330 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 260 



Boston market in April and August to supplement November data, as 

 quality factors do not have the same relation to price at different seasons 

 of the year. Price factors as determined in the study have been used In 

 forecasting the price of eggs throughout the year. 



Wholesale price quotations on the Boston market form the basic 

 material for the study. The trend of egg prices since 1904 has been 

 upward to 1916 and sharply upward to 1920. Since 1920 the trend has 

 been downward, declining more abruptly after 1925. Although consumer's 

 purchasing power has been increasing since 1920, the increasing receipts 

 have been such as to cause a decrease in the corrected prices to a point 

 below the price in the period ending 1916. 



The seasonal movement shows a definite change since 1920. The period 

 of high prices in the fall occurs earlier, and the decline from the high 

 period to the low point of prices is more rapid than formerly. 



Prices are determined by the operation of a number of factors. The 

 importance of the various factors changes during different periods of the 

 year. From April to November, during the period of rising prices, demand 

 factors have a greater influence in price determination than supply factors. 

 In the same way, during the period of falling prices from the third week 

 in November to early in April, the supply factors are dominant. 



The Study of Competitive Factors Influencing the Supply of Market 

 Milk and Cream in Massachusetts. (A. E. Cance). Very little has been 

 done on this project during the year owing to lack of time. During the 

 j'ear 1930 it is hoped to make a study of the demand for special milk in 

 certain cities and towns in Massachusetts and to make a survey of the 

 clianges in the local supply areas, with a view to a better understanding 

 of the effect of prices and demand on local milk production in Massachu- 

 setts. 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING 

 C. I. Gunness in Charge 



Investigation of Apple Storages. (C. I. Gunness). The purpose of this 

 investigation is to determine what is a satisfactory and economical storage 

 house for Mcintosh apples. A study of weather data and soil tempera- 

 tures indicates that a common storage without artificial cooling can not 

 be depended upon to provide sufficiently low temperatures to give proper 

 storage for an early variety of apple like the Mcintosh. The use of ice 

 in cooling an insulated storage has been found to reduce the temperature 

 about 10° when fans are used to circulate air over the ice. It is quite 

 evident, however, that under present labor conditions it is not practical 

 to use ice for artificial cooling in competition with mechanical refrigera- 

 tion. During the present season an investigation is being carried on in 

 cooperation with the Department of Pomology on the maximum tempera- 

 ture at which apples can be stored satisfactorily. Three lots of apples 

 were stored at 4.5°, 40°, and 32° from picking time until December 1. 

 The apples were then all placed in the 32° room for the balance of the 

 season. No results are available as yet. Another phase of the investiga- 

 tion deals with the efficiency of different floor materials as insulators. 



