BETTER FRUIT 



AN ILLUSTRATED MAGAZINE PUBLISHED MONTHLY IN THE INTEREST OF MODERN, PROGRESSIVE FRUIT GROWING AND MARKETING 



The Influence of Supply on Prices 



r.hancv, CuiKriil MniiaRer American ('.ranlii 



Mi^ 



t'xpcMicnce has been confined 

 largely to the niarketins and dis- 

 tribution of fresh fruits, and to 

 these 1 shall apply my subject. The 

 price of foods that are considered 

 prime necessities, such as grain, pota- 

 toes, meat, eggs, butter, etc., I believe 

 to be less easih influenced by the 

 supply, and much less by the weather, 

 than of fresh fruits that are considered 

 luxuries, such as strawberries, peaches, 

 pineapples, cranberries, apples, grape- 

 fruit, oranges, etc. We must concede 

 that the market price of any article is 

 determined b,\ the law of supply and 

 demand. The demand, I believe, affects 

 the price on fresh fruits more (luickly 

 than the supply. Then let us first dis- 

 cuss what influences the demand. 



The demand for fresh fruits is in- 

 fluenced by weather conditions, (piality 

 and appearance, packing, container, 

 advertising, stability of market and the 

 price. The weather is often a greater 

 factor than the pi-ice in creating or 

 retarding the demand to an abnormal 

 degree. For example, lemons, can- 

 taloupes, strawberries, etc., are in 

 greater demand when the weather is 

 hot; whereas ai)ples, cranberries, sweet 

 potatoes, cabbage, etc., enjoy the 

 greatest demand in cool weather. Ask 

 almost any market expert to hazard an 

 opinion as to the probable market price 

 of fresh fruits even ;is much as one 

 week ahead, and he usually prefaces 

 his answer by providing for weather 

 conditions. The L'nited .States Weather 

 Bureau is of invaluable assistance to 

 marketing men by the issuing of de- 

 pendable weather predictions a few 

 days in advance. I am sure it is the 

 wish of all fruitmen that the time is 

 not far distant when the Weather 

 Hureau will be able to give us reliable 

 l)redictions two weeks in advance. In 

 determining the projjcr price for future 

 deliveries normal weather conditions 

 only should be considered. 



The (lualily and appearance of fresh 

 fruit more easil\- influences the desire 

 of the consumer than the price. Tlie 

 desire seenis Ir) be more easih crealeil 

 by sight than by taste. Quality and 

 Ijacking of fi'esh fruit is of such \m- 

 Ijortance thai proper standards of 

 (lualify or grading of all vaiieties of 

 fruit and jjroduce should be established, 

 either by the goveiiiment or b\ grow- 

 ers' or trade (uganizations. I'loducers 

 everywhere should be educated to the 

 supreme iniporlance of (|uality and 

 appearance. I'"ruit should be picked in 

 prime condition, and it should be 

 stored and packed so that it will reach 

 the consumer while it is attractive and 

 sound. 



rry F-xchange, Ni'W Ynrk. In-fnie TweUtli .\nmial 



Good packing influences the demand 

 decidedly. The highest ciualitv of fruit 

 often has a lai-ge per cent of its value 

 wasted by careless, improper packing, 

 even though packed in proper ijack- 

 ages. Much of the trouble is caused 

 by lack of knowledge of how to pack 

 properly. i:specially is tliis true 

 among the small grow-ers. Much of it 

 is caused by growers' inability to 

 secui'e experienced, trained packers. 

 This is especially true in new pro- 

 ducing districts. Some of the poor 

 packing is caused by the lack of appre- 

 ciation of the i)roducer as to its im- 

 portance, and couiiled with this is his 

 desiie to pack cheaply, and such an 

 ofl"ender usually disregards advice until 

 he has tried out all markets and various 

 sales agents in an effort to get full 

 price for cheaper packing. To some 

 degree every shipment of poorh- 

 packed fruit reduces the value of all 

 receipts of similar fruit in the market 

 that it reaches. 



