The Delta independent., 1923-12-07
WHY APPLES ARE SELLING
LESS THAN GROWERS COST


Lowe, head of the F. G. Lowe & Co.,
had the following printed in the Nash
vile Banner a few days ago in reply
to an editorial item in that paper
which criticized the apple trade more
or less:
"The editor of the Banner says he
cannot buy apples for less than from
5 cents to 20 cents apiece, and wants
to know il there is an apple trust or
combination that fixes the price of
apples. He further states that the
matter deserves to be looked into. Pre-
suming the editor was not tryig to
knock apples or any of the Nashville
people handling them or trying to
give further publicity to apples, the
writer is going to make the statement
that if he cannot prove to the editor
or any one representing him that there
is not nor never has been an apple
trust or a combination to fix prices
on apples he will agree to furnish
without cost to this editor, all the ap-
pies he can eat for the balance Of his
lifetime
THE Banner Of Tuesday, November
6, contained an editorial on apple
prices and among other things said:
One mystery about apples which re-
main unsolved is why. with so many
of them being produced, the price is so
high. None could be had for less than
5 cents each, and the larger and better
cold n h.
solving Of this mystery is in fact that
everyone in Nashville except the writ
er of the Banner editorial referred to-
knows that at no time within the past
70 days has the minimum price of ap-
pies from the retailers to consumers
been 5 cents per apple. Apples are
apples, but they are no more alike in
appearance, size, quality and price
than automobiles are. The Banner
editor can, without much trouble and
little time, find that he can today and
could any day within the past 80 days.
buy apples at prices varying from 2
cents to 10 cents each. and some have
been sold at both lower and higher
prices. They have been sold by the
pound as low as = cents and > cents.
and by the peck as low as 20 cents to
25 cents.
Tuesdays Banner contained an edi-
torial statement to the effect that it
could not be understood why apples
could not be purchased for less than 3
cents to 20 cents each with this years
production so vast.
II is true that the 1923 crop of ap-
pies is one of the largest ever pro
duced and it is possibly true that they
have sold this season as high as 20
cents apiece, but it is also true that
at any time within the past 80 days.
apples have been sold by peddlng wag-
ons to consumers as low as 25 cents
per peck and by grocery stores at
from to Is cents per pound.
The Banner contained a four col
umn ad in its issue OF Monday, Oct
8. quoting big red apples two cents
per pound.
Twenty cents is not much for a
retailer to ask for the largest size OF
his best grade. A bushel OF the largest
size contains only SO apples, whereas
bushel OF the smallest size contains
225 to $50 apples.
The average size apple counts l25
to $50 to the bushel. No years crop
viii produce enough apples large
enough to count SO to the bushel TO
approximately one TO a million. No
apples this large can be commercially
grown except in the irrigated orchards
OF the Northwest at cost to the
grower for harvesting and packing OF
so cents per bushel, freight rates to
all points East of the Mississippi
River OF 10 cents per bushel. refrigera-
tion charges en- route of ~ to Is cents
per box, this making approximately
81 to $3.50 per bushel charges before
the grower, WHOLESALERS or retail dealer
gets anything. Apples being perish
able, have to be kept in cold storage
at a cost OF lOc per bushel per month.
Freight charges on the cheapest ap.
pies being sold here represent more
than one-third OF the sale price. Ap-
pies shipped here in bulk from nearby
states and selling as low as 25 cents
per peck to the consumer have to
stand freight charge of S to 10 cents
per peck Take one-third of the sell.
ing price out OF the freight charges
and add to it a hauling charge for the
shipper who buys from the producer
another charge for the wholesale re.
ceiver and last, but not always least,
the charge represented by shrinkage
and decay, and figure out for your
self how much the producer is getting
for 1928 crop OF apples. You can this
season buy them cheaper than you
could nrOduca than,