400 ANNUAL REPORT OP THE Oflf. Doc. 



than at the same date one year ago, bought or held at prices that 

 no market has been willing to pay up to this time. Apples have been 

 held for higher prices with the hope of coming out whole. Consump- 

 tion, quickly affected by advancing prices, has been curtailed, and 

 most dealers have now given up all hope of avoiding a loss. The 

 trade in general — will come up to the next buying season feeling that 

 the growers owe them something which they will proceed to take 

 if they can. Growers who did not sell at harvest times are of course 

 meeting the same market conditions as the men who invested in 

 fruits, and like them, are now suffering the result of under-estimat- 

 ing and over-valuing the crop. 



Conditions are changing in the marketing of apples, as in most 

 other lines of commerce. Comparatively few years have passed since 

 it was unusual to keep apples through the winter under refrigeration. 

 The value of a barrel of apples at harvest time in those days was the 

 price it would net if shipped to market and sold. There was no 

 speculative buying, consequently no need of crop estimates. Today 

 nearly all winter apples are either sold to a dealer who speculates 

 on future values, or held by the grower in case his estimate of future 

 worth is higher than the price he is offered at shipping time. This 

 makes it exceedingly important to have at hand the best available 

 information as to the quantity and quality of the crop to be marketed, 

 and the business condition of the country that is later expected to 

 buy and consume the fruit. 



I have developed these details with the hope of emphasizing the 

 importance and value of a real crop estimate, and the dangers that 

 accompany under as well as over estimating. From time to time 

 you will be called upon to contribute to the information on which 

 these estimates are based. I would urge that you make your re- 

 ports as nearly as you can in accordance with the facts and that 

 you bear in mind, always, the ever increasing number of new orchards 

 just beginning to bear. 



Perhaps we cannot use our remaining few moments to better ad- 

 vantage than by calling attention to the great changes that are being 

 made in the harvesting and packing of the apple crop. Not many 

 years ago, and most of you will remember it, the common practice 

 was to pick the apples in great piles in the orchard, piling them on 

 straw to keep them clean and usually covering the apples with corn 

 fodder to prevent sun scalding. 



Next followed the practice of pouring the apples direct from the 

 trees on packing tables and running them into barrels ready for 

 market. This was a great improvement over the former plan for 

 it made less work; it avoided ripening and decay and it put the ap- 

 ples into the barrels clean and fresh as they came from the tree. 

 Still greater changes are now taking place, and each year more and 

 more of the larger growers are building packing houses and are 

 bringing all of their apples together under one roof for the purpose 

 of grading and packing. They find that, including the cost of haul- 

 ing, they can do much cheaper packing, and can do far better work 

 than ever was possible in the orchard. This change has also opened 

 up the possibility of mechanical grading, and not a few growers 

 have installed machines to accurately assort their apples into several 

 uniform sizes for packing. 



