APPLE GRADING.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7079, 17 March 1910, Page 12

APPLE GRADING.

DEMONSTRATION OF TASMANIAN MACHINE. A' demonstration of the -utility of the Lomas. apple grader, which Mr F. It. Kallam, inspector of orchards, brought back with bin from Tasmania, has been given at Nelson. The grader is shaped like a trough,, which , is divided into channels, and the apples are fed in one end. Leather bands, with holes punched in, pass over rollers at the bottom of the trough, and the apples- drop through into shutes, which project them into bins, attached to one. side of the grader. The holes in the leather bands are 2J inches to 3 inches in ' diameter and tne apples find their own compartments as they pass over the rollers. Apples over three inches in diameter pass along to a bin attached to the grader opposite the feeding end. Several cases of Tasmanian apples, which were secured by Messrs-. F.-'O. Hamilton and F. R. Hallam while in Tasmania, were graded, and tbe result (says the "Colonist") was entirely sa.ti*>Taotory. Local fruitgrowers who were present were not impressed with the samples of Tasmanian apples exhibited, and considered that the pro(duct of this district was far superior, in colour and size. In fact one grower expressed the opinion that' the grader would be of little use to him, as most of his apples would be too' large to be dealt with by the machine. It was pointed out that the grader would deal with the size of apple that' was wanted in the London market ' for eating, while for apples lor cooking purposes other ' leather bands with larger holes could be procured. In Tasmania apples larger than three inches in diameter are graded by hand. The grader will deal with 2000 cases of apples per day, and one man, in addition to feeding, can do the nailing, branding andistacking of cases, and keep five men employed packing. An expert packer can wrap and pack a bushel case in about three minutes.