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tion of citrus fruits in California has increased enormously. Marketing the crop at a profit to growers has become progressively dif ficult. Comparable increases are apparent in almost every fruit and vegetable crop. (See Table 2.)

If production is outstripping market requirements, the necessary adjustments will be made in time even without conscious planning on the part of the organized growers. Such adjustments have been attended in the past by financial distress to a large number of producers extending over several years. If the growers, through their cooperative associations, are able to modify the conditions that make necessary the abandonment of orchards and truck fields and the neglect of those which are kept in tillage, they will perform a service at least equal in value to the improvements they may be able to make in the distribution of the crops once they are produced.

Stabilization of production in the fruit and vegetable industries is confessedly difficult. It is difficult to correlate the production plans of a large number of growers; weather conditions affecting yields may upset the most carefully made calculations. Nothing can be accomplished unless the growers cooperate for the purpose of marketing their products. Then, having demonstrated their ability to work together and to conduct a marketing business, they may hope to bring about a degree of correlation between production and demand that does not exist at the present time.

The information the associations require for such a program is being collected in part by the United States Department of Agriculture and other agencies. As the need for supplemental information becomes apparent it can be collected, in most instances, by these same agencies.

The basic information necessary are acreages and yields of the crops handled by each association and of competing crops not only in the United States but from countries selling in the same markets. A knowledge of prices over long periods is necessary. Not only is it necessary to have historical information regarding yields and prices but it is necessary to use these and further data as a basis to forecast future trends. The crop forecasts of the Department of Agriculture give in advance estimates of the current crop. Acreages of nonbearing fruits show the trend in the production of these crops. Agricultural outlook and "intentions to plant" reports issued by the department in the spring of each year are also available.

General economic conditions are important as an index of the probable purchasing power of the consumer. All this statistical information must be interpreted and made available to the growers by the cooperative association. Such a program on the part of even a few of the cooperative associations marketing fruits and vegetables would do much to make clear to producers the close relationship which must exist between production and marketing.

ORGANIZATION OF THE

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

June 21, 1926

Secretary of Agriculture.
Assistant Secretary-‒‒‒‒‒
Director of Scientific Work----.
Director of Regulatory Work__-
Director of Extension Work-
Director of Information‒‒‒‒

Director of Personnel and Business Administration__.

Solicitor---

Weather Bureau--

Bureau of Agricultural Economics_ - Bureau of Animal Industry---Bureau of Plant Industry

Forest Service‒‒‒‒‒

Bureau of Chemistry--.

Bureau of Soils----

Bureau of Entomology-.

Bureau of Biological Survey-
Bureau of Public Roads_-

Bureau of Home Economics---.

Bureau of Dairying-

Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory

Office of Experiment Stations_____.

Office of Cooperative Extension Work-----.
Library----

Federal Horticultural Board..
Insecticide and Fungicide Board____

W. M. JARDINE.

R. W. DUNLAP.

WALTER G. CAMPBELL.
C. W. WARBURTON.
NELSON ANTRIM CRAWFORD.

W. W. STOCKBERGER.
R. W. WILLIAMS.

CHARLES F. MARVIN, Chief.
LLOYD S. TENNY, Acting Chief.
JOHN R. MOHLER, Chief.
WILLIAM A. TAYLOR, Chief.
W. B. GREELEY, Chief.

C. A. BROWNE, Chief.
MILTON WHITNEY, Chief.
L. O. HOWARD, Chief.

E. W. NELSON, Chief.

THOMAS H. MACDONALD, Chief. LOUISE STANLEY, Chief.

C. W. LARSON, Chief.

F. G. COTTRELL, Director.

E. W. ALLEN, Chief.

C. B. SMITH, Chief.

CLARIBEL R. BARNETT, Librarian. C. L. MARLATT, Chairman.

J. K. HAYWOOD, Chairman.

Packers and Stockyards Administration. JOHN T. CAINE, in Charge.

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DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1415

Washington, D. C.

June, 1926

MARKETING WESTERN BOXED APPLES

By

GEORGE B. FISKE, Investigator in Marketing Fruits and Vegetables

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DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1415

Washington, D. C.

June, 1926

MARKETING WESTERN BOXED APPLES

1

By GEORGE B. FISKE, Investigator in Marketing Fruits and Vegetables and RAYMOND R. PAILTHORP, Marketing Specialist, Bureau of Agricultural Economics

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The commercial prominence of the boxed apple dates back only about 20 years, although apple production began early in the development of the Northwest. Apple trees were bearing fruit at the Hudson Bay Co.'s post near Vancouver, Wash., as early as 1834. Apparently some trees were planted in Oregon, particularly in the Willamette Valley, within the next 10 years, and with the Caliornia gold rush of 1849 a rich market came into existence. Oregon apples sold in 1849 for $10 a bushel and 6,000 bushels sold in 1855 at $20 to $30. In fact, during the early years of the gold craze the price more than once went to $60 or $70 per bushel.

In California the initial attempts at apple production were less successful than in Oregon, but early in the nineties California had the larger apple production of the two States and slightly the greater number of trees, and claimed the largest individual orchard in the

country.

Since then California and Oregon have remained about equal in number of bearing trees and in bushels of apples produced, while in

The Divisions of Statistical and Historical Research, Agricultural Cooperation, and Cost of Marketing all of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, have contributed material for this bulletin.

88140°-26-1

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