THE MARKET FOR MASSACHUSETTS APPLES 



11 



Most wholesalers who handle apples of specific brands reported that 

 they buy, not according to the brand, but according to the condition and 

 price of each lot purchased. 



Container 



Apples handled by retailers are commonly bought in barrels, boxes, 

 bushel baskets and 14-quart baskets. 



Table 8. — Percentage of Retailers Handling Apples in Each 

 Type of Container 



A total of nearly 28 per cent of those reporting handle more or less 

 barreled stock. Nearly four in every five retailers sell boxed apples, 

 while but two per cent deal only in apples packed in baskets; these are 

 dealers in Springfield and Worcester. In some markets, particularly in the 

 southeastern part of the state, bushel baskets are common. The 14-quart 

 baskets and smaller sizes, ranging to the 2-quart basket, are in general use 

 at roadside stands. 



Several enterprising growers of the state have in recent years packed 

 considerable quantities of their best apples, usually Mcintosh, in boxes 

 holding a dozen. Some of these have been sold at roadside stands during 

 the fall, some at retail stores, and some have been placed in cold storage 

 and kept till late in the winter or early spring. These have been popular 

 in those markets where offered. 



It is evident that the preference for boxed apples is growing and 

 that this preference is moving westward in the state. Boston, Lowell 

 and Worcester already show an overwhelming demand for boxed fruit. 

 New Bedford and Brockton still show a preference for barrels, but not so 

 definitely as does Springfield. 



Variety Preferences 



Each of the 64 wholesalers reporting sells both fall and winter apples, 

 but only 40 report the handling of summer varieties. Consumers report 

 a decided preference for the Mcintosh as an eating apple, 40 per cent liking 

 this apple better than others. The Baldwin is second choice, more than 

 25 per cent naming this variety as their choice for eating. Other varieties, 

 the Fameuse, Northern Spy, Roxbury Russet, Gravenstein come next in 

 order, with 13 per cent dividing their choice among other scattered vari- 

 eties. 



