6 University of New Hampshire [Sta. Bui. 330 



fast-vanishing natural resources in soils and vegetation. Recently 

 directors have recognized and considered criticism to the effect that 

 not enough funds have been allocated to marketing research. There 

 have been some legitimate explanations, following honest efforts to 

 accomplish more in this line. Marketing of agricultural products is 

 often an involved and complicated problem. It does not end within 

 the farmer's jurisdiction. Doubtless some matters to be corrected 

 may be beyond the province of the farmer. It is easy to recognize 

 and prove that inefficient marketing is practiced when several milk 

 wagons peddle milk at the same apartment house every morning in 

 the year. It is quite another matter to correct. Present indications 

 are that the solution of such an apparently simple condition may 

 have to await the naming of milk as a public utility. Again, the pub- 

 lic is likely to overlook an enormous amount of the research work 

 aimed toward better marketing because it is not labelled "market- 

 ing." For example, there is the matter of quality : color of apples, 

 proper storage of fruit, flavor of practically every edible farm prod- 

 uct, sprays to keep fruit on the tree for adequate maturity, feeding 

 of hens to improve the appearance of egg yolks as well as the flavor, 

 equipment and practices that insure desirable color and flavor in the 

 production of maple syrup. These are definitely marketing research 

 problems from the standpoint of every director. They are organized 

 and developed specifically for that purpose. During recent years, 

 generous funds have been allocated to just such lines of research. 

 Again, we must not lose sight of the fact that there are contin- 

 uous production problems to be checked and watched. The fertilizer 

 industry has been revolutionized in the past generation. Without 

 research, permanent injury from these new products might result 

 from toxic accumulations in the soil that for a time would go un- 

 noticed. New diseases or insects, at least in the sense of new dis- 

 tributions or new environmental factors, could wipe out all possibili- 

 ties of growing a crop. Examples of significance are the European 

 corn borer, the gypsy moth, and chestnut blight. In fact, with all 

 our vigilance and ability, the chestnut has not been saved, even 

 though some success is now evident in replacing it by means of im- 

 ported rootstocks. 



For the second time, the world is involved in mortal conflict. 

 Again we sow the seeds of a great economic depression. Such far- 

 reaching disturbances must entail price changes, labor problems, 

 and competition for services everywhere. In the unavoidable after- 

 math, agriculture is certain to suffer disproportionally, particularly in 

 any price-level adjustment — and all because of definite characteris- 

 tics associated with the fact of its being inherently and inescapably 

 a primary and genetic enterprise. That directors of agricultural re- 

 search may immediately be called upon to revise projects in favor 

 of preparedness investigations incident to war needs is not foreign 

 to our thinking, nor is there opposition, nor even hesitation, to such 

 a program if it lies in the path of greatest service to the farmers. We 

 appreciate that there is no end of fundamental research in agriculture 

 that shall accrue to the world's advantage, and that no small amount 



