128 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



Another important factor in making low prices is the 

 large increase in the last few years of small growers all 

 over the state. These growers, with from one-fourth of an 

 acre up, having been able to dispose of the surplus from a 

 small patch to their neighbors or to the local store at a fair 

 price, have increased their plantings without making ade- 

 quate plans to dispose of the fruit ; consequently, in a fa- 

 vorable season they found themselves with a surplus of ber- 

 ries and no reasonable prospect of selling them. These 

 people, who had never handled more than one or two 

 crates per day in the height of the season, were loaded 

 with from lo to 20 crates; consequently, berries were sold 

 as low as 50 cents per crate of 32 quarts, for a few days. 



In my own case, there was one day when there seemed 

 to be absolutely no market for the berries, and picking 

 was stopped for twenty-four hours. An outlet was found 

 the next day, however, and, as the weather was favorable, 

 the berries were all picked and sold at a price that just 

 about gave a new dollar for an old one. 



To what extent will these conditions confront us the 

 coming season and in the future ? In my opinion the era 

 of high prices, or large profits per acre, has gone b}'. 

 We will probably see a repetition of the low prices of last 

 year for a few days this 5'ear, but the matter of over- 

 production will either be regulated by smaller planting, or 

 else we will be doing a lot of work for fun. It does not 

 seem to me that our sense of humor is educated up to 

 getting much enjoyment out of low prices. 



What can we do to improve these conditions? We 

 must stop increasing the acreage, or cut down the amount 

 we are alread}^ carrying. Will we do it? Probably not. 

 If we get the idea that the other fellow is going to do all 

 the cutting down, and we can pitch in and plant more 

 than ever, we will be sadly left. In all seriousness, I 

 believe we must do something of the kind if we are to get 

 fair profits from our business. If every one of us would 

 •cut down our acreage one-fourth or one-fifth, the effect 

 would be felt in our markets ; we would have more net 

 profit, and the consumer would have to pay but a trifle 

 more. 



