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'BULLETIN 79, HAWAII EXPERIMENT STATION 
base which roasts into an attractive golden brown. Certain kernels 
apparently due to factors of climate and nutrition, as well as inherit- 
ance, have off -colored bases in the raw state. Others develop off- 
colors during roasting. Acceptable color standards for grading have 
not yet been agreed upon, therefore no account is taken of color in 
the quality ratio as used in this bulletin. 
PURCHASE OF NUTS ON THE BASIS OF THEIR QUALITY RATIO 
The quality ratio gives a single summation value for all the impor- 
tant qualities which affect the commercial value of the nut. By sub- 
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QUALITY RATIO 
(POUNDS OF UNSHELLED NUTS TO PRODUCE I POUND OF GRADE-1 KERNEL) 
Figure 4.— Quality ratio as a means of determining the gross value of unshelled nuts. The curves repre- 
sent the selling price of grade 1 kernels. Reading across to the ordinate gives the gross value of the un- 
shelled nuts at prices of grade 1 kernels from 20 cents to $1 .20 per pound. From this value must be sub- 
tracted the overhead to find the net value. (Sec below for an example of the use of this graph.) 
stituting in the formula the values obtained from analyzing a sample 
of nuts it is possible for the purchaser of a lot of unshelled nuts to 
calculate the pounds of finished product he may expect. Figure 4 
gives the gross value per pound of unshelled nuts of varying quality 
ratios for prices of the grade 1 kernel varying from 20 cents to $1.20 
per pound. 
An example of the method of using the graph is as follows: 
Assume that the wholesale price 6 of grade 1 kernels is 80 cents per 
pound and a given lot of nuts has a quality ratio of 4.5. Reading 
across to the ordinate from the intersection of the 80 line and $J& 
'■ These values for price of kernels and for overhead are assumed. The market price and processing costs 
cannot be climated with any degree of accuracy until production assumes larger proportions and methods 
Of processing are better developed. The charging of overhead on the basis of unshelled nuts rather than on 
finished kernels Seems justified in view of the fact that the factory operations of husking, curing, sizing, crack - 
ing, and grading are the same regardless of t he qualil y rat io. The overhead saving in subsequent dehydra- 
tion and roasting of the smaller quantities of nuts from the higher quality ratios would be negligible and 
would be offset by t he enforced idleness of t his part of the factory resulting from the poorer quality. 
