P.D. 123 15 



As occasion arose, extra effort has been made to relieve market conditions. 

 For more satisfactory marketing of the highly perishable native strawberries, 

 in addition to regular news releases, personal contacts were made with house- 

 hold editors of newspapers, home economic department of large retail con- 

 cerns, and the women conducting consumer and homemaker radio periods with 

 requests for special strawberry comments and recipes. Publicity for fish re- 

 tailers and cooking schools, apple blossom festival, poultry shows, and fairs 

 was obtained by similar means. 



General information and specific price and supply data was provided welfare 

 and consuming agencies preparing food budgets, hospital dieticians, and nutri- 

 tionists and other government and private agencies. 



Statistical Information 



Demand for the mimeographed publication "Receipts and Sources of Bos- 

 ton's Food Supply" increases annually. It is a compilation and tabulation of 

 available data on the volume and origin of food stuffs received at Boston. 

 The supplementary short reviews relating to or explaining the trends in 

 amount and sources of products and groups of products are based on study and 

 analysis of past records and information obtained through interviews and ob- 

 servations during regular contact with the market. Requests for the publi- 

 cation represent varied interests including farmers, farm oi-ganizations, mar- 

 ketmen, retail organizations, homemakers, research workers, economists, 

 transportation and food processing concerns, students, welfai-e agencies. "Re- 

 ceipts and Sources of Boston's Food Supply" is used I'epeatedly in connection 

 with department activities, such as fairs, market plans, market investigations, 

 talks, and general publicity. 



Weekly summaries of Boston market receipts of native products and the 

 average prices were prepared by the Farmer's Market Report. 



Commercial Fisheries Promotional Work 



Retail Schools. — Retail Schools were conducted to teach the retailer improved 

 methods of marketing fish and fish products. They Avere held in 19 central 

 cities thi-oughout the state. Invitations to attend these schools were sent to 

 all retailers who handled fish, either whole or part time. There was an attend- 

 ance of over 2100 men. To the men who completed the full course, the Depart- 

 ment awarded a certificate. A retailers' handbook and a list of the 76 com- 

 mercial varieties of fish produced in Massachusetts were distinbuted. The 

 retailers, wholesalers, and the Department feel that these schools were of 

 great benefit to the fish industry, and over 700 certificates were issued. 



Fish Cookiyig Schools. — Starting in November the Department sponsored a 

 program of fish cooking demonstrations. These demonstrations have been held 

 in eight of the leading cities and towns of our Commonwealth, to date. At the 

 schools the women are shown the new and easy ways for preparing fish, told 

 of the nutritive value of fish, and shown pictures of how fish are caught. At 

 the eight schools there was an attendance of over 2,000 women. The Depart- 

 ment has received many favorable comments from the retailers and different 

 women's organizations. We have had requests from some women's clubs to 

 have this demonstration put on for them. The department has also received 

 requests from colleges and high schools for the same demonstration for their 

 students. At the demonstration were distributed two fish cook books and a list 

 of the varieties of fish sold in Massachusetts with their seasons and sugges- 

 tions as to the better way of pi^eparing them. The department is now arrang- 

 ing for a similar demonstration to be put on in all of the high schools teaching 

 home economics. 



Market News. — Daily market news on the retail offerings of fish were col- 

 lected from a representative group of retail stores. These news reports were 

 broadcast over stations WBZ, WHDH, and WEEI. 



Radio Broadcasts. — The program of "Fish Stories" sponsored by this de- 

 partment was broadcast over the N. B. C. network through WBZ and WBZA 

 each Wednesday from 11.00 to 11.15 a.m. Fish cook books wei-e distributed 

 to consumers through this program. Requests for more than 6,000 books have 



