1921.] 



423 



BRITISH GROWERS' SCHEME FOR 

 GRADING AND PACKING APPLES. 



W. J. LoBJoiT, O.B.E., Controller of Horticulture, 



AND 



H. V. Taylor, B.Sc, M.B.E., Deputy Controller of Horticulture. 



The scheme for establishing in this country a proper system 

 of grading and packing apples for the market, referred to in 

 the article on " Grading and Packing " in the July issue of this 

 Journal, has now been published by the Federation of British 

 Growers. In this article an attempt has been made to explain 

 this scheme, and a few notes have been added which, it is 

 hoped, will be of assistance to those growers who may desire 

 to adopt a system of grading and packing to meet the require- 

 ments of the scheme. In the past horticultural journalists 

 have written much on this subject, and many meetings of 

 the trade have been held to discuss measures of reform; 

 this clearly indicates that the problem is not a new one. 

 The minds of the traders and the general public, however, 

 were not, a few years ago, susceptible to new ideas so drastic 

 as to revolutionise the whole system of marketing, and little 

 progress was made. Experience in marketing British apples 

 during 1919, when a large quantity was wasted, combined 

 with the large importations of well-packed foreign and colonial 

 fruit during 1920, has caused horticulturists to view the matter 

 from a different aspect. The retailer also, reflecting the prefer- 

 ence of the consumer, has taken a definite stand, and by 

 favouring in his purchases the well-graded and properly-packed 

 imported fruit has clearly shown that he was by no means 

 satisfied with the present system of marketing the home 

 produce. 



The Ministry has been urging all concerned to adopt im- 

 proved methods of grading, packing and marketing, and with 

 public opinion tending strongly towards action in the same 

 direction, the Federation of British Growers has rightly seized 

 a favourable opportunity for launching a practical scheme to 

 deal with the problem. Those concerned in drawing up this 

 scheme and in devising machinery for carrying it into opera- 

 tion deserve the support and goodwill of all British horticul- 

 turists, and of the public in general. If it is taken up en- 

 thusiastically by those interested in the growing and distri- 



