The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-09-08
GRADES OF DRIED FRUIT.
Suggestion That the State HorticuIt-
ural Society Make Standards.
Uniform Goods Important in all Mar
kets and Most of all in That
of England.

! In canyassing the prospect of reaching
England's 100000 hungry mouths with
our dried fruits we often hear the objec-
ton proposed that we have no standard
grades. This lack is a great obstacle in
reaching any market, but especially great
in dealing with a people SO welded to
custom as the staid and substantial Brit
| ons.
Even you would not like to have the
! grocer send you one sack of frst-class
! flour and the next that would make moth
ing better than black and heavy bread.
After getting one roll of butter fresh and
sweet and the next off flavor and suspi-
clous in appearance you do not wonder at
what Commissioner Sherman said in
| reference TO marketing farm butter in
| Iowa ten years ago: 1.-The butter pro-
duced i'll Iowa brings only half what the
same amount of the best grade would
! bringn That meant at least Sl5, 900, coo
annual loss to Iowa.
| Now, a great share Of our dried fruit
comes upon the market in a similar man
/ her. Cinnamon rent orchards, and some
/ of them think only of saving expense
and pay little attention TO cultivation,
! thinning or gathering the fruit carefully,
! VI W Ci6dltitHGSS III dfylnS OF DiChlllS.
! some white men seem TO think 1t Is only
dried fruit anyway, and are just as filthy
/ and careless as any Cinnamon.
Others dry only the CullS from their
! shipping fruit, and do the work at odd
! spells, regardless Of whether the fruit is
ripe or green.
! Those who are careful find the general
trade injured by those who put up their
truit so carelessly. When a man has
! bought one lot OF fruit not lit TO eat he
| VIII not cali Tor more very soon. Ii fruit
! Is not good TO eat when it goes on the
tray to dry, it never Will be. 10 be sure,
| you can make d pie of green apples or
peaches that is better than nothing, and
| somebody manages to use this green
fruit. Like any other poor food, it makes
a show on the table. but is not largely
| consumed.
Now, if some representative body of
| fruit-growers like the State Horticultural
| Society would establish grades so that it
] would be generally understood by the
| trade, for instance, that Extra Peaches
meant fruit not less than two inches in
diameter, fully ripe when cut, carefully
sulphured and cleaned from fuzz and
dirt, packed in a tirst-clasS package of
| its kind, with the variety correctly
| labeled on the packages, ETC., with SINH
lar minute specifications for Nos. l, 2 and
3, we should be long step in advance
There should be some authority in all
large markets with power to inspect and
pass upon goods that were claimed by
| receiver to come short of sample or of
| quality sold, as they often do, in a fall
ing market. The dealer should have pro-
lection against dishonest packing and the
| grower against unfair reflections.
The trade will be lar more satisfactory
when developed to point where goods
are sold at auction at point of production.
Some have suggested inspectors at each
shipping point with authority to exam
inc goods and attach official stamp.
! Many other measures have been recon-
mended involving more or less machin-
cry and expense. 1t would be a long
! step in advance if grades were estab-
lished by some official authority so gen.
orally recognized that consumers would
! feel sure of getting practically the same
| goods every time they called for extra
California dried peaches or apricots.
Machinery is now so well introduced
! that no producer who cuts any figure in
the market should be without grader,
sulphur-house and cleaner. No green
| fruit should be allowed to 60 into extras
or No. l. If people want something tart
| for pies they can buy the lower grades at
less cost. In the dried form we can get
our fruit on English tables cheaper than
they can be supplied from any other
source, but the extent Of the demand will
depend as largely on how well it pleases
the palate.
! SO far the trade indicates that New
York and Boston people buy our fruit to
! look at while Chicago people are getting
to be judges of flavor.
Those acquainted with English con-
sumers inform us that they are well edu-
Gated TO discriminate in favors already.
AS they are accustomed to buy Jams we
may have to introduce system by which
dealers there shall soak and cook our
dried fruits and sell them in the torn of
jams. We may be certain, to begin with.
that unripe or filthy fruit will find no
profitable mark ct there