198 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 243 



if not wliolly, Jewish. Several of the retailers reported all their customers to 

 be Jews. Some said that while their patronage is mixed as to nationality, 

 tlie Mcintosh apples which they handle are bought mostly by their Jewish 

 customers. This bears out the statement often heard that Mcintosh are 

 bought in New York almost wholly by Jewish people. It is apparent that 

 there is some ground for its nickname, "the Jew apple." 



Tiie popularity of this variety is further attested by the statements of the 

 47 retailers as to the ratio of Mcintosh to the total volume handled yearly. 

 Of the 46 who give details, five state that Mcintosh comprise not more than 

 one-fourth of their total voluine of apples; 17 report between 25 and 40 per 

 cent; 10 believe that between 40 and 50 per cent of their total sales of apples 

 are Mcintosh; five that from 55 to 75 per cent are of this variety; while nine 

 say Mcintosh comprise more than 75 per cent of the apples they sell. Two 

 of this number say they handle no other variety. 



Since tliese figures were estimates, it is possible that tiiey are somewhat 

 higli, although there is no other reason for discounting them, as most of the 

 dealers expressed great enthusiasm for the variety. It is undoubtedly safe 

 to say that of 48,000 bushels of apples handled yearly liy tlie 46 dealers re- 

 porting, 35 to 40 per cent are Mcintosh. 



The comments and suggestions of those handling these apples are of in- 

 terest. Thirty-one prefer tiie Mcintosh shipped in the fall to those that have 

 been kept in storage till Feljruary. Some say the apples are not of as good 

 flavor after they are held in storage, but the complaint is general that those 

 shipped from storage in February do not keep as well. One dealer says he 

 prefers those received late in the season, as he can make a better profit on 

 them. Six report that they see no difference between Mcintosh received in 

 the fall and those received in February or March. It was a rather general 

 complaint that this lot had been priced too high and therefore did not sell as 

 rapidly as Mcintosh usually do. 



Some of tiie dealers expressed no preference as to the container, and opin- 

 ions differed widely among those who had preferences. Some prefer boxes; 

 some prefer barrels; one prefers cartons such as are used by some of the 

 growers in the Hudson Valley area.- Some of the dealers who tliemselves 

 prefer boxes said that their customers believe the best apples are packed in 

 barrels, so apples bought in boxes are sometimes repacked in barrels so that 

 the customers will think they are barreled apples. This practice was, how- 

 ever, virtuously condemned as "dishonest". 



Some prefer boxes i)ecause apples "keep better" than if packed in barrels, 

 while otliers believe just the opposite. One says his customers think apples 



1 The Nashoba Apple Packing Association packed apples in the Westera box for the 

 first time in 1927-28. This accounts for the fact that the count is used in this por- 

 tion of the study, whereas the prices in the discussion of size and premiums are for 

 sizes. For convenience, there is given below a table of comparative sizes and counts: 



"•' These cartons held fewer apples than a box, but contain fillers similar to those 

 used in egg crates. 



