HARVESTS, PACKING, AND MARKETING STONE FRUIT

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 73, Issue 6, 16 December 1946, Page 571

HARVESTS, PACKING, AND MARKETING STONE FRUIT

By

S. FREW,

Orchard Instructor, Blenheim

WHEN by a combination of efficient orchard practice and favourable weather a good crop of stone fruit has been matured, the successful harvesting, packing, and marketing of it are the best gauge of each season’s success or failure. The importance of attending to these operations with the highest degree c-f efficiency therefore cannot be over-stressed.

* 'T’HE perishable nature of practically all stone fruits necessitates the greatest care during harvesting, packing, and transport to market. Stone fruit' must-be handled literally like eggs if the- produce is to reach the market in good condition. Careless handling causes stem punctures, undue pressure with fingers causes . bruising, and long, finger nails will cut the skin and start rapid decay. In, America gloves .are frequently worn by operators, and this practice has much to commend' it when dealing with highquality. lines.

Judging Maturity To determine the correct stage of maturity for picking requires, specialised knowledge on the part of the grower. Fruit ■ ' intended for more distant markets . requires to 'be picked in a firmer condition than that "for nearer .markets. 'The. tendency of some growers in recent years appears to have been to err on the safe side in this respect, with the result that many immature lines have arrived on the .market and in the' shops, the fruit being small, green, and unattractive. With this class of fruit, transit losses through : brown rot and , wastage are undoubtedly few, but the indirect loss

in value must .be considerable in. a season of normal supply and demand.

Apricots for distant markets should be picked when the ground colour , is turning to light-yellow; or straw, ‘ Peaches should'be harvested. when the fruit is fully developed and the flesh still , firm. Between development to full size and full ripeness peaches increase in.'.sugar content, and during that period it is estimated . that the weight of fruit increases by more than 12 per cent. That indicates the importance of . permitting . peaches, .. m remain on the trees as long as possible and yet arrive on the market in good ■.condition. Not only does the; grower gain by an increased weight of crop, but the consumer receives ; a - higherquality fruit. .' ■ Cherries, especially early soft-fleshed varieties, should ,be .picked- while still very firm. Early varieties, which when tree-ripened ' are dark red to black, should be picked when they have attained a -good red' colour and are fairly sweet. The later varieties, which will carry in more matured condition,

should.' be a. dark or purplish red before being harvested. White or yellow varieties should be harvested .when they have attained a good typical colour and are fairly sweet.

Care in Picking

Stone fruit picked at the desirable stage of maturity will, readily come off with a slight upward twist' of the hand, but care should be taken ' not to inflict undue pressure on the fruit. Bruising during picking .will "result . in early development of brown rot and soft decay. To avoid bruising, light pick-irig-tins which are rigid and of moderate capacity are preferable to the large canvas picking-bags used for pip fruits.' The fruit should be carefully'placed in the picking receptacles and never thrown or dropped in.

Every precaution should be taken to prevent spread of brown rot, and infected fruit should not be allowed to come in contact with sound fruit. If necessary, the pick-ing-tins should be regularly sterilised. 7

Cherries should be picked with the stems attached .or the skin will be broken and the. fruit will decay during transport to the. market. While ensuring the detachment of . the stem, care must be taken . not to break off the fruit spur, which should remain as a potential. production unit of the tree for future seasons. '

Sizing and Grading

With the possible ■ exception of cherries, all stone fruit requires sizing as a prerequisite to good packing, and a sizing machine over which the fruit

passes, to the packer is a valuable asset. : Fruit put over the machine should be of firm maturity, and moderate size, and the machine and bins should be kept free from dirt and grit. For large fruit of greater maturity, and higher quality careful hand treatment is preferable. Though size is one of the’principal factors regulating the market price, grading for quality also influences values. Consignments packed in grades according ...to colour and amount of blemish on individual fruits will command attention and a price commensurate with the quality. First grade should consist of well-formed, wellcoloured fruit typical of the variety and free from pests and diseases, arid

any blemishes should be very slight. Second- and third-grade fruit may be of a slightly lower standard, but should not contain defects which may cause the fruit to decay or make it unattractive to the purchaser.

Recommendations for Packing

No. 6 standard case is recommended for packing firm, graded fruit,, and the diagonal pack should be adopted to ensure the minimum of bruising. The cases should be lined with clean white paper. Correctness in height is necessary to avoid damage to the fruit during lidding. For large-sized, highquality, mature fruit the use of trays as containers is.recommended. Attractively. displayed in coloured paper shavings or wood wool, high-quality fruit should be packed in one-layer trays either crated or wired together in threes. This method enables the fruit to be sold in smaller quantities, and with the absence of tight packing the risk of bruising is lessened considerably.

-In packing cherries care should be taken to fill the corners of the box and to see that the minimum net weight is contained in each package. “Facsing” of cherries can be done with advantage . by ■ placing the first layer of fruit in the box with the stems toward the packer, an effort being made to “row” the fruit as uniformly as possible; the remainder of the box is filled without any definite arrangement, but taking care to fill the corners and to have no fruit extending over the sides. The bottom is then nailed on. and the box reversed for labelling. The first layer of faced fruit becomes the top layer and presents, a pleasing appearance when the box is opened.