LEMON GRADING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 124, 29 May 1939, Page 14

LEMON GRADING.

NEW STANDARD FIXED. OL'TCOMK OF COXFKRKXCE. (From Our Correspondent.) TAI'RAXfJA, Sunday. Tn response to an appeal to Mr. F. Picot. director of the internal marketing division, by citrus growers, a more satisfactory .standard of grading lemone has been arranged at the Tatiranga curing shed, which was taken over by the Internal Marketing Department on May 1. A meeting iti Auckland wae attended by officer* of the Department of Agriculture and the Internal Marketing Department and by members of the Citrus Advisory Committee. Also present were Covernment fruit inspector* and the managers of the packing uned.at Tatirani.il. Auckland and Korikeri. Mr. IMcot presided. The meeting was later adjourned to la iiraugH. After a careful scrutiny of fruit in the Tnuratrja shed, the (Jovernmeiit oflicers met a reprenentat ive body of local oi-ow<ts. Fruit was regradod and a standard lixed which the growers present agreed would 1.0 satisfactorv if adhered to. Samples of rejected fruit were inspected, and the meeting agreed that, while <some of it was quite suitable for marketing, much of it should never have left the orchards. Work in the Orchards. It will be necessary for growers to exerciso care that fruit is picked at its proper size and state of maturity as may from time to time lie required by the Department. 0. rower* who have been in the habit of giving a minimum of attention to their proven and have , made a practice of sending poor quality fruit in to the packing slied for treatment, are faced with the work of bringing their properties up to th" standard of others. Tt is considered essential that standardisation of grades be enforced.

The gradinjr *ysfeni adopted is an entire alteration of previous method*. All fruit is graded upon receipt from the orchards, and this firings an earlier payment to the producer.