158 MODERN FRUIT MARKETING 
growers shipping to a large market will send away the 
best fruit they have. Any one that is familiar with the 
South or with the West, especially California, where 
many fruits of sub-tropical nature come from, can by 
walking through the markets of New York, Boston, or 
Chicago, find better fruit on the markets most any 
day than he has observed offered for sale in the locali- 
ties in which the fruit is grown. 
The quality of the fruit in regard to flavor and degree 
of palatability is frequently much better when the home 
market is patronized. Fruit requiring long hauls is 
often picked before it is fully matured, hence does not 
develop as high a quality when sold in the larger markets, 
especially is this true of the Southern and Western 
fruits. Fruits like apples or pears to ship well and 
carry a long distance must have certain qualities of tex- 
ture and thickness of skin to enable them to be shipped. 
This condition is often associated with poor eating or 
cooking qualities of the fruit itself. So the better va- 
rieties are grown for the home market; those which have . 
the better quality and flavor. Many such varieties could 
not be used for general market fruits because of the in- 
ability to stand rough handling or long shipments. 
Transportation must also be considered when sending 
fruit away from home. Arrangements must be provided 
for the loading and handling of ears, also for the track- 
age and warehouse space necessary on the selling end 
of the line. This requires considerable skill. Where a 
large quantity of fruit is handled the services of a special 
agent who has made a study of these conditions is re- 
quired. Where foreign shipments are contemplated, 
ocean traffic, freight rate, tariffs, etc., must be studied 
