The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-10-17
Peach Crop of Georgia Pro
vided Excellent Example
of Unavoidable Loss.

prepared by the United States Department
of Agricul-dre
There is al all too prevalent i'm
preston among those who have had
little opportunity to observe the full
course of marketing of food products
that by some magical costless process
these products are whiSked from the
farmers fields to the fruit stand or
grocery store. Consequently when re-
ports are published in the newspapers
of great waste of food products In
the fields, particularly fruits and veg
etables, many consumers want 10
know why il is they cannot buy at
much lower prices. The explanation
for these apparently waSteful prac-
tees, says the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture, is TO be found
in the costs of transportation and
other marketing costs.
The present peach crop in Georgia
has provided an excellent example OF
waste of fruit at the point of pro-
duction because Of unavoidable eco
nomic conditions. Many newspaper
articles, some of them containing ex-
aggerated statements of actual condl-
lions, have called attention 10 the
waste, and letters have been written
to various government officers, from
the President down, asking that some
thing 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 Geor-
gia. My wife insists on having this
brought to your attention as she is
paying 20 cents pound for only fair
peaches. If this article is official or
statements made even approximately
true, | think something could and
should be done to save the crops and
keep down the cost of Ii ing 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 a brief outline of the marketing
processes necessary to get the peaches
TO the New York consumer, included
in a letter from the secretary of ag-
riculture TO the New York inquirer,
should clear up a good many ques-
tons 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 1915. 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. a 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
it with the result that the crop con-
tanned a large proportion of under
sized fruit which could not be mar
keted 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 production, at
a price that will pay for handling.
1t is obvious that in a 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-
ton and handling a bushel of Gull
peaches is as much as for the same
quantity of standard grade. Since
culls are a losing proposition wher-
ever 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 ham
ding added to the cost of the market
able 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 at $4,000 cars, whereas
only about 1880 cars, were finally
marketed.
Big Loss of Hiley Bellies.
The loss of one variety, Hiley
Bellies was especially large. When
these peaches came on prices were so
low that had the producer delivered
his peaches to the packer free of
cost the fruit would not have paid
the marketing charges. Many cars
of early peaches were put on the
market without being thoroughly
culled, and because they were I'M
satisfactory TO the trade the market
became demoralized. Later varie-
ties, as result of grading and
elimination of poor fruit. sold better.
The different cost items which en-
ter into the expense of marketing
peaches show convincingly why it
pays TO handle only the best fruit
during season os large production.
The approximate cost of six-basket
(24-quarD peach carrier, together
with the cost of packing and loading
into cars, is 80 cents. The freight
and icing charge on six-basket
carrier from Georgia TO New York
is about 40 cents. This is total
of S1.22 delivered in New York. From
the net sales price received for the
fruit these charges are deducted and
the balance is received by the pro-