120 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [P. D. 4. 



ators of Florida strawberries which had arrived on that market, 

 and the produce handlers told me that 20 refrigerators would 

 have been an ample supply. I went down along the market and 

 saw refrigerators piled up there of the most beautiful strawber- 

 ries Florida ever produced, an excellent quality. The whole- 

 sale price had been 40 and 45 cents a day or two previous, and 

 they were having great difficulty in getting rid of those straw- 

 berries at 15 and 20 cents a quart on that day. I bought two 

 quarts of them, and I believe that's the first time I've ever 

 eaten strawberries in January that I can remember. 



A Member. Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask the gentle- 

 man one more question. In the Weather Bureau we have a 

 weather forecaster or forecast agent. Now, I would like to 

 know if, from a study of this data you have secured, there is 

 any possibility of developing a forecast of the demand for these 

 different markets? [Laughter.] 



Mr. Gilbert. The answer to that question I think would be 

 that if we attempted any such thing, either in governmental 

 circles or in any State Department of Agriculture, we would 

 probably be just about as unpopular as the weather man. 



A Member. Is it possible, though, to arrive at a certain 

 conclusion as to the normal consumption, from which you can 

 eventually expect some prediction? 



Mr. Gilbert. That is something upon which the office is 

 conducting an investigation at the present time, and it will 

 probably be some time before they will be able to arrive at any 

 general conclusion. In that connection I wish to say that the 

 office is studying the number of loads of perishable commodities 

 in all of the markets, to determine, if possible, what each mar- 

 ket will be able normally to consume at reasonable prices. In 

 connection with the cantaloupe market in the Imperial valley, 

 the office attempted to determine what was the normal consum- 

 ing capacity of the principal markets of the country, gathering 

 its information from every possible angle and from every one 

 who had any knowledge of the subject at ail, and they charted 

 out a tentative list of figures. Then the cantaloupe distributors 

 of the Imperial valley were advised from day to day, and that 

 was posted, and the cantaloupe distributors could gauge them- 

 selves so as not to overload any one market. Now, work along 



