14 P.D. 123 



Market News Service 



Reports on Farmers' Produce Markets in Boston, Worcester, and Springfield 

 have been continued daily throughout the year. 



A Special Apple Market Report has been issued regularly during the apple season. 

 Extra reports were published during the height of the apple movement in order to 

 keep growers in timely touch with market developments. An important addition 

 was made to this service during the past year in the form of monthly reports on 

 cold storage holdings of apples in country towns. Heretofore the cold storage 

 information has been confined to the large city warehouses. The rapid growth 

 of country cold storage facilities, however, has placed this phase of the industry in 

 a highly important position, resulting in a need for timely information as to the 

 volume of apples stored outside of the large city markets. This need has been met 

 by a monthly publication of reports from country points. 



Retaiu Market Reports 

 The Boston Retail Price Report has been issued regularly the first Tuesday of 

 each month. The report, headed by a market news paragraph directing attention 

 to native products available in market and particularly plentiful or low priced 

 products, gives the range of commonly prevailing retail prices on fruits, vegetables, 

 meats, fish and dairy products. Besides use in statistical studies, the report is 

 used by homemakers and others buying on a retail basis, and during the past few 

 years has been used increasingly by welfare agencies })reparing menu and budget 

 guides. During the year the division took active part in outlining weekly market 

 budgets and menus on a graduated cost basis. 



Shipping Point Inspection 



Shipping point inspection of apples during the year has established a new record 

 both as to amounts of apples inspected and scope of activity. This service which 

 has been in operation for three years has heretofore been confined practically en- 

 tirely to the inspection and certification of apples intended for shipment to export 

 markets. This year, however, there has been an increasing demand for the use of 

 inspection and certification of apples shipped to domestic markets from New York 

 and large middle western cities. 



Approximately 70,000 bushels of apples were inspected. Fees collected for the 

 certificates and paid into the state treasury totalled about $850. 



This shipping point inspection service is carried on under a cooperative agreement 

 with the United States Department of Agriculture. In addition to apples, a small 

 number of inspections were also made on pears, with service available on onions 

 and potatoes, but there is only a nominal demand for use on these latter commodities 

 this season. 



Strawberries 



The strawberry inspection service at Falmouth carried on at the request of and 

 under an agreement with the Falmouth Strawberry Growers' Cooperative Associa- 

 tion was continued during the past year. Approximately 20,000 crates were 

 inspected. 



The cooperative movement among Falmouth strawberry growers is showing 

 gratifying progress. The two active farmers' associations in that section have 

 recently combined under one organization which will bring into the new association 

 more than half the growers on the Cape and which is expected to result in an in- 

 crease of more than 100 per cent in the output of graded and inspected strawberries. 



Apple Grading Law 

 Regular inspection work was carried on throughout the season at city markets, 

 leading shipping points, and in cold storage warehouses. The past season's experi- 

 ence has given further evidence of proof that the revisions of the law as promul- 

 gated in 1931 are meeting the requirements of the industry. 



Apple Maggot 

 Apple maggot control during the last year centered largely around the develop- 

 ment of maggot free areas in several of the important apple producing sections. 



