-6- 



LOOKIIJG AHE.AD IN THE FRUIT BUSINESS 



Just the other day, or, in fact, early in August, when apples v/ere 

 selling at a pretty good price, someone said, "I suppose Llaine apples are not 

 in yet." He was thinking of the days when Maine raised and shipped many ap- 

 ples into Massachusetts, and eastern Massachusetts vms a very small producer 

 of apples in a commercial way. Times have changed since then, and the Massa- 

 chusetts apple crop is frequently several times that of the Maine crop. 



Back in 1912, there were very few commercial orchards in Massachu- 

 setts. Most of the apples v/ere raised as a part-time, cash crop by men viho 

 had other agricultural interests. In the last thirty or thirty-five years, 

 hov^evor, apple growing has pretty definitely drifted into the hands of pro- 

 fessional or full- tine apple growers. This has probably enhanced the quality 

 and marketability of Massachusetts apples. Massachusetts nov-i produces enough 

 apples to make it an attractive buying location for large apple buyers. That 

 makes it really a better market for all of us. I think the same thing would 

 happen in small fruits if the advantages of quick freeze multiply the length 

 of the selling season so that vastly more people will produce small fruits. 

 It may be possible to grow them in Massachusetts in sufficient volume to at- 

 tract buyers and to develop cooperatively a better technique in growing and 

 selling. I hope that we will never lose our youthful spirit, whether it be 

 small fruite or apples, 



■.Many of us who were worrying along v/ith young trees twenty-five years 

 ago haven't set out many young trees in the last few years. I fear that v/e 

 may be approaching a period of orcharding in Massachusetts when all the trees 

 will be ma-bure trees. That is the condition that occurred in Maine, for in- 

 stanc-e, before the 1934 freeze. They are now rebuilding a good horticultural 

 business there. I hope we continue a moderate planting either of standards 

 or some dwarf trees and continue picking a part of our crop from young trees. 

 No one wants runaway overplanting but we should have an orderly system of 

 young trees coming along. 



Louis A. Vfebster 



Acting Commissioner of Agriculture 



TRAINING IIIEXPERIENCED APPLE PICKERS 



(The following item from Seasonal Fruit Notes by H. A. Rollins, Exten- 

 sion Horticulturist in Connecticut, is quoted here because it is equally appli- 

 cable to Massachusetts conditions.) "The lack of sufficient trained supervisors 

 is present again this year, Dr, Bradt, State Supervisor of the Farm Labor pro- 

 gram in Nev; York State, stated at a recent meeting that growers often say, 'I 

 can't take time to train this green help." A good many fruit growers will have 

 to make use of 'green help' if their apples are harvested this year. Dr, Bradt 

 made it very plain that we cannot just take these inexperienced apple pickers 

 into the orchard and say, '♦Here are the apples, go to iti ' He explained that 

 there were three rather important points for every fruit grovrer to consider in 

 training inexperienced help. Jlis suggestions were: (1) Obtain the confidence 

 of your worker, put him at oise, build up his interest in the job, and get him 

 in the right frame of mind. (2) Present the job to him, tell him v^hat you ex- 

 pect v/ithout giving him too many details, show him what you want done, and re- 

 member it is all new to him. (3) Let him pick apples under your supervision J 

 correct him if necessary and make him do it right; be sure he knows the job J 

 check up on each picker after he has had a little experience. Tell him not to 

 both'-r othnr pickers but go direct to the foreman v;ith any questions." 



