White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1931-05-28
Conference
Adopts Draft
of Growers
Only Minor Changes Made
In Apple Grade and
Pack Rules

\ The following account of the state
grade and pack conference held in
Yakima last week was published in the
Yakima Herald:
/ Apple grading rules virtually as
outlined by grower and shipper COM
mittees were adopted by the state
grade and pack conference in the
Yakima Chamber of Commerce rooms
Thursday. Only minor changes were
made in the prepared draft. The rules
will be promulgated by the state de-
partment of agriculture.
Questions of condition and tolerance
elected the most discussion. Provision
| in the tolerance was made for ! per
cent decay at the time of packing,
but any decay developing after, that
time is to be considered a factor of
condition and not of grade.
The question whether the word
sound should be used as descriptive
term in the specifications for the
grades was settled by retaining it
and defining it as applying to apples
which are free from visible defects
such as decay, breakdown, scald, bitter
pit or physical injury affecting keep
ing quality.
Compared with the rules under
which the industry has operated for
number of years, the changes are
along the line of clarifying the def
initions of terms and slight easing
up on the requirements for the vari-
GUS grades. An unclassified grade was
provided for but the fruit cannot be
wrapped or shipped in closed contain
ers, which practically eliminates this
grade from the market.
The conference declined to ask the
state department of agriculture to
provide grade under which growers
in the lower Yakima valley might
ship immature Newtown apples to a
special market in the orient The Yak
ina delegates voted for it, but the
Wenatchee delegation, which held the
balance of power in the convention
voted it down
A resolution recommending that the
inspection department. allow no ship
ping of wormy apples was approved.
The conference passed a resolution
commencing the work of the inspec-
ton service in preventing the boot
Logging of apples by truck across the
mountains to the coast, and asking
the service to place an inspector on
the road to Vancouver.
E. ]. Barnes, director of agriculture.
who presided, announced that the
department while policing the passes
over the mountains had not dealt
harshly with offenders but would do
SO in the future as the regulations
governing the movement of fruit is
generally known. Those breaking the
law by hauling Gull fruit to the coast
will be prosecuted he said.
Affirming that more information is
needed on proper maturity standards,
resolution was passed asking the
federal department of agriculture to
make studies of maturity and work
out standards that may be used by
the industry.
Cannery grades for Bartlett pears
will be considered in a grade and
pack conference to be held before
JuIC ~. Ills was Tic arrangement
made in the meeting in the Yakima
Chamber of Commerce rooms Fri
day forenoon in which grades for
boxed pears were adopted.
No official call will be issued for
the forthcoming conference on can
merry pears, as it will be an ad-
jcurned meeting, and the same dele
gates which sat in the conference
on boxed pear grades will attend.
Grower and shipper organizations
through their committees are to ne
gotiate with the Gamers relative to
grades that might be acceptable. When
such preliminaries are out of the way,
4 date will be set for the conference.
The grades for boxed pears adopted
differ from the old rules in defining
terms more clearly and in greater
detail. Separate definitions are given
for russeting in a number of varietal
groupes, and russeting caused by limb
rub or the work of insects which does
rot materially detract from the APP
pearance of the fruit will be permitted
There was some tightening of the
fancy grade in the Winter Nelis
variety. Provision was made for com.
bination grades, which had not been
allowed heretofore. In these IS per
cent of the pears must be of the
higher grade. The same provisions
regarding condition and decay as were
embodied in the grading rules for
apples were written into the rules on
pears.