46 BULLETIX 85 



on these shipments were also satisfactory. One large shipper, who pur- 

 chased the entire output of several orchards on the trees, placed a 

 number of express shipments of apricots on the Texas markets and 

 realized from $1.35 to $1.75 per 25-pound box f. o. b. Phoenix. In 

 general, sales outside of the Valley were very satisfactory, returning 

 from 3 cents to 7 cents per pound to Valley growers, as against the 

 local market of i cent to 2 cents. However, practically all of the fruit 

 shipped from the Valley was selected and graded stock and hence 

 possessed a greater intrinsic value than the large quantity of mediocre 

 fruit which was sold locally for prices which hardly paid expenses. 



Total shipments of peaches and apricots by freight and express in 

 1917 were equivalent to approximately 12 carloads. While only a 

 relatively small part of the fruit crop of 191 7 was good marketable 

 stock, nevertheless at least twice as much could have been sold outside 

 of the Valley had the growers been in a position to consolidate their 

 output and assure prospective customers of a reasonably dependable 

 supply. With but few exceptions the growers do not know how to 

 grade and pack their fruit for market. This indictment is not intended 

 to be a sweeping one, as there are several growers who have in the 

 past shipped some excellent fruit. These exceptions, however, merely 

 indicate the possibilities open to the fruit growers of this section and 

 emphasize the lack of knowledge w^hich prevails among the growers 

 in general. At the present time there are no grades and standards 

 which apply to deciduous fruits in the Valley. 



Peaches and apricots are merely shipped as such and the buyer 

 has not even a tentative grading system to safeguard him on his pur- 

 chases. In general, two types of package are used for shipment out- 

 side of the Valley. The ordinary lug box common to all fruit districts 

 in the West is used extensively for shipment to mining towns and even 

 as far as El Paso. Careful hand packing is unnecessary when these 

 boxes are used if reasonable care is used in the selection of the fruit 

 which goes into them. They constitute a cheap and satisfactory pack- 

 age for shipments which do not have to go more than 500 or 600 miles. 

 Large southwestern cities, such as Dallas. New Orleans, San Antonio 

 and Houston, prefer the western fruit box with the fruit packed in 

 splint baskets and arranged in tiers. It is more expensive to put up a 

 pack of this nature, but if the fruit is of good carrying quality and 

 reasonably free from defects, it will find a ready and profitable sale. 

 Los Angeles and other Pacific coast cities are reasonably good mar- 

 kets for early offerings of apricots. It is necessary to utilize these 



