Specific Marketing Problems 47 



markets with discretion, however, and to cease shipping when the 

 CaHfornia crop begins to mature. The mining towns of Arizona and 

 New Mexico always will utilize large quantities of fruit in lug boxes 

 and are not quite so particular as the larger cities with respect to 

 grading and packing. These mining town markets have never been 

 thoroughly utilized by Valley fruit growers because they have not 

 been able to guarantee the buyers in these towns a dependable supply 

 of saleable fruit. As a result buyers have learned to look to other 

 districts for their fruit supply. It probably will be better for the 

 peach growers to confine their shipments rather largely to the mining 

 districts. The large peach crop from the southern states moves to 

 market at about the same time as does that from the Salt River Valley 

 and growers in the latter district will hardly be able to compete with 

 Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. 



Briefly stated, the commercial problem of the deciduous fruit 

 rjrower in the Salt River Valley will be first and foremost to secure 

 a better understanding as to what constitutes good marketable fruit, 

 jt goes without saying that fruit growers will find it necessary to in- 

 form themselves more thoroughly with respect to early thinning of 

 their fruit and proper methods of grading and packing. There should 

 unquestionably be some method of consolidating the output of de- 

 ciduous fruit for carload shipping and to insure a dependable supply 

 10 customers. Provision also must be made for adequate inspection 

 of all fruit. This inspection cannot rest with the individual grower, 

 who has small knowledge of market values. The entire problem is 

 one of co-operative effort and a fruit shippers' association is needed 

 to insure a dependable supply of well graded, well packed and care- 

 fully inspected fruit. The fruit acreage in the Valley is hardly large 

 enough to warrant the creation of a complete co-operative marketing 

 association designed to care for all the commercial interests of the 

 growers. An association, however, for the purpose of co-operative 

 shipping and designed to promote better inspection and better grading 

 methods is entirely feasible and will in a large measure answer the 

 present question of the grower who is blindly looking for a market. 



There are at present about 2,300 acres planted to citrus fruits in 

 the Valley. Individual groves range in size from 5 acres to 75 acres, 

 but, as with the deciduous fruit industry, the individual acreage is 

 relatively small. Oranges are the principal citrus offering, but the 

 success of earlier grapefruit plantings has stimulated later plantings. 

 Most of the oranges are Navels, Jaffas and Valencias. There are. 



