206 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



them. Large coarse sorts of apples, such as " Catsheads," will 

 not sell in the London markets, but they will sell well in Wales 

 or the North. Some sorts, again, are favourites in particular 

 markets ; that grand dessert apple " Cox's Orange Pippin " will 

 make a high price in London ; but send it to Manchester, where 

 it is not so well known, and it will not sell nearly as well. 



" Wyken Pippin," a high-flavoured but not very attractive- 

 looking dessert apple, will sell well in Birmingham (where its 

 good qualities are well known) ; but buyers will hardly look at it 

 in most other markets ; and so I could go on and give other 

 instances. 



Grading. 



This most important part of 3-our work — " marketing and 

 utilisation of your fruit for profit " — I can almost say, all pivots 

 round the one word " grading." I have been harping on this 

 string for the last fifteen years or more, and have heard many 

 others urge the importance of grading. Depend upon it, the 

 future of the fruit trade of the United Kingdom lies in the direc- 

 tion of grading. We can, I believe, grow as good fruit as other 

 countries ; then how and why do they beat us ? Not by growing 

 better fruit than we do, but by only sending us the best, in 

 quantity, and of sorts and qualities which they know suit our 

 markets, utilising the other classes of fruit for other purposes or 

 other markets. Far be it for me to advise anyone to grow 

 inferior fruits for profit ; but no grower, however proficient, can 

 grow all best, and it is as important to profitably utilise the 

 second rate as the best, if you wish the balance sheet to be on 

 the right side. There is a market for the best, there is 

 another market for the seconds, and there is a market on 

 purpose for the thirds ; but if you send your fruit, best, seconds, 

 and thirds, without grading to the market for the best, you will 

 only realise a third-rate price for the lot ; whereas if you had 

 properly graded this fruit, your best would make the best price 

 in the market for the high-class, your seconds would make their 

 value in the proper market, and your thirds could be utilised for 

 some other purpose. 



Apples should always be graded into three classes — best, 

 seconds, and thirds — and in some cases a fourth class can bo 

 lidded, namely, ex Ira selected choice or specimen fruits. The 

 extra selected should make a high price, for high-class cus- 



