CALIFORNIA AVOCADO ASSOCIATION 



69 



to $6.00 doz. ; I Vi pounds fruit $8.00 to $ 1 1 .00 doz. ; 1 % pounds fruit $ 1 2.00 

 to $ 1 4.00 doz. One guess is as good as another. 



If there is any consensus of opinion among our members on the subject at 

 present it is that it is best to sell the large fruit by the dozen, the smaller and 

 irregular-sized fruit by the pound. If all the fruit were to be sold by the dozen it 

 should be graded into different groups according to size, i. e., 10 to 12 ounce, 

 1 2 to 14 ounce, 1 4 to 16 ounce, 1 6 to 20 ounce, etc. 



Take the question of ripeness of fruit. One of our respected members of 

 long experience writes thus of the people who are handling his fruit: "I find that 

 they sell the fruit comparatively green, claiming that the trade demands it. (Levy 

 & Zentner say it is absolutely essential to pick them "somewhat green and hard" 

 to ship well and to keep long enough for the dealer to dispose of them). For- 

 merly I would have condemned this method but lately, especially this year, I find 

 that, like the Bartlett pear, the avocado does not have to be mature to be edible 

 and that it will soften satisfactorily and become very good eating when perhaps 

 only two-thirds grown. While lacking in oil content to some extent the flavor 

 is to my taste superior. The seed matures ahead of the rest of the fruit and it 

 may be that we will find that the test of edibility is the maturity of the seed and 

 this w^ill require more or less expert knowledge ^ * * At present the market is not 

 very critical as to variety. If the avocado is good size it will sell at a good price, 

 more or less depending on the looks." Is he right about the maturity of the fruit? 

 What expert is going to follow this up for us conclusively? How can an exp)ert 

 follow this up successfully unless he has a great number of shipments to examine? 

 How can we better co-operate with the State and U. S. authorities in their efforts 

 to keep unripe fruit from the markets than to have our market representative 

 appointed as inspector for the State or the Government or at least work with 

 their men? 



Packages : Everything from a peach box containing 1 5 one-pound avo- 

 cados to an orange container is recommended. Some recommend a crate holding 

 three dozen one-pound fruits having one end closed so that we could paste a nice 

 label on it advertising the word Avocados prominently and the name of the variety, 

 the shipper and the contents. One San Francisco commission house writes: "The 

 kind of container used is an important question. From close observation we have 

 come to the conclusion that large sizes should be packed in boxes containing from 

 one to two dozen and the smaller sizes in boxes containing from three to four 

 dozen to the box. These containers are recommended because they hold about 

 the average quantity that the retail dealers and the restaurant and hotel buyers 

 purchase at one time. Later on when the fruit, by reason of large production, 

 takes its place with the leading products of the state a standard container should 

 be introduced for uniform use. We believe the Association would do well to 

 consider a package similar to that used for citrus fruit. We find that the best 

 results are obtained by selling avocados by the dozen. Hiis method, however, 

 may not apply so strongly in other markets as it does here where merchants have 

 been accustomed to purchase only by the dozen. Selling in this manner requires 

 less handling and in numerous ways is more satisfactory than to handle by the 

 pound, crate, or otherwise. This is the one particular reason why we have recom- 

 mended the one, two, three, or four dozen containers and the contents should be 

 very plainly marked, on the boxes. This will eliminate a second handling when 

 they are received here. Not only this but in case the boxes are robbed en route 

 the receiver will then have a basis for a claim against the express company." 



