191 1.] Production of Sulphate of Ammonia. 767 



A meeting of the federation is held in the autumn of each 

 year to fix a range of prices as a basis of sales. The federa- 

 tion also purchases supplies of spraying materials, 

 machinery, &c, for the individual societies, very large sav- 

 ings in the price paid being made in this direction. 



Grading and Packing. — Where grading and packing are 

 done by individual members, the only satisfactory method of 

 sale is for each member's fruit to be disposed of on its 

 individual merits. In some cases a system of inspection of 

 the grading and packing is undertaken by the society, but 

 this method lacks uniformity. 



Two methods of packing and grading by the society itself 

 are adopted. In one case uniformity is ensured by the fruit 

 being packed and graded in the society's warehouse by its 

 own packers. In the other case, the fruit is packed and 

 graded in the orchard by the society's packers. The latter 

 method relieves the grower of much work at a busy time 

 of the year. 



Determination of Prices to be Paid to Growers. — The 

 method originally adopted was to distribute returns to mem- 

 bers on the basis of the amount of fruit sent to market without 

 consideration as to varieties, but this was found to encourage 

 the production of poor varieties, and a method which has been 

 largely adopted is to divide the varieties of fruit of a certain 

 kind into classes, those varieties of nearly equal quality 

 being placed in the same class. The price is then pooled 

 on each grade of each class. In a third method separate 

 account is kept of each grade and each variety, and the price 

 is pooled on each variety and grade. Pooling is necessary, 

 as one consignment may not sell so well as another. 



The report of the Chief Inspector of Alkali Works 



for 19 10 (H.C. 187, 191 1 ), shows that there were 543 works 



or separate processes for the manufac- 

 Production of r 1 u , • . c 



Sulphate e su lp nate or muriate of ammonia 



of Ammonia. m England and Wales, as compared 



with 536 in 1909 and 526 in 1908, the 



number having steadily increased from 449 in 1904. In 



Scotland the number of such works was 104. There were 



also 57 gas liquor works in England and five in Scotland. 



