Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-09-27
Transportation Is Main
Cause-Most of Discarded
Fruit, However, Consists
of Undesirable Specimens

WASHINGTON, d. c., Sept. 90
(By the Associated Press. )-There
is an all too prevalent impression
among those who have had little op.
portunity to observe the full course
of marketing of food products, that
b ysome magical cOstless process
these products are whisked from the
farmers fields to the fruit stand or
grocery, according to a report is
sued by the United States depart,
ment of agriculture, which takes
the peach crop in Georgia as an ex-
ample.
When reports are published in
the newspapers of great waste of
food products in the fields, particu-
larIy fruits and vegetables, many
consumers want to know why it is
they can not buy at much lower
prices, and the explanation for these
apparently Wasteful practices is to
be found in the costs of transporta.
ton and other marketing costs.
The present crop in Georgia has
provided an excellent example of a
waste of fruit at the point of produc.
ton because of unavoidable economic
conditions. Many newspaper articles.
some of them containing exaggerated
statements of actual conditions. have
called attention to the waste, and
letters have been written to various
government officers, from the presi-
dent down, asking that something
be done about it.
"One letter from New York City
is as follows: Please find enclosed
clipping from one of our newspapers
ABOUT great waste of peaches in
the state of Georgia. Ny wife in
slsts on having this brought to your
attention and She is paying 20 cents
a pound for only fair peaches. #
this article is official or statements
MADE even approximately true. l
thlnk something could and should
be done to save the crops and keep
down the coast of living in the cities
dependent upon transportation
Conditions Explained
An explanation of the conditions
winch existed in the Georgia peach
section this summer in connection
with a brief outline of the market
ing processes necessary to get the
peaches to the New York consumer
included in a letter from the score.
tary of agriculture to the New Yorr-
inquirer, should clear I'D a good
many questions regarding price rela-
uonShlns on many crops.
The present season. according TO
TINS statement, witnessed the produc-
ton of the largest Georgia peach
crop in history. In addition, east of
the Rocky Mountains there was ir.
nearly all the peach-growing re
glons the largest crop harvested
since 1915. In Georgia the setting
OF peaches was much larger than
the trees could have been expected
to develop into desirable market
sizes. Early in the season growers
We're advised by the department Of
agriculture to thin or remove a Dor-
ton of the fruit from the trees, 3
practice which is followed each ycar
by some growers to insure large sizes
and better quality.
Some of the growers followed the
advice this year, but most of them
neglected it, with the result that the
crop contained large proportion of
understood fruit which could not be
marketed at a profit. Some orchards
in which the fruit was not thinned
showed as high as so per cent of
culls or small fruit which experience
has shown the consumer does not
want, in a year of abundant produc