1922.] 



The AoRiciii.TURAii Index Number. 



58a 



capacity, and growers are unable to know the exact weight of 

 the fruit they are forwarding unless they weigh each individual 

 basket. The retailer who buys these baskets in the market 

 justly condemns those which are under-weight, and the loss 

 is perforce borne by the grower, who has also to face the loss 

 entailed by baskets in which over- weight is given. 



It is satisfactory to note that all sections of the industry 

 are becoming alive to these drawbacks, and that steps are being 

 taken gradually to remedy matters. The first step was the 

 formulation of the grading and packing scheme of the Federa- 

 tion of British Growers, which has led to the adoption of the 

 British Standard boxes for apples. A second step was taken 

 at the Imperial Fruit Show last year, when the question of 

 the standardisation of chip baskets w^as discussed at a meeting 

 of the basket manufacturers. The meeting decided that such 

 standardisation was desirable, and as a result inspectors of the 

 Ministry of Agriculture carried out investigations an account of 

 which will be found in the article on page 605. 



* * * * 



Index numbers of prices of agricultural produce in England 

 and Wales show that prices in August were on the whole lower 



The Agricultural "^""^^^ ^^^'^^^ increase in 



Index Number. ^^^^^ compared with the correspondmg 



month of the vears 1911 to 1913 being 67 



per cent, in August against 72 per cent, in July. 



The following table shows the increase each month since the 



beginning of 1921, comparison in each case being made with 



the corresponding month in 1911 to 1913 : — 



Month. 



Percentage Increase in 



Prices 





1921 



1922 



January 



183 



75 



February 



167 



79 



March 



150 



77 



April ... 



149 



70 



May 



119 



71 



June ... 



112 



68 



July 



112 



72 



August 



131 



67 



September 



116 





October 



86 





November 



79 





December 



76 





Most kinds of agricultural produce showed little change be- 

 tween July and August. Both wheat and oats declined in price 



