Marketing and Storage 337 



selves, very important steps have been taken in this direc- 

 tion by various agencies in the United States Department 

 of Agriculture, notably the Bureau of Crop Estimates and 

 the Bureau of Markets. Certain phases of the market 

 ing problem, such as inspection, the issuance of crop fore- 

 casts and market reports, lend themselves best to govern- 

 mental agencies. It is impracticable for the individual or 

 even groups of individuals successfully to study all phases 

 of marketing work. 



Crop estimates. 



The need for reliable crop forecasts is imperative if the 

 grower is to determine the price which he might reasonably 

 expect for his fruit. The perishability of the apple as 

 compared with more stable crops accentuates this need. It 

 is obvious that the government is best fitted to carry on 

 such investigations and can, by the issuance of reliable 

 forecasts, render an important service to the commercial 

 apple-grower. 



Market and storage reports. 



The second very important service which properly can 

 be rendered by a governmental agency is the issuance of 

 reports showing the distribution of the crop. By compre- 

 hensive investigation it is possible for the government to 

 issue reports showing the point of origin and destination 

 of each carload of commercial apples. Shippers and 

 growers alike will be enabled to use this information in 

 seeking out untouched markets. Since the keynote in 

 better marketing is the extension of distribution to small 

 towns and cities, it may be seen that the result of such 



