STATION BULLETIN 347 



PERCENT 

 100 



I before jpiN- \ 



FEBRUARY 



large number of retail stores had 

 Mcintosh apples as late as March 

 and early April, especially where 

 good local service was rendered di- 

 rect from cold storage. Data pre- 

 sented in Fig. 1 show that in both 

 periods more chain stores handled 

 Mcintosh apples than did independ- 

 ent stores, but many chains also 

 handled other varieties, including 

 western Delicious and Winesaps. 

 (See Appendix, Table I, for com- 

 plete data. ) 



By questioning managers of 

 some 300 stores through the 1940-41 

 season it was found that about half 

 of the retail stores were buying their 

 Mcintosh apples in their own coun- 

 ties, while over one-third were buy- 

 ing them outside the state. Stores 

 in the northern counties must, of course, obtain part of their apples 

 either from out of the state or from southern and central New Hamp- 

 shire, but stores in the central and southern counties can buy locally 

 in most cases if they choose to do so. However, some of our large 

 commercial growers make no particular effort to supply local stores 

 (Table II, Appendix). Chain stores were buying a much larger per- 

 centage outside the state (through their warehouses in such cities as 

 Portland and Boston) than were independents. Almost twice as 

 many stores bought Mcintosh apples from local sources before Jan- 

 uary 1 as bought them locally later in the season. (See Fig. 3.) Grow- 

 ers could obtain more of this local business after the first of the year if 

 they would give service direct from their cold storages to their own 

 communities. Many inde- 



PERC 



CHNN FRUIT INbEP. OTHER 



Fig. 1. Percentage of Each Type 

 of Store Handling McIntosh 

 Apples during November 15 to De- 

 cember 31, 1940 AND DURING FEB- 

 RUARY, 1941 



pendent stores bought ap- 

 ples from local farmers until 

 they could no longer obtain 

 a satisfactory supply, at 

 which time they bought 

 from the wholesalers who 

 supplied them with apples 

 shipped in either from out of 

 the state or from nearbv 

 farmers. Fruit stores han- 

 dled a good many local ap- 

 ples early in the season. 

 Many also handled apples 

 delivered by fruit whole- 

 salers obtained from both 

 western and nearby sources. 

 Chain stores varied greatly 

 in their practices. One large 



100 



50 



O 



MftCS BM.DVIINS DtUClOUS CORTLAND OTHER 



Fig. 1. Percentages of Stores Handling 

 Different Varieties of Apples during No- 

 vember 15 to December 31, 1940 and during 

 February, 1941 



