last-mentioned being those 

 that cannot be sent away as graded apples at all. 

 When the grading process has been completed, the 

 quantities which each member has supplied to each 

 class are credited to him in the books, and the fruit 

 received is then placed in felt-lined hampers, according 

 to variety and class, the identity of the individual lots 

 from different senders being no longer maintained. 

 From these hampers the apples are taken, and, after 

 being wrapped each one in a separate paper, they are 

 packed in 14, 28, or 56 pound boxes, in such a way 

 that, the contents of any one box being all of the same 

 size, they present a series of straight lines in either 

 direction. That, at least, was the case with various 

 boxes which the manager, Mr. Press, opened for my 

 inspection at the society's depot. 



* The society has also undertaken the combined purchase of 

 necessaries, including fruit-trees, for members. Not only do the 

 members gain a further advantage, but employment is found 

 for the staff in the 'off' season, and the organization is thus kept 

 together better. 