The container should be such as will 

 best insure the safe transportation of 

 ils contents, be of convenient size, and 

 be neat and clean in apjiearance, anil 

 when opened it should so display its 

 contents as to attract the consumer's 

 attention. The necessity of national 

 standardization of containers is con- 

 stantly growing in importance. Stand- 

 ards of measure greatly vary in dilfer- 

 ent states and conununities. Ship- 

 ments of the same conunodify max 

 reach a market like New York City on 

 the same day from many different 

 states, packed in almost as many differ- 

 ent styles or sizes of containers, accord- 

 ing to the custom or state law. Under 

 such chaotic conditions proper prices 

 can hardly be detei'mined and unneces- 

 sary annoyance and waste of values is 

 the natural result. The last t'. .S. 

 Congress, influenced 1)\ the urgent 

 solicitation of the l'nited Slates Bureau 

 of Weights and Measures and various 

 growers' and trade associations, en- 

 acted a national mandatory barrel law, 

 giving us a standard barrel of all fruits 

 and vegetables. 1 trust this is the fore- 

 runner of a national standard container 

 for all fresh frnils. 



The advertising feature allVcling de- 

 mand is of more importance Ihan many 

 producers and dealers ai)preciate. The 

 seasons for some of our ver\ besi fruils 

 are short and often they are half over 

 before a large pait of the consuming 

 public knows or I'ealizes what fruits 

 are "in season." .\ great man\- relail 

 dealers fail to buy or disjjlay a variet\- 

 of fruit until they begin to have call 

 for if from the consumer. Oflen this 

 is the sole cause of slack demand and 



Meeting ol' \\'estern I'l-uil .I<)I>l)ei-s' Association. 



abnormally low prices during the first 

 part of the season. By advertising at 

 the proper time in ways that will 

 attract the notice of retailers and 

 consumers, the demand is greatly in- 

 creased. 



The stability of market, when pos- 

 sible to secure it, I believe, goes farther 

 toward encouraging the jobber and 

 retailer t<i ]nish sales and take special 

 interest in a fresh product than any- 

 thing efse. It is my observation that 

 the consumption of fresh fruit, per- 

 haps more than anything else, in- 

 creases according to the degree the 

 sale is pushed. The rapidly-increasing 

 crops of fruits make it imperative that 

 a demand be created that is far beyond 

 the natural call. There is a vast differ- 

 ence between the sale of fruit which 

 the dealer simply has for sale for those 

 who come to intiuire for it than there 

 is for the fruit which the jobbers must 

 dispose of by sending out salesmen to 

 solicit orders from retailers, because, 

 in addition, the salesman should inform 

 the retailer as to what is in the market 

 and what is due to arrive soon, and 

 enthuse the retailer, in turn, to solicit 

 the consumers' consideration. 



The jobber and retailer are the nat- 

 ural acting salesmen for the producer, 

 and on these salesmen's efforts the 

 growers' interest depends. They are 

 the necessary connecting links between 

 the producer and consmner. The in- 

 terest they take in ijushing the sale of 

 fresh fruits is naturally influenced by 

 the certainty of their reimmeiation. 

 The smallest liability to loss and the 

 greatest certainty of a moderate profit 

 interest them more (piickh and cer- 

 tainly than the possibilit> of large 

 profits, coupled with the danger of 

 serious losses. The>' are .somewhat 

 like a certain United States congress- 

 man who bad been a leailing attorney 

 in bis home district. .\ friend asked 

 him how he could afford to give up his 

 law practice for a congressman's salary, 

 fie answered: "The salarx is almighty 

 regular." Dealers are often severely 

 criticised for charging seemingly ex- 

 orl)it;int prolils on fresh fruits. The 

 fri'(|uency of violenllv fluctuating val- 

 ues and heavy shrinkages causing such 

 a large pel' ceni of loss, make margins 

 which appear inu'easonable necessar,\. 

 Large corp<iiations or organizations 

 an(t close co-operation among both 

 growers and jobbers in order to regu- 

 late the siippl\ and distiibution so that 

 all fresh fruit an(f produce mav reach 

 the consumer while in prime, jjalatable 

 and attraclive condition (giving the 

 consunier Irtie value instead of wasty, 

 (leca\e(l and unsatisfactory food) 



