No. 123.] DIVISION OF MARKETS. 49 



obviously valueless. Rapidity of dissemination is an essential 

 to efficient market reporting service, and we feel that dis- 

 semination through the agency of the press has effected some 

 improvement in this direction during the past year. 



Likewise market quotations too general in description or wide 

 in range of price lose their value to the grower who markets his 

 produce carefully. Certain fruits and vegetables have a ten- 

 dency to arrive on our markets classified more or less into 

 grades. For instance, take the case of asparagus. When the 

 appetite for asparagus is good, during the early part of the 

 season, less attempt is made at grading, all sizes and conditions 

 arrive in the same package, and one price is usually quoted. 

 Then as the season advances, the supply increases and the mar- 

 ket becomes settled, the consumer's taste becomes more critical, 

 and in order to meet this demand an attempt at grading is 

 made, more or less successfully. During this period of heavy 

 supply there may be a w^ide spread in price, owing to the fact 

 that poor and good, graded and ungraded, carefully packed and 

 poorly packed, are all contained in the same range of price. 

 A quotation stating such a spread would be of little or no 

 value to the farmer, whereas a classification of these commod- 

 ities as to quality, size and condition, and a description of this 

 classification, with prices quoted for each item, ought to convey 

 to the careful marketer a more accurate indication of market 

 conditions. Some system of this character we hope to put into 

 effect within the coming year. 



Compilation of Crop Data and Market News. 



Data relative to the source of supply of Massachusetts fruit 

 and vegetable markets have been gathered during the past 

 year, and the information prepared on our maps for the pre- 

 ceding year has been brought up to date. Some of this in- 

 formation has been published and distributed to those receiv- 

 ing our price reports. Furthermore, these maps, showing the 

 source of supply of Massachusetts markets, are kept up to date 

 by the addition of information obtained from trade or official 

 publications about growing conditions, acreage, production and 

 other important facts affecting the crop situation. 



