-3- 



What have we learned from the surveys that have been conducted over the past 

 tvfo years? 



1, From retailers comiuents that people \iant to buy and mil pay the price for 

 good apples, 



2, That in too many instances tha condition of the fruit as offered to the 

 consumer does not encoui^age maxijiium consumption, 



3, That bruises, cuts and stem punctures ai^e primarily responsible for the 

 unattractive appearance of the fruit, 



kt That often apples lacking in color are mixed v/ith vrell colored fruit 

 depreciating the appearance and value of the lot, 



5, That the same factors, namely^ mechanical injuries and lack of color are 

 causes of low grade fruit at the packing houses as well as at the produce 

 counter in retail stores, 



6, With the exception of the lone sample of the I'Testern box, the type of pack- 

 age in which apples are placed has less effect on freedom from bruises than 

 the way the apples are handled before they are packed, 



7» That, in general, more bruises occur before the apples leave the packing 

 house than occur between the packing house and the consumer, 



8, That it is possible to ksep bruises at a rninimum until the fruit leaves 

 the packing house because several grov/ers are doing it, 



9, That grw.'ers should check their pac!:ages more often to make sure that the 

 pack is v/hat they think it is. 



Finally, these surveys point to: 



1, The necessity of a constant effort to reduce mechanical injuries from 

 the tree to final delivery to the consumer, 



2, The desirability of separation of fruit into grades according to 

 established standards rather than the mixing of grades to the detri- 

 ment of the better apples, 



3t The elimination of deceit and adherence to the principle of an honest 

 pack. 



These are the basic essentials for increased sales and the future prosperity 

 of the fruit industry, 



- — 0, C, Roberts 

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