MARKETING SMALL FRUITS 127 



WHAT CAN SMALL FRUIT GROWERS DO TO 

 IMPROVE MARKET CONDITIONS? 



By J. C. EDDY 



THAT conditions last season were very discouraging to 

 small fruit growers, especially to growers of straw- 

 berries in Connecticut, is a fact well known to all 

 who had anything to do with marketing. To overcome these 

 conditions, in a measure, is a necessity, if we are to continue 

 in the business and receive an}' profit or even fair returns 

 for the skill and labor required. 



There were several causes for the very low prices that 

 prevailed last season ; some of these have been in opera- 

 tion for several seasons, tending more and more to lower 

 prices. One of the most important of these has been the 

 large and increasing shipments of berries from the south. 

 The growers there, judging from the good condition in 

 which their fruit reaches our markets, have almost reached 

 perfection in fruit handling and shipping. A great quan- 

 tity of berries from North and South Carolina were sent to 

 the Hartford markets, last year, in refrigerator crates. 

 These are strong crates, holding 64 to 80 quarts of berries 

 each. They have a galvanized iron pan containing ice, 

 over the berries, and as, at that season of the year, the ber- 

 ries come from a warm climate into a cooler one, they reach 

 our markets in almost perfect condition, looking nearly as 

 well as our home-grown berries do when brought only a few 

 miles in hot, moist weather. 



These shipments begin to come from Florida in Feb- 

 ruary, and are followed up from points further north week 

 after week, until our native berries ripen ; consequently, 

 not only is the profitable sharp edge taken off prices for 

 our first pickings, but, after three or four months of straw- 

 berries, people are beginning to tire of them, so that the 

 fruit has to be very attractive and cheap to tempt them 

 into buying. I have no doubt that mauy of the southern 

 growers have shipped at a loss, or, at least, have had to 

 take lower net prices than we have, but that does not make 

 us resigned to our lot. 



