HORTICULTURE A GREAT GREEN CARPET 437 



a very good one with which to pull. The movement of the chain begins when 

 Mrs. Housewife buys something in the retail store. The pull is then felt clear 

 back to the producer. 



It has been found that the American diet has shifted remarkably in 40 

 years. The per capita caloric intake has declined from 3,500 to 3,200, ex- 

 pressed largely in reduction in consumption of potatoes by nearly a half, and 

 cereals by nearly a third. On the other hand, there has been an improve- 

 ment in the use of the so-called protective foods. Yellow, green, and leafy 

 vegetables have increased about one-third. Fruits have increased about 14 

 per cent. Milk and dairy products have increased a third, and eggs have 

 increased nearly as much. 



Further, within the family of horticultural products there has been some 

 shifting. The per capita consumption of apples was approximately 60 pounds 

 40 years ago, and it is now about 26 pounds. On the other hand, citrus has 

 increased from 16 pounds to 50 pounds. Interestingly enough and to the 

 surprise of American fruit growers, the per capita consumption of water- 

 melons is the same as for apples — 26 pounds. The consumption of lettuce is 

 21 pounds, of celery 12 pounds, of tomatoes 30 pounds. 



Another change has been the increase in processing of horticultural prod- 

 ucts. More than half of all the vegetables and more than half of all the fruits 

 produced in America are now processed in one way or another. Frozen foods, 

 fruit juices, and prepared baby foods have increased tremendously in amount. 

 In fact, the quantity of so-called "baby foods" is equivalent to 36 pounds per 

 year for all children under three years of age! Over 60 per cent of the retail 

 stores in the major cities are now equipped with frozen-food cabinets. 



Still another study reveals that on the average for the nation, only 25 to 

 30 cents of the consumer's dollar ever reaches the fruit grower, the other 70 

 to 75 cents being spent for handling, packaging, transportation, and selling. 

 And finally, it has been shown that families of high income purchase sub- 

 stantially more fruits and vegetables per capita than families of low income. 



It is small wonder that when these facts have been brought to the atten- 

 tion of the fruit grower, some radical changes have been made in his thinking. 

 It means that the fruit grower has interested himself in carrying on some 

 of the marketing operations, which have been so remunerative, such as pre- 

 packaging, cold-storage operations, and merchandising, and that he is inter- 

 ested in producing a product which will compete successfully with other lines 

 which have high market acceptability. 



Obviously, many marketing problems originate in the field. The first con- 

 sideration in this respect is an orderly supply of quality fruit. Many of the 

 orchard practices that have been discussed are a result of this competitive 

 pressure, particularly efficient insect and disease control, supplemental irriga- 

 tion, blossom thinning, and foliar application of nutrients. 



The second consideration is the delivery of a quality product to the con- 



