WHITE MOUNTAIN DEMAND FOR VEGETABLES 

 AND POULTRY PRODUCTS 



By E. H. Rinear 



The popularity of the White Mountain hotels and summer resorts- 

 creates a large market for food each year. For some time there have- 

 been frequent discussions regarding the possibility of supplying more of 

 this demand for vegetables and poultry products from nearby sources. 



The present study has resolved itself around the two main cjuestions : 

 first, what constitutes the hotel demand for vegetables and poultry- 

 products? Second, what type of service is necessary in fulfilling it? 

 Costs of production were not studied in the present investigation. 



The state-wide survey made in 1925 by the Experiment Station (N. H. 

 Bulletin No. 222) brought out the facts as to the amounts which were 

 being produced in New Hampshire and purchased from outside sources. 

 The total season's purchases by White Mountain hotels during that year 

 from farmers and weekly purchases from others outside are shown in 

 Table 1. "It will be noticed that local farmers supply only a small por- 

 tion of the total consumption of these hotels. The estimated value 

 of vegetable purchases from local farmers is $42,000, while from 

 others it is $80,000. A few products such as beets, carrots, cauliflower, 

 spinach, string beans, peas, turnips, squash, potatoes, and sweet corn are 

 nearly half supplied by farmers." 



"Local farmers furnish only a small part of the poultry and eggs. In 

 1925 the hotels purchased 54,720 pounds of poultry, no turkey and 1,450 

 cases of eggs from local farmers, compared to 260,422 pounds of poultry, 

 36.000 pounds of turkey and 7,070 cases of eggs purchased from others." 



Methods Pursued in Study 



In studying the hotel preferences, ten vegetables were chosen which 

 appear to be suited to local climatic conditions as many of them are now 

 being successfully grown: beans, beets, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, 

 green corn, green peas, head lettuce, spinach and tomatoes. Demand 

 preferences were obtained in detail from the hotel managers, stewards 

 and chefs as to variety, size, color, shape, grade and brands of these 

 vegetables. Similar information was secured for eggs and dressed 

 poultry. 



Several trial shipments were made from southern points in New Hamp- 

 shire to discover some of the difficulties which might arise in supplying 

 this demand and also to learn the degree of satisfaction which such ship- 

 ments would meet with the stewards. 



Ten representative White Mountain hotels were selected as a basis for 

 this study. Some of the best summer hotels were included in the group. 

 Their capacity ranged from 100 to 600 guests. 



Tourists and summer guests begin coming to hotels in the White Moun- 

 tains during the early part of June. This transient population increases 

 rapidly until the latter part of August and then declines very abruptly, 

 until by the middle of September practically all the guests are gone and 

 the hotels closed. 



