36 



BULLETIN 1414, U. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE 



received throughout the season for each grade. The associations 

 which have adopted this system of pooling consider it highly satis- 

 factory. It is probably unnecessary for associations handling such 

 products as peaches or watermelons, which move to market over a 

 relatively short season, to adopt this system, but even for these prod- 

 ucts the principle involved is worthy of consideration. 



Within any grades which it is practical to establish, there may be 

 differences in quality which will add to or subtract from the market 

 value of the product. If the pool covers a large area this difficulty 

 is increased. Such factors as color, texture, flavor, and maturity may 

 effect materially the market value of the same variety. It may be 

 necessary, therefore, to establish regional pools, if differences in 

 quality within the grade are constant factors. On the other hand, 

 if the differences are due to weather conditions, or other fortuitous 

 circumstances, which may be reversed the following year, it is often 

 entirely satisfactory to permit products of varying quality to be sold 

 in the same pool. 



Table 6. 



-Relative use of pooling periods of different durations made bij 478 

 fruit and vegetable marketing associations, 1922 



Commodity groups 



1 

 day 



2 to 3 



days 



1 

 week 



8 to 15 

 days 



1 

 month 



One- 

 fourth 

 of 



season 



One- 

 third 

 of 



season 



One- 

 half 

 of 

 season 



Season 



Associa- 

 tions 

 report- 

 ing 





Per cent 



Per cent 



2.6 



.7 



35.7 



7.4 



Per cent 



Per cent 



Per cent 



Per cent 



Per cent 



Per cent 

 10.2 

 4.0 



Per cent 

 87.2 

 30.7 

 57.2 

 26.0 

 71.4 

 80.0 

 75.0 

 72.5 

 18.8 

 80.0 



Humber 

 39 



Citrus fruit.. ._ .. 





7.3 

 -------- 



14.3 

 20.0 



12.0 

 7.1 



22.0 



15.3 



8.0 



150 







14 



Strawberries . 



59.2 











27 



Peaches .. 



14.3 











7 

















5 



Miscellaneous fruits 















25.0 



2.T 



4 



Several fruits 



11.2 



14.6 



~"\%b 



12.5 

 29.2 

 8.0 



""75." 6" 



9.1 

 20.8 



15.6 



2.5 

 8.3 



"la 7" 







1.3 

 4.2 

 4.0 



80 





10.4 

 8.0 





48 





27 



Watermelons... 





83.3 



6 



Onions . 













25.0 



54.5 

 33.3 



34.4 



4 



Miscellaneous vege- 

 tables. 



18.2 

 33.3 



21.9 



------ 



6.3 



9.1 

 4.2 



3.1 



9.1 

 4.2 



18.7 









11 



Several vegetables. .. 









24 



Fruits and vegeta- 

 bles 









32 













Another factor is earliness of ripening which may mean that a 

 certain area within the pool will ship several days ahead of other 

 sections, and these shipments will be sold for the usual higher early- 

 season prices. This situation can be adjusted by making an early 

 pool to cover a brief period. 



It is possible to err by making too careful distinctions of the 

 quality of the products handled by an association. A pooling system 

 which makes complicated records necessary is not advisable. Separ- 

 ation of the products into a large number of sorts may also make 

 marketing difficult and result in lower prices, in the aggregate, than 

 would have been obtained if a few standard grades constituted the 

 basis for pooling. As an example, the efforts of a cooperative associa- 

 tion in western New York to pack apples with a maximum variation 

 of one-fourth inch in size has been found to be unprofitable. Al- 

 though a premium was obtained for the larger sizes, the fact that 

 the retailer usually wants two or three sizes in one barrel was a 





