The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1924-08-29
Tentative Grades
for Can Tomatoes
Hoped That Specific Stand
ards Will Result in I'M
prOvement of Stock.

of Asriculture)
Tentative grades for cannery toms
toes have been formulated by tn
United States Department Of Agricu
ture for the purpose Of providing
basis for agreements and purchases o
raw material used In the manufacture
Of canned tomatoes and tomato prod
ucts. It IL hoped that the use Of spe
cinc standards Will produce bette
business relations between manufac
| turers and growers. and ultimately re
suit In q measurable Improvement II
the quality Of the stock delivered t.
the cannery.
The principal Of Standardization Is
now firmly established and becomes
more popular each year.. the depart
ment says. Grades are widely used in
the buying and selling Of farm crops
and are now considered a necessary
feature OF any well-ordered system Of
marketing. 1t is felt that grades prob
ably can be made applicable to most,
II not all. Of the fruits and vegetables
grown for csnnerg purposes.
No Standard Grades.
been no standard grades for cannery
tomatoes Some manufacturers have
endeavored to buy on more or less
definite specifications, but there has
been little uniformity in the terminOl-
Ogy and application Of such locally
drawn standards. Establishment of
federal grades Will enable ali Gamers
to buy on q quality basis and enable
growers to sell tomatoes ut prices
commensurate with the quality deliy-
cred. the department says.
Success Of the departments system
OF grading cannery crops Seems to de-
pend largely upon the establishment
of definite gradations in price to con-
form with the variations In quality
and condition, 1t Is pointed out. Such
price gradations will furnish a stim-
illus to the grower to strive to deliver
only high quality product In order |
to secure. the attendant premium. 4 /
fair basis for discounting deliveries Of !
lOw-grade. tomatoes Will also discour- /
age the grower from delivering low
grade stock. and bring about a marked
Improvement in the quality of the to-
matoes grown and harvested. The
grower who finds that he Is unable
% produce tomatoes that will grade
U. s. No. VIII be inclined to discrim-
mate more carefully In the purchase
Of his seed or plants. and will focus
his interest on the elimination of the
nnproductive and poorly adapted
Itrnins OF tomatoes and the constant
Improvement OF few well-selected va
ieties, the department feels.
Growers Of cannery tomatoes will
lot be expected to use the proposed
rades az basis for separating the
rop into two or three classes before
auling to the cannery, as this prob
bly, would unduly increase handling
osts. Gamers ordinarily are not
Quipped to handle lots Of different |
ualnes separately, and since indiyid-
al lots lose their identity immediate
after being unloaded there would
little advantage In doing extensive
'rting OF the crop In the field, the
apartment says. 1t Is felt that the G.
ore logical plan would be for manu- /,
cturers to employ the standards as n
basis for samplinG the loads as they
me to the receiving platform, there st
ascertaining the grade and fixiuG Y
. value Of each load, o,
To Try Out Standard. q,
The principle OF buying cannsry to-
toes on grade II meeting with con-
|erable interest among Gamers of
natoes and tomato products and
Teral manufacturers have indicated
'fr Intention to try out the proposed
leral standards as basis for their
Ving next season. One manufactur-
In southern New Jersey has incor-
rated In U. g. No. grade In
agreements with the growers. In u
stern New York the grades will e
used by one large operator on
ton OF the acreage which he has w
Ter contract for 1924. Indiana can
. have assured the department TINT
y are heartily In accord with the 10,
'rfs being made to formulate q fair O.,
workable system of grading, and
. onered their cooperation in get "
! such q system established uni inI
My In that state an
he tentative grades have been an ba.
vsd and adopted unanimously BY
Trt-State Packers' association. an
IMITATION representing the cannery
rests Of Delaware, Maryland and
Jersey. 1t also IL reported thar ~.
proposed grades probably will be vi
blisheB as legal grades In New
'ey by the bureau Of markets Of
state department of a3ricuItpra Nav