STORING 



53 



Table 5 indicates that apples are available from cold storage 

 throughout nine months of the year and gives an idea of the 

 enormous extent of the storage business. November to March 

 is the period of heaviest holdings. 



The normal market for fresh apples from commercial fruit 

 sections (the ^^commercial crop^' of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture) in the United States is about 75 million 

 bushels. In other words, this quantity may be marketed over 

 the season at fairly satisfactory prices. Under normal condi- 

 tions export markets take about 10 million bushels (not in war 

 times when major European powers are involved). Thus 

 there is ordinarily a satisfactory outlet in prospect for about 

 85 million bushels. When the crop exceeds this figure and 

 prices in the fall are low, it may be well to remember that they 

 may be lower later with storage costs added to the grower's 

 investment. 



Many growers make a practice of storing a certain propor- 

 tion of their crops each year. They do this on the assump- 

 tion that it is quite as risky to store the entire crop as it is 

 to sell all of it at harvest time, that a combination of the two 

 procedures gives stability to the situation. On the whole, this 

 is probably sound reasoning. Two exceptions to it may be 

 made: first, that the financial pressure may be so great as to 

 compel disposal of the crop at a given time; and, second, that 

 whenever prices are satisfactory it is a good time to sell, re- 

 gardless of other factors. 



Conditions in a single section do not provide sufficient data 

 on which to base action. Study the national situation from 

 the best sources obtainable, including the reports of the United 

 States Bureau of Agricultural Economics as to volume of 

 crop and storage holdings. Study also the general economic 

 situation, including probable foreign demand. 



Studies made in New York State which are probably ap- 

 plicable elsewhere indicate that the two factors which exer- 

 cise the greatest influence on the farm price of apples are (1) 

 the purchasing power of consumers and (2) the production 



