Leading Apple Regions of the United Spates 77 



in the Watsonville section. A large colony of Slavonians 

 has for many years been closely identified with the indus- 

 try in the buying and packing of apples. A large per- 

 centage of the growers sell the fruit on the trees for a lump 

 sum to these Slavonian packers, who care for the orchard, 

 do such spraying, thinning and propping as is practiced, 

 later harvesting and packing the fruit. Seasonal contracts 

 are very often made at blooming time, although some 

 growers contract their crops for a period of several years 

 in advance. The speculative side of such transactions 

 need not be emphasized. Disastrous crop failures may 

 mean ruin for the buyer, while high prices very often 

 mean large profits. The Slavonians assume the growers' 

 risk and naturally require a margin commensurate with 

 the risk. 



Despite many natural advantages, the Watsonville dis- 

 trict has been slow to adopt high standards for the grade 

 and pack of its fruit, and as a result it has not kept pace 

 with northwest production in this respect. Cooperative 

 handling and marketing has been developed to a limited 

 extent among the progressive growers. Until recently, 

 the California box (9% x 11x22), a slightly larger and 

 longer box than that used in the Northwest, has been in 

 most common use, as has also the straight line pack in- 

 stead of the northwest diagonal pack. More recently a 

 state law has sought to make the northwest box the stand- 

 ard. Export trade normally absorbs a large portion of 

 the Yellow Newtown production. The Yellow Bell- 

 flowers are largely sold in domestic markets, many in 

 California. 



