EXPORT OF APPLES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19503, 6 December 1926, Page 9

EXPORT OF APPLES.

REGULATION OF THE SIZES. RESTRICTION BY GO'VERNMENT. As a result of the increasing tendecy of fruitgrowers to pack small apples for export, regulations governing the size of this fruit intended for disposal on the English and foreign markets have been issued by the Director of Horticulture In a circular the director states that year by year there has been some decrease in the size of apples exported to England. This was no doubt due to the pressure on the part of certain growers backed by apparently reliable information from England to the effect that small apples were in demand by consumers there. However, during the past year the correctness of this contention had been doubted and its fallacy confirmed from several sources. The mistake of sending extremely small fruit from New Zealand was held in certain quarters to be one of the greatest weaknesses now existing in connection with the fruit industry. The Government had therefore decided, in consideration of the fruit guarantee and after consultation with members of the Fruit Export Control Board, to accept no apples smaller than stipulated m a table made available. As the issue of the general guarantee condition!) was likely to he delayed for some time the regulation sizes of apples for export were being circulated in order to give growers a chance of meeting the new conditions by thinning out their crops while time remained. The regulations provide that in the majority of varieties for export to England the maximum number of apples to bo packed to the case shall be 216. The maximum allowed for the Jonathan, King David, Scarlet Nonpareil, Yates, Cox's Orange. Cleopatra and Granny Smith varieties is 234, while the Alfriston, Dunn's, London Pippin and Parlin's Beauty varieties must not be packed more than 188 to the case. These latter are all cookers. No apples for export to South America must be packed in greater quantity than 125 to the case.