58 BULLETIN 1415, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
USUAL TREND AT SHIPPING POINT 
Prices of boxed apples, Extra Fancy Winesaps, medium to large 
sizes, at northwestern shipping points, tend to advance throughout 
the season along with the usual decrease of holdings and the gradual 
addition of storage costs, but in some seasons of heavy production 
the rise does not occur. The advance from October to March, 
1917-18, 1919-20, 1920-21, 1921-22, was 15 to 50 cents per box, 
usually near the lower figure. In 1918-19 came the boom year 
advance of about $1.50. In 1922-23 there was no sustained rise, 
and in 1923-24 sales in March averaged 10 to 25 cents lower than 
during October. Only in 1918-19 and in 1921-22, two out of seven 
seasons, was there any great well-sustained advance. In one of 
these cases the gain followed the reopening of the export trade, and 
in the other season the advance was apparently the result of failure 
of the eastern crop. 
PRICES OF SEVERAL MARKET SEASONS 
The markets of 1918-19 were unusually favorable to apple holders, 
because of the scarcity of other fruits and the general price inflation. 
Quotations ranged 50 to 75 per cent above the two preceding seasons, 
although even the season before, that of 1917-18, averaged higher 
than for previous years. Extra Fancy Winesaps opened in October, 
1918, at $1.85 to $2 f. o. b. northwestern shipping points, and ad- 
vanced gradually to $3.50 in March, prices averaging at that time 
about double the prices of the year before. During the early part 
of this period consuming markets ranged mostly from $2.75 to $3.50, 
but reached tops of $4.50 and $4.75 in March. 
In 1919-20 the range continued high at $2.25 to $3.25 f. o. b. and 
mostly $2.75 to $5 in the city markets. Freezing, lack of storage 
facilities, and the car shortage were serious drawbacks. 
Boxed apples felt the general price slump of 1920-21, but held up 
better than most agricultural products. Average yield was low and 
the apples were small. Extra Fancy northwestern Winesaps, 
medium to large, ranged from $2 to $2.50 f. 0. b. at shipping points. 
They opened around $3 in the city markets and closed around top 
price of $4. 
In 1921-22 the boxed-apple market was helped by the extremely 
short crop in the barrel region. A range of $2.50 to $3.50 covered 
most of the jobbing sales. 
The 1922-23 market season was dull and unsatisfactory, because 
of the rather poor average quality of the western crop and the abund- 
ance of supplies in nearly all apple sections. Winesaps sold about 
50 cents lower than in the preceding season, and early jobbing prices 
for extra fancy sometimes dropped below $2, but averaged about 
$2.50 the second half of the season. Most sales f. 0. b. at shipping 
points ranged from $1.50 to $1.75. 
The large and excellent western crop of 1923-24 competed with a 
large output in the East and sold at prices unsatisfactory to the 
growers. Combined boxed and barreled shipments of 138,000 car- 
loads included gains over the season before of about 17,000 cars 
from the West and 8,000 from the East. The prevailing city range 
for Extra Fancy Winesaps was $2 to $2.50, its prices at shipping 
points ranged from $1.20 to $1.50. The market pressure was relieved 
