148 Increasing the Commercial Value of Apples. [May, 



INCREASING THE COMMERCIAL 

 VALUE OF APPLES. 



E. M. Bear. 



Now that efforts are being made to bring about improvements 

 in our methods of packing and marketing apples, the need for 

 better culture with a view to enhancing the commercial value of 

 the fruit is bound to make itself felt. A grower who sets out to 

 market his apples in accordance with standards regulating grade 

 and quality, such as those adopted by the Federation of British 

 Growers, quickly realises the importance of having a good samp'e 

 of fruit to deal with. If the general quality of the crop as 

 gathered from the trees is low, the proportion fit to include in the 

 higher and more valuable grades will obviously be small, and 

 the bulk will have to be disposed of at a much lower rate. It 

 is, in fact, almost hopeless to attempt improved methods of 

 packing unless an effort has been made to produce a crop of 

 good quality. 



It is to be hoped, therefore, that the movement in favour of 

 a better system of marketing will lead to a general improvement 

 in cultural methods. The importance of this matter is fully 

 realised by growers in other countries who compete with us in 

 oiir markets. In many cases they succeed in growing crops of 

 apples, 75 per cent, of which are of high enough quality to pack 

 in boxes for export under very stringent regulations as to grade 

 and quality. On the other hand, it has been said, and probably 

 without exaggeration, that the average crop of apples grown in 

 commercial orchards in this country does not include more than 

 15 per cent, of fruit of boxable, quality. There is thus plenty 

 of room for improvement, and growers who accomplish it are 

 not likely to go short of their reward. 



The attributes of chief commercial value in apples are size, 

 colour, and freedom from skin blemishes. 



Size. — Whilst abnormal apples are not desired, it is of great 

 importance that as large a proportion of the crop as possible 

 should be typical specimens of their variety in this respect, since 

 apples are graded primarily by size. It is particularly desirable 

 in the case of cooking apples, which for most markets can 

 hardly be too big. In a time of glut there is little demand for 

 any but large cooking apples ; and the public prefer them to 

 small ones at any time, because they are less wasteful and less 

 troublesome to prepare for the table. In dessert apples extra 

 large size is not favoured, but any specimens under 2J in. in 



