The daily sentinel., 1912-01-20

growers association this morning
on Improving Our FaCk From the
Gro Fers Standpoint" 1t was as fol-
lovs:
Mr. Chairman and Fellow Growers:
I'm presenting this paper on Grad
ing Of Fruit, for your consideration.
rrliize that it is one OF the large
pro lems that must be worked out in
the next few years if we are to have
a bigger and better Grand junction
Fru.r Growers association. In fact
believe il is the keystone of the
whole structure. because it connects
the grower and the consumer or
probably more properly speaking. the
grover and the retailed. and the clos
er we can get and the better feeling
we can have in that direction, will
worh to our mutual benefit
When We send out box of apples
now ! want to say right here that
while my remarks will be confined
TO the packing and grading of apples
stu with the details changed a little.
believe ii could be applied to peach
es and pears. As | was SAYING. where
we send out box of apples marked
fancy we must see to it that it is
fantT. in other words we must give
to the other fellow just what he pays
for Well you say that's just what
we have been doing. Yet we have,
and we have been doing ii something
along these lines.
In the spring your association
sends out a grading list and you read
it over and | read it over. and some
eighu hundred other growers do the
the same and then their wives labout
another 500 look it over and study
II and then during the summer and
fail Your packers size it up and study
1t, and il We figure on an average of
TWO packers for each grower We have
something over 5000 people packing.
without any further Instructions, eN-
cept some of them who have had a
few years experience along the same
line, packing and grading, according
TO that list.
Maybe those figures are a little
nigh. so Wen cut them in two and
still We have about l,5UO different
grades, more or less alike.
Is that good way To get uniform
standard pack? Do you know that
about 80 per cent of the apples
shipped this year through your asso-
iatiuG we're below grade and that
The other 20 per cent had to carry
them through and get the price for
them
| think It is wonderful, the bust
ness you have built up and the prices
you have received with that system
of grading-it has served you we'll.
but ! believe now that the time has
come when you will have to improve
ON it,
With better grading in the east
and with the hundreds of acres of
new orchards coming into bearing in
the northwest, where they do grade
right, we will surely have to do bet
ter if we expect to keep in the front
rank in the fruit business.
Now, ! am going to offer a few
suggestions that l think. if they are
adopted by your board of directors
and management, will not only keep
us in the front rank, but put us
little ahead of any other fruit dis
trict. when it comes to having a guar
anteed uniform grade
AT the present time the manage
ment holds the grower responsible
for the pack and grade of his fruit
| should have that responsibility
held by the packer as well as the
grower | would have all packers
registered and given a number by the
association. the packer to stamp each
box packed so that the association
inspectors could find out who packed
any box that came to the platforms
In that way any packer that was
sending in a poor grade could be
found out and an effort made to in
struCt her or him, in the proper
grading
At the beginning of the season
when the packers got their numbers
the association should have a pack
ing and grading school conducted by
their head fruit inspector so that
packers would start out with the
same understanding of the grading
list
Now, as to inspecting: your asso-
citation should have what ! would
term a field inspector-his duties
would be to go from ranch to ranch
and inspect the fruit as il is being
packed. He should open the top of
| the box and see if II is faced right
and then he should make a strict in
spectiou of the interior of the box
If he finds everything o. k. he should
compliment the packer, whom he can
tell bt her number. If it is not al
right. he should show where the
trouble is and get that packer going
right He should not tell us when he
Is coming.
In having this field inspection, |
would not do away with the platform
inspectors, because the field man can