62 Bulletin 85 — General Problems, Etc. 



comes from California and other surrounding states, while consider- 

 able quantities of flour, feed and other staples also come from points 

 outside the State. This condition has been brought about because buy- 

 ers in these towns have learned that they cannot rely upon the Salt 

 River Valley for a dependable supply from season to season. Negotia- 

 tions in the past with Arizona producers and shippers have been rather 

 unsatisfactory and buyers have learned to look elsewhere for their sup- 

 plies. 



Enough has been said to indicate the possibilities which are open 

 to the producers of the Salt River Valley through the expansion of 

 what might be termed the local market. It is probable that double the 

 present quantity of Valley fruits and vegetables would be used in the 

 mining towns of the State if the producer were able to guarantee a 

 reasonably dependable supply and could offer a product which would 

 compare favorably with the output from California and other western 

 districts. At the present time there is a very active market in these 

 mining towns for grain, hay, flour and other staple products of the 

 Valley and it hardly seems probable that this phase of the business is 

 susceptible of as great expansion as is the traffic in more perishable 

 commodities. 



General Problems and Difficulties Strictly speaking, the Salt 

 River Valley is unorganized for agricultural marketing purposes. De- 

 velopment along these lines has been natural and gradual and not the 

 result of any clear, well formulated plans. As a result, the present 

 agricultural marketing plan of the Valley, if we may so dignify un- 

 organized effort, is simply the result of individual enterprise working 

 along strictly individual lines. 



One of the most striking features of agricultural enterprise in 

 the A'alley is the wide range of production. Natural causes have con- 

 cributed toward diversification. The results are exactly what might be 

 expected. There has been little or no community of mterest between 

 producers from the very fact that crop and marketing plans have 

 almost invariably been individual plans and resulting problems have 

 been individual problems. This, of course, has militated against com- 

 munity effort and has caused postponement of co-operative action. 

 The producers in this section are just beginning to realize clearly that 

 there must be community action of some sort if commercial success 

 is to be obtained. For example, while the total acreage in truck crops 

 and deciduous fruits is fairly large, the crop scheme /s so arranged 



