Grading Stone Fruit

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18865, 16 November 1935, Page 13

Grading Stone Fruit

THE voluntary grading of stout fruit for the local market is to Ik inaugurated in Hawke's Bay in tin coming season.

This quest inn received l.he consideration of a special sub-committee of the Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers' Association and at a meeting i" Hastings, Mr Ralph Payntcr, chairman of the sub-committee, outlined their recommendation for the benefit of growers.

It was recommended, he said, that similar grade marks to those used for export fruit be adopted and that the packages should be marked with the count of the fruit. Thus, for the main varieties, the grades and sizes recommended were as follows: Extra fancy. 81 and larger, per Hat halfcase; fancy, 'M and .108; good ami small, 117 to 141; small, no count on cases.

For the earlier varieties, down to the Triumph ami including the American Pound, the sub-committee recom■mended that the sizes be brought down, with extra fancy, 108 or larger, fancy, .117 to 114, and all below J4-I marked "small," with no count.

Xectarines should, it was recom'mended, be graded the same as tin early peach varieties. The recommendation for plums was that thrci grades, extra fancy,-fancy and good be utilised and that the packages In branded large, medium, or small, according to variety.

'"Die carrying of those recommcnillations into effect would, we believe, lead ultimately to the retailer selling his peaches and nectarines by count slather than by the pound," said Mr ?Pay'n,t'cr, stating, in conclusion, that the sub-committee had no means ,of enforcing 'the recommendations, which, jbe felt confident, would be to the ultimate benefit of grower and retailer alike. ; The recommendations were approved.