CONSUMER DEMAND FOR APPLES 63 



Queries among dealers and buyers for eating houses in Springfield in- 

 dicate that the preferences as to size in that market are practically the 

 same as are shown by Nashoha prices. The demand is apparently tending 

 toward the larger sizes. 



Housewives' Preferences 



From 1400 ciuestionnaires answered by approximately 600 housewives 

 in Massachusetts, 600 in Connecticut and 200 in Rhode Island, some in- 

 teresting information as to buying habits and preferences of consumers 

 of apples has been gathered. 



One question pertained to the sources from which apples are pur- 

 chased. While volumes purchased from the different sources are not 

 known, it was learned that practically one-fourth of the households from 

 which reports were secured buy all or part of their supply of apples 

 directly from the grower. As might be expected, purchases from growers 

 are more common in Massachusetts and Connecticut than in Rhode Island, 

 where there is less opportunity for such purchases, population being more 

 concentrated and orchards proportionally fewer. One-fourth also buy 

 from the general markets in their communities; 16 per cent buy more or 

 less from chain stores; and 15 per cent buy some fruit from fruit stands, 

 although the number of those who name the fruit stand as first choice of 

 place to buy is small; 12 per cent patronize roadside stands and 6 per 

 cent buy from peddlers who sell from house to house. 



A tabulation of the sources from wliich consumers of tlie three states 

 buj' apples is given below. 



Table 8. — Sources of Purchases. 



Total 

 Choices Times 



* In Connecticut only. 



\'arieties Preferred 



The variety preferences differ somewliat in the tliree states. Connecti- 

 cut gives first place to the Baldwin as an eating apple, this variety having 

 166 votes, while the Mcintosh — easily first in the group of states — receives 

 but 149 votes for first place in Connecticut. The Gravenstein, which is 

 poi)ular in its season in Massachusetts, being mentioned as a desirable 

 eating apple 52 times, is mentioned only 5 times in Connecticut where 

 nobody names it as first choice. 



It is evident that, in the whole section, more people prefer the Mcintosh 

 for eating raw than any other variety, (^f 1120 first choices of eating 

 a]ii)les, 43 per cent are for the Mcintosh. Of 3887 choices for all uses, 



