CHAPTER VIII 



FRUIT MARKETS 



Location of Markets. It has been only in the more 

 recent years that the general fruit-grower or orchardist 

 has taken any interest in the selling of his fruit products. 

 The old custom was to grow the fruit the best he could 

 and then turn it over to some other agency to dispose 

 of. If buyers did not appear when the crop was ready, 

 the only alternative was to send the fruit to some com- 

 mission man and then trust to luck for results. The 

 present tendency is for the grower to take an active 

 interest in the disposition of the fruit, and in many 

 cases do the actual selling himself. 



At present there are three well-defined channels 

 through which the fruit passes to the consumer. These 

 may be defined as the "home market," the city market 

 and the foreign market. The home market is the town, 

 city or village within a few miles of the place of produc- 

 tion, where deliveries may be made direct by the grower. 

 The city markets call for the transporting of fruit by 

 rail or water and constitute, by far, the most important 

 outlet. Probably 75% of the fruit actually sold is 

 consumed in the city markets. 



The foreign markets are those in other countries be- 

 sides the United States. Even our neighbor, the Do- 

 minion of Canada, where fruit is shipped across the line 



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