1921.] 



Grading and Packinc. of Fruit. 



B21 



GRADING AND PACKING OF FRUIT. 



H. V. Taylor, A.K.C.S., B.Sc, M.B.E., 



Deputy Controller oj Horticulture. 



At present very few people interested in the fruit industry 

 would deny that those tradin<2; in fruit liave a grievance. 

 The fruit sent to them by growers might be packed 

 in a far better manner, but before any improvements can 

 be made it becomes necessary for the grower to realise this 

 point, to select good sound fruit of various sizes and quality, 

 and to pack it in a suitable package, in order that it may be 

 distributed through the trade to the consumer with the least 

 possible loss of freshness. No doubt many grov^^ers in the past 

 have done this, but since the wholesaler and the retailer have 

 not recognised these sound and honest packages of fruit, the 

 cash returned to the grower has not repaid him for the extra 

 labour which he has employed. To guard against this it may 

 be an essential part of the scheme for the grower to use a label 

 on which may be described the weight, variety, quality and 

 grade of the fruit. In some measure the label becomes a form 

 of contract between the grower and the retailer. So that these 

 guaranteed packages of fruit can be easily recognised aniongst 

 the ordinarily marketed packages, the label should be some- 

 what conspicuous in design. Tn all probability even this would 

 be insufficient, for though any growler in this country might 

 j)a('k fruit in a perfectly honest manner, and use a label of his 

 own, it would take a very considerable time for him to establish 

 the worth of such a personal label, in our complicated marketing 

 system. Ex])(Mience in marketing in this country, chietly 

 in connection with produce from the glass house industry, has 

 shown that it is possible for even an individual grower's trade- 

 mark to be of considerable value, though no doubt the time 

 for this to become established has been considerable. Time 

 is an important factor, and if large numbers of growers are to 

 give up their old methods of packing and marlceting fruit for a 

 newer system, which will involve more laljour, additional 

 expense and detailed supervision, thev must be assured of an 

 immediate increased return. Tt may therefore be necessary 

 for the label to ho <x\\:\V[\\]\ccd by some official body, such as 

 1 drowers' Federation of some considerable^ importance, or 

 i'veu by a Department of the Government, lu other countries 

 tli(^ label lias been guaranteed, sometimes by a (lovernment 

 n(^pa]-tm(Mit (as in South Afi'ica and Califoniia). ;in(l sometim es 



c 



