The Dolores star., 1924-10-24
Large Marketing
Costs and Waste
Peach Crop of Georgia Pro-
vided Excellent Example
OF Unavoidable Loss.

''pea oy the United States Departm,n,
OF AgricultureD
Ihere Is an all too pr.v,tar, H.,
p'esSioh aihong those who have had
niue opportunity to observe the suiI
course OF marketing of food prcdnc,c
that by some magical costless proc.ss
these products are whisked from th.
farmers fields To the fruit stand
grocery store. Consequently when r.-
por'H are published in the newspapers
vi great waste OF food products in
'he heids' particularly fruits and veg
ethbies, many consumers want ia
know why 1t is they cannot buy M
ihuch lower prices. The explanation
Tor these apparently wasteul proc.
'ices' says the United States Depart
nent of Agriculture. is TO be found
In the costs OF transportation and
other marketing costs.
The present peach crop in Georgia
mas provided an excellent eXnmplr of
u waste of fruit at the point of pro.
duction because of unavoidable eco
nomic conditions. Many newspaner
articles, some of them containing ex-
aggerated statements of actual condI-
tions, have called attention to the
waste, and letters have been written
to various government officers, frot,
the President down, asking that some
thing be done about it. One letter
from New York city Is ms follows
PLEASE find enclosed clipping from
one or our newspapers about a great
waste OF peaches in the state of Geor-
gia. My wife insists on having this
brought to your attention as she is
paying ~ cents pound for only fair
peaches. If this article Is official or
statements made even approximately
true, ! think something could and
should he done to save the crops and
keep down the cost of living in the
cities, dependent on transportation"
Conditions in Georgia.
An explanation of the conditions
which existed in the Georgia peach
section this summer in connection
with brief outline of the marketing
processes necessary to get the peaches
to the New York consumer, included
in letter from the secretary of ag-
riculture TO the New York inquirer,
should clear up good many uues-
tions regarding price relationships on
many crops.
The present season, according to
this statement, witnessed the produc-
ton of the largest Georgia peach crop
in history. In addition, east of the
Rocky mountains there was in nearly
all the peach growing regions the larg-
est crop harvested since 1918. In
Georgia the setting of peaches was
much larger than the trees could have
been expected to develop into desir-
able market sizes. Early in the sea-
son growers were advised by the De
partment of Agriculture to thin or re-
move a portion of the fruit from the
trees. practice which is followed
each year by some growers TO insure
large sizes and better quality. Some
of the growers followed the advice
this year, but most of them neglected
1t with the result that the crop CON
tained n large proportion of under
sized fruit which could not be mar
keted AT profit. Some orchards in
which the fruit was not thinned
showed as high as 80 per cent of culIs
or small fruit which experience has
shown the consumer does not want,
in year of abundant production. at
n price that will pay for handling.
1t is obvious that in II season when
the crop Is large these culls must be
allowed to rot, for no one will handle
them when only loss is in sight. The
cost of packages. packing, transporta-
tiOn and handling II buShel of Gull
peaches Is as much as for the same
quantity of standard grade. Since
rulls are losing proposition wher-
aver found, says the department. 1t
is better to remove them at the point
of production. thus saving the cost
of marketing. than to place them on
the market and have the cost of han
ding added to the cost of the market
hble fruit with which they were
packed. Small sizes have formed a
large part of the so-called waste In
the Georgia peach orchards. The to-
tai crop in that state for the season
, was estimated ut $1,000 cars, whereas
only about 1850 cars, were finally
Dlarketed.
Big Loss of Hiley Bellies.
The loss of one variety, llilcy
Bellies, was especially large. When
these peaches came on prices were so
low that had the producer delivered
his peaches to the packer free "t
cost the fruit would not have PAID
the marketing charges. Many cars
of early peaches were put on the
market without being thoroughly
culIed, and because they were uh-
satisfactory to the trade the market
became demornlized. Later varic-
ties, as result of grading ana
elimination of poor fruit. sold hetter'
The different cost items when en-
ter into the expense of marketing