72 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



It has come to a place in the fruit industry where the grower 

 does not wax very enthusiastic over a bumper crop in the 

 country. Bumper crops in fruit are beginning to spell trouble 

 with a capital "T." Experience has emphasized the fact that 

 large crops do not always bring large profits to the producers 

 of those crops. The experienced grower knows that a large 

 apple crop means a higher cost of lalx)r and packages; due to 

 a greater demand, with the proportionate drop in price for the 

 packed fruit. 



It is a fact that most growers in apple sections are in "hot 

 water" during the spring months for they are afraid they will 

 lose their crops and in the fall they fear having to face a 

 bumper crop. If bugs and fungi and the methods of production 

 keep us jumping to grow apples, how many more sleepless 

 nights do we spend when considering the method of moving the 

 crop at a fair profit. 



A careful study of this problem of marketing leads one to 

 the conclusion that the method used by most farmers is hardly 

 worthy of the name, and might be more correctly called "dump- 

 ing" or "getting rid of" the crop, but according to my idea, 

 marketing is a process by which products pass from the pro- 

 ducer to the consumer, including the operations of inspecting, 

 transporting, buying, selling and delivering. 



The average farmer has little to do with the real marketing 

 operations, but delegates this work to numerous individuals, 

 firms and other corporations under few, if any, restrictions, and 

 then feels aggrieved because his share of the consumer's dollar 

 is so small. Just as long as he leaves this work to others, he 

 must expect them to take a liberal fee for their work. 



Now let us look at some of the advantages and some of the 

 weak points in the apple crop. 



Selling in Bulk. 



Early in the season speculators visit the orchards and oflFer a 

 lump sum for all the fruit on the trees, and for the fruit picked 

 and placed on packing tables. The advantage for the grower is 

 that he is avoiding all chance of weather loss, or of market 

 speculation, and is sure of a certain sum, as the buyer generally 

 pays in advance. The advantage is that, while the grower is 

 uninformed as to the crop and market conditions, the buyer has 



