June, 1926J CAN WE PRODUCE MORE OF WHAT WE EAT? 31 



Dover stores secured 455 boxes, or 88 per cent of their total purchases, 

 from local farmers, while Hanover secured only 47 boxes, or 7 per cent of 

 its total purchases, from local farmers, indicating that in certain places, 

 the demand was not well supplied locally. 



An increase in production should be made with caution. In general, 

 the demand during the local harvest season is pretty well supplied, al- 

 though it is thought that any moderate increase in production could be 

 absorbed by local consumption, perhaps at a lower price. 



CUCUMBERS 



As shown in Table XI, the purchases of cucumbers were about equally 

 divided between those localh^ grown and those imported. 



Most of these receipts from outside the state, however, come in before 

 the local harvest season for field-grown cucumbers opens. In 1925 only 

 from 20 to 30 per cent came in after July 15, when growers in districts 6 

 and 7 started harvesting. ^Nlany stores do not handle cucumbers when 

 the local harvest can supph^ the demand. An increase in production 

 during the early part of the season would also mean a much greater pro- 

 duction during that part of the season now entirely supplied bj' local 

 growers, and would probably result in frequent market gluts and ex- 

 tremely low prices. 



There seems, however, to be a local market for cucumbers grown in cold 

 frames and ready for harvest by the first of July. In 1925 from 40 to 

 50 per cent of cucumber receipts came in after that date in districts 6 and 7 



SPINACH 



About one-third of the spinach purchased by stores, as shown in Table 

 XI, was grown by local farmers. Of the 12,283 barrels imported, a con- 

 siderable portion came in during the early season before the local product 

 was available. By the time the local spinach is ready for market, the 

 large variety of fresh vegetables to choose from probably curtails the 

 consumption of spinach. 



It is interesting to note that the stores in district 1, Upper Coos county, 

 handled very little spinach. The stores in the city of Berlin handled 

 only 245 barrels, or .015 barrels per capita, while the stores in the city of 

 Manchester handled .04 barrels per capita. The stores of Derry handled 

 511 barrels, or about .1 per capita. Concord stores handled 1,523 barrels, 

 or .07 per capita. This indicates a possibility that local growers around 

 some cities might increase sales by health publicity. 



STRAWBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES AND 



BLUEBERRIES 



IVIore than two-thirds of the total purchases of strawberries are shipped 

 in from outside producing areas. (See Table XII.) In the northern 

 part of the state, as indicated in districts 1 and 2, the local producers 

 supply only a small part of the total. 



Most of the receipts from outside come before the local season opens, 

 as shown in Figure 2. It is estimated that only 1,138 crates out of a total 

 of 29,730 came in during the local harvest season. Merrimack Valley 

 brought in nearly 1,000 crates in the competing season. 



