MARKETING 



95 



costs be reduced wherever possible. It also raises the question 

 as to what grades of fruit the families with incomes of less 

 than $2000 can really afford to buy and how this fruit may be 

 got to them at prices which they can pay. 



(d) Secure Shipping -Point Inspection. Inspection of ship- 

 ments by federal or state officials is a forward step in the 

 marketing process. Such service is available at nominal cost 

 at the principal shipping points. In the season of 1938-39 the 

 Federal Government inspected 46,840 cars of apples at point 

 of shipment. The demand for the service has increased 

 steadily. 



The inspectors certify the grade and condition of the ship- 

 ments, and their reports constitute legal evidence. This serv- 

 ice encourages greater care on the part of shippers and also 

 reduces the rejection of cars at destination for trivial reasons 

 when the market is oversupplied. The inspection system im- 

 parts stability and confidence to the market, and is sure to 

 develop as its value is better understood. Inspection costs 

 vary in the different states but average about $4.00 per car. 

 This is the best kind of insurance that the shipper can take out. 



Inspection at receiving markets is also available. In the 

 season of 1938-39 the Federal Government made 1614 such 

 inspections. The charge is $4.00 per car for a certificate of 

 grade or $2.50 for an examination of condition of the fruit. 

 Further information relative to inspection may be obtained 

 from the United States Department of Agriculture, or from 

 the various state departments of agriculture. 



{e) Load Cars Properly. This is an important factor in- 

 fluencing the condition in which fruit arrives at destination. 

 Careless loading with open spaces between packages means 

 loss in transit and depreciation on the entire car (Fig. 42). 

 Various systems of loading have been developed, but any satis- 

 factory system requires that the packages be packed firmly 

 in the first place, that they be firmly stacked against the 

 car walls and against each other, and that ventilation be pro- 

 vided to all parts of the car. Any railroad over which fruit is 



