Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-05-04
APPLES ARE PLENTIFUL
FOrty-fOur Per Cent. More in
Storage Than Year Ago.
High Opening Prices Decreased Sales
and smaller Exports Stngnnted Mar
kct--Lo,v Wholesale and High
Retail Prices.

The condition OF the apple market is
n matter of grave concern to both grow
ers and dealers all over the country.
The report of cold storage holdings or
apples on April !. recently issued by
the United states department of agri-
culture, gives some figures which prob
ably will cause all dealers Interested in
the crop to speed up the movement or
this fruit in most vigorous way. This
report, which was compiled in the Of
fee of Markets and Rural Organization.
shows that on the first of the present
month there were approximately 4t per
cent. more in cold storage than at the
same date one year ago, and the season
of l9li-lj was one of unusually heavy pro-
duction Figures from i27 storages indi-
cate that nearly 80 per cent. of the apples
which We're placed in cold storage by
December l. 1915 were still there on April
waiting to be consumed.
Hope that this will be a backward
spring is general among apple dealers,
for as long as cold days continue a free
movement of the fruit is more certain.
However, lot warm weather come to stay
and, judging by experiences OF the past
apple sales are very likely to decrease
rapidly.
Doubtless there are several reasons for
the present conditions The fact that the
past seasons commercial crop was con-
sderably smaller than that of a year ago
led to expectation on the part of grow
ers and dealers alike. last fall, that the
prospective market would he much strong
err than has actually proven the case.
AS n result. much stock changed hands
at values in excess of those which market
ing conditions since show were warrant
ed. This caused higher opening prices
than in 1914 and naturally slowed up the
movement. Neither growers nor dealers
who held the fruit seemed inclined to
push sales with the vigor that was dis
PLAYED the previous year, when they had
an enormous cron TO market and the re-
sult was that large quantities of apples
were nut into cold storage with the hone
that the winter and spring markets would
Istrengtben suflcientIv tn allow n margin
of nroft In enite Of the fact that last
falls commercial crop was estimated
around ton million barrels short of the
previous one. the amount placed in cold
storage exceeded that stored in 1914 bv
about 135 ner cent.
| A second exclamation is found in the fact
that exnorts of aDples from the ports of
the United States alone M to March l
I1o1c were geo 5S6 barrels less than for a
similar period last season. and April re.
norts arc exnected tn show a much larger
difference. Had the normal export traffic
/, ann,es nrevailed tho amount of stock
IN hand in This country would he consid.
b,v s,nalIcr
IN n recert hrief survov of annie nrjces
in sevorol LARGO markets the followinl
facts wore o,idorced. Present wholesale
nricos an b,rro,ed stool, arc ,.erv reason
oh,o In Fact in many n,ocos wholesal,
do,lors orc eol,ire, b.lnw cost when stor
oya cb.rges ,ro considered Investiga
lions made on tho Same dav in New York
Chicauo BOSTON PHILADELPHIA. Pittsburg
and Buffalo showed that No. ! cold stor
age Raldwins and Greetings were rang
ing from $3.50 to $500 per barrel, whil
Ben Davis were bringing from Sl.75 L
$3.50 in practically every market Las
fall buyers in New York State paid tn
growers on an average Of $500 for No.
Baldwins and Greetings, and s.. % for Be,
IA vic "a cbiDnipp pOiut A1Iiup