Evening star., 1917-04-15

In no other portion of the marketing
| field has the Office of markets and rural
| organization. Department
| Organizing of Agriculture. found
r6. greater need for it's stud
| les and activities than in
the marketing of perishabIe fruits and
vegetables. according to experts of the
office. With these easily damaged farm
! products extreme care in handling and
| speedy movement are essential at every
stage of progress from producer to con-
sumner. These requirements, say those
, men who have made study Of Just
| such things. bring difficulties not en-
countered in the distribution of the
more staple crops. Long haulS and re-
frigeration also are often necessary,
and in some cases the products must be
placed in cold storage. These factors
add still further to the peculiar diff
Guilty in the case of perishables of full
filling the primary needs of efficient
marketing-to place the products on
the market at an advantageous time in
good condition and under clrcums stances
which will make their sale profitable to
the producer.
AS now organized. the production Of
perishable fruits and vegetables is
highly specialized agricultural indus
Try. Oficials say that II is concentrat-
l.
tiles. but is conducted predominantly
on smal1-scale basis. Many of the
regions devoted especially to trucking
and fruit growing are situated far from
market points. The industry in this
specialized form came into existence
when the growth of great cities neces-
STATED perishable food supplies from
greater areas than the zone of farms in
the Immediate vicinity and when the
extension of railroads made utilization
~
with these two forces making for the
specialization and extension of truck
and fruit growing in regions remote
from market. has been marked change
in demand.
Since the growth of cities and rail-
roads laid the foundat ton for the spe-
clalized production of fruits and yege-
tables for market. these commodities
nave occupied place of growing i'm
portance on the American market, ,ln-
til. 1t is said by experts of the depart-
ment that of the approximately 100 600
600 tons Of farm produce shipped by
ran annually 20.o00.oo0 tons belong to
the perishable class. Among the farm
products entering commerce by rail-
only the Weighty grains now surpass
the perishables In tonnage
Experts of the department who de-
vote all of their time to such problems
say that the losses in perishable fruits
ana vegetables are not due solely to the
mechanical operations of marketing
handlng at producing points, on ears
and at the market. The intangible ma
chinery of supply and demand. thew
point out causes the heaviest losses,
bringing about violent price fuctua,
uonS, and producing gluts, during
"hlch carload after carload of prod
utts. held until spoiled, must be thrown
away at a dead loss
railroads of the country used decid-
edly more petroleum as locomotive fine,
during 1916 than ever be-
Oll as fore, according to officials of
C,.l the geological survey who have
made a census of this
Reports submitted by fifty-three rail-
| roads. comprising all that operate oil
burning locomotives in the United
States. show. according to experts of
the survey. that the quantity of oil
fuel so consumed last year was 42.-
! 20, AT barrels. a gain of 5477951 bar
rels. or is per cent. over the consump
ton in 1915.
This increase shows. it is claimed, the
steady expansion in the United States
of the market for low-grade petroleum
from Mexico rather than amy appre-
ciable increase in the use as fuel of
low gravity crude oils from domestic
sources, whose value for refining is
said to be Just beginning to be recog-
nized.
According to the statistics that have
been worked out, 1t is said that the
total distance covered by oil-burning
engines in 1915 was 40434566 miles,
and the average distance covered per
barrel of fuel consumed was 33.3 miles.
Oil-burning locomotives were operated
In 1916 over 1880 miles of track in
twenty-one states. according to the fig