THB FRUIT MARKET 7 



view the general or the special market. The principal 

 problems are the following: 



1. Growing the fruit. — The fruit must be grown 

 before it can be sold, and fruit growing is a long, long 

 art. Dozens and dozens of books have been written 

 on this subject alone, which is one reason why we may 

 devote this entire book to another subject. The pro- 

 duction of fruit for market is quite a different problem 

 from the growing of fruit for home use. It differs 

 most conspicuously in the fact that the market grower 

 must always count the expense to see that it is kept 

 below the cash returns. The man who grows fruit 

 for his own gratification may do so without regard to 

 expense. (Sometimes he does it without much regard 

 to the fruit!) 



2. Grading. — Fruit for home use is seldom sorted 

 and never graded. For market grading is indispens- 

 able. We shall devote a chapter to this subject. 



3. Packing. — "The package sells the fruit" has 

 come to be a fundamental doctrine of the American 

 fruit trade. The selection of a suitable package and 

 the attractive installation of the fruit in it are the best 

 "tricksof the trade." 



4. Storage. — All fruits, except those which are so 

 perishable as altogether to prevent it, are frequently 

 stored for longer or shorter periods. This permits the 

 grower (or buyer) to regulate the supply of fruit to 

 suit the demand. Glutting of the market is prevented, 

 and better prices are realized. The subject of storage 

 is fully treated in Part V. 



