MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION OF STRAWBERRIES. 17 
opened. This may be attributed to two reasons — light shipments 
and demand stimulated by satisfactory quality 1 . The same causes 
operated to cause a consistent advance in Pittsburgh and some 
other markets for two weeks after first receipts from Delaware and 
Maryland. These conditions, however, are unusual. In general, as 
the season in each district advances, the price is influenced by 
deteriorating quality 1 due to continued picking and by increased 
supplies. 
AVERAGE QUALITY OF STRAWBERRIES SHIPPED. 
In 1915 certain sections suffered from unfavorable weather such 
as drought during the growing season and rain at harvest time. 
Certain of these sections suffered the results of unsatisfactory quality 
by receiving uniformly unsatisfactory prices. Tennessee was un- 
fortunate in this respect. In addition, the great bulk of her crop 
came on the market at the time of heaviest shipments from May 10 
to 25. Norfolk and the Carolinas suffered in the same way. How- 
ever, a comparison of these two sections with others on the market 
at the same time shows their quality must have been unsatisfactory, 
as they sold on almost every day at lower prices than the others. 
In New York, average berries from the Norfolk section never sold 
above 10 cents from May 9 to May 24. From May 9 until May 18, 
the date of last receipts in New York, Carolina berries sold above 10 
cents on only two days. Beginning on May 9, and up to June 15, 
Delaware and Maryland berries brought less than 10 cents for best 
stock on only two days. On any given day they brought a consider- 
ably better price than Norfolks and Carolinas, and continued at a 
fairly satisfactory level the entire season. 
In Pittsburgh, the Carolinas and Tennessees sold at low prices 
compared to Kentucky and Delaware-Maryland stock. The Ken- 
tucky stock did especially well, the poorest never selling as low as 10 
cents per quart. Kentucky berries generally have an enviable 
reputation based on good pack. 
The comparative inferiority of Tennessee berries was also shown 
in Buffalo where prices were lower than for Kentucky and Delaware- 
Maryland berries selling at the same time. In Chicago the Tennessee 
berries sold as high as $2.40 a crate (10 cents a quart) on only one 
day, and even then most of them were sold at a lower price. How- 
ever, there are no quotations available for a satisfactory comparison 
with other berries in the Chicago market at the same time, the chief 
competition being from Louisiana berries, which were quite poor, as 
they were the last shipments at the end of a long season. A few Ten- 
nessee berries were also quoted on the St. Paul market and sold at 
practically the same prices as the Arkansas stock offered. 
iThe term "quality" is used in the commercial sense indicating satisfactory grade upon arrival at 
market and delivery to the consumer. 
