2 MODERN FRUIT MARKETING 
Deciduous fruit shipped from the Pacific Coast to the 
Eastern markets consumes about 14 days in transit; 
from Texas about eight ; from Georgia or Alabama about 
four; while in most of the New England or Atlantic states 
the fruit is picked one day and is in the hands of the con- 
sumer the next. This gives the Eastern states an enor- 
mous market advantage for their fruit, and were it not 
for the fact that the seasonal differences allow the South- 
ern and Far Western states to ripen their frait from 10 to 
30 days ahead of the north, they would be shut out en- 
tirely from the eastern markets. 
The long time elapsing between the picking and con- 
suming of the more perishable fruits where the long 
haul is necessary, compels much of it to be picked be- 
fore it is sufficiently mature to ripen in the best prime 
condition. Then, too, the great rush among some of the 
southern growers to get the first fruit on the market 
and thus secure the highest prices furnishes an undue 
incentive to pick half mature fruit. Such fruits as 
peaches, plums, apricots, and grapes thus picked ar- 
rive in the northern markets in poor condition. They 
are lacking in flavor, are acid, flat, and often insipid. 
Such have had much to do in creating an impression 
among the consumers in the big cities that certain sec- 
tions cannot produce fruit as high in quality or flavor 
as the Northern states. 
When to Pick.—The time to pick fruit is largely a 
matter of judgment. Much has been said and written 
upon this subject but very little of it is of practical 
value to the beginner. The maturity of the seed is often 
given as an indication of the proper time to pick, but 
this is of little value to the practical man, because the 
