Agricultural Research in New Hampshire 15 



Developing Home and Market Outlets 



Determination of opportunities to more fully utilize and develop 

 local markets for perishables is the objective of this study. Particular 

 attention is being given improved common, cold, and freezer storage as 

 means of making perishables available over a longer season. Demand 

 for such products as strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries \\ill in- 

 crease enormously \\hen it becomes possible to consume them fresh 

 from lockers or boxes every day in the year. Many holders of freezer 

 storage will wish to bu}' additional garden-fresh produce to freeze. Fur- 

 thermore, the locker plants are interested in freezing additional products. 



The amounts and kinds of products being frozen at several plants 

 are being analyzed. At the present time, although meat makes up a large 

 percentage of the whole, increasing interest is shown in fruits and vege- 

 tables. These are products which individuals can fully process. 



The products processed by two freezer locker plants, in 1944, were 



approximately as follows: 



Meats Poultry Vegetables Fruits 



Plant 1 87% 6% 5% 2% 



Plant 2 88% 7% 3% 2% 



In Plant 2, raspberries, peaches and blueberries were, in order, the 

 most important fruits and made up about 80 per cent of all fruits. Peas, 

 corn, and beans were, in order, the most important vegetables and consti- 

 tuted over 80 per cent of all vegetables. Pork made up 56 per cent and 

 beef 30 per cent of all meats and poultry. One-third of all products were 

 processed in November and December and only 5 per cent in August and 

 September. Expansion in freezing of fruits and vegetables will increase 

 the relative amounts processed during these two months. 



Few freezer plants have been able to get needed labor-saving de- 

 vices for processing fruits and vegetables, and few suitable machines are 

 available. At present, either home or plant processing of such fine 

 products as peas results in a product costing all out of proportion to the 

 commercially frozen product. For example, a $375 pea huller with one 

 operator can do about as much work as 40 women. Introduction of la- 

 bor-saving devices will go a long way toward making freezer locker 

 plants indispensable assets to the community. 



L. A. Dougherty 



Income Formulas 



It was proposed to develop certain Index of Income formulas for 

 specialized farms, such as dairy, poultry, and fruit. During the year, the 

 emphasis was placed on dairy farms. It is believed that the general prin- 

 ciples underlying an index formula for dairy farms would apply, with 

 appropriate modifications, to any other type of specialized farm. 



The dairy herds, listed according to counties, were checked with 

 the County Agricultural Agents. A random sample was then taken by 

 the use of random numbers. This method gives every dairy farm in 

 New Hampshire an equal chance with every other dairy farm to be in- 

 cluded in the sample. This sample should be representative of the dairy 

 industry of the state as a whole. 



