70 BULLETIN 1416, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
six seasons 1918-19 to 1923-24 was in October of 1923, with the 
equivalent of 948,301 barrels, or nearly a quarter of the season’s 
pote FORECASTING THE EXPORT SEASON 
Reports of prices obtained by the earliest shipments of American 
apples are some indication whether the foreign markets are clear of 
desirable stock from competing sources and suggest the general 
strength or weakness of the demand. However, high early prices 
often bring excessive supplies, and even with previous knowledge of 
conditions there is always a considerable degree of risk in consigning 
to a market so far away with no possibility of diverting the shipment 
if the outlook changes meanwhile. Prices may slump quickly from 
very high levels to figures lower than the level of the domestic market. 
Even the best-informed shippers must rely somewhat on good fortune 
and the averaging of returns for sales. 
SPREAD OF AMERICAN AND BRITISH APPLE MARKETS 
SEASON OF 1923-1924 
PRICES OF AMERICAN BALDWINS IN BRITISH MARKETS AND IN NEW YORK CITY 
DOLLARS 
PER 
BARREL 
6 » je Morkerts 
ae 
New York city 
| tith 
| 4 
: ce * a | ae 
0 OG. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. 
Fic. 24.—Prices in British markets often start rather high and soon decline, but frequently recover 
during the holiday period and again late in the season, when supplies are decreasing 
Conditions which indicate a good outlook are (1) light or low- 
grade crops of apples in the United Kingdom and the Continent of 
Kurope, (2) an early clean-up of home-grown supplies, (3) prosperous 
conditions of industry in the United Kingdom, and (4) only moderate 
supply of apples suitable for export from the United States and Canada. 
ritish markets are often good in the opening weeks of the season 
in September and again in the weeks preceding the year-end holiday 
season. They sometimes have another period of strength toward the 
end of the season when there is comparatively little stock firm enough 
for export shipment. Shippers of long experience find their best 
judgment needed to time arrivals correctly and to avoid the worst 
periods of oversupply. Australian apples follow very shortly and 
care must be taken to watch the first Australian and New Zealand 
arrivals. 
Price trend throughout a typical season, 1923-24, is shown by 
Figure 24, in which prices of a standard variety of American apples 
i. ae 
