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Apple harvest time is underway n Virginia and pickers are now at ;he mid-way point of harvesting 131 million pounds of apples. Aa he harvest continues, at least 40 nspectors of the Division of Markets of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Commerce are busy inspecting ind grading, and Inspecting at the jrocessing plants. Harvest of Red Delicious and Dolden Delicious is now' at its >eak in all areas of the state. In ;he next 15 days we will be in the uurvest of later varieties such as i Stayman, York, and Rome. J. H. Henley, supervisor of \pple6 and Peaches for VDAC, leads a team of 11 during the fear, but at apple harvest season his group is joined by other nspectors and graders from as far iway as California. ‘'Basically,'’ says Henley, “we ire working with grades established by the United States Department of Agriculture. In Virginia we have special grades hat are very similar to those of USDA, but they are strictly Virginia grades. “Contrary to most thinking, he grade of an apple has nothing jo do with its size. The grade is a juality factor. In grading we are ooking for imperfections, terhaps a little different color of he skin or something about the ipple that will make you suspicious. One thing we look for s internal cork. There is probably ust a little pimple or blemish on he skin that indicates this iroblem. Trained graders can prickly spot this imperfection.” Henley has been working in the ipple and peach section since L928 when he first joined the iepartment. He had originally pined the department with a summer time job, but stayed on because the work proved interesting and rewarding. “Time nas seen many changes in the orchards of Virginia,” Henley said. “We used to have about a hundred varieties of apples grown in Virginia, now we have about six or eight main varieties. Just 20 years ago apple trees were taller and everything was hand picked. Now new varieties are shorter and many apples for processing are shaken from the trees by mechanical devices.
“Our work includes the inspection and certifying on Federal-State certificates at packing houses, warehouses and cold storages. Most of these
packing houses. At processing plants certificates are written on each, load delivered. The inspection certificate is used as a basis for payment to the growers.
“In our grading work we have as a top grade U. S. Extra Fancy which consists of apples of one variety which are mature, but not over ripe, carefully hand-picked, clean, fairly well formed, and free of blemishes and maintaining good color.
“U. S. Fancy is much the same except for color. The next grade, U. S. No. 1, is much the same again except for the coloring.
“We also grade combinations of these grades, but in this case at least 50 per cent of the apples in a lot must represent the higher grade.”
As new varieties are being developed each year, as the apple industry continues to upgrade the quality of its product, it continually studies grading requirements. The USDA work: with industry in establishing neu grades.
“We as apple graders an looking for many of the sami things that the consumer ii seeking at the grocery store
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