IB RAR.Y
OF THE
UNIVERSITY
OF ILLINOIS
AGRICULTURE
NON CIRCULATING
CHECK FOR UNBOUND
CIRCULATING COPY
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
Agricultural Experiment Station
BULLETIN No. 312
MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES
BY J. W. LLOYD AND H. M. NEWELL
URBANA, ILLINOIS, JUNE, 1928
CONTENTS
PAGE
STATISTICS OF APPLE PRODUCTION 563
GRADING AND PACKING PRACTICES 564
Growers Usually Do Their Own Packing 566
Care in Fruit Handling Varies With Crews 567
Standardized Grading Not General 568
PACKAGES USED 571
Baskets Tending to Replace Barrels 571
Apple Box Favored by Some Growers 572
TRANSPORTATION IN COUNTY 573
Wagons or Trucks Haul Apples to River Landings 573
RIVER TRANSPORTATION HAS CARRIED BULK OF CROP 574
Steamboat Lines Handle Shipments on Illinois and Mississippi Rivers 575
Boats Make Trip to St. Louis Within Twenty-Four Hours 576
Warehouses at Boat Landings Inadequate 577
Delays in Shipping Impair Keeping Quality of Fruit 579
Rolling of Barreled Apples Adds to Damage 583
River Rates Uniform on Barrel Shipments to St. Louis 584
FACILITIES FOR RAIL TRANSPORTATION RECENTLY IMPROVED 584
Most Important Loading Point on C. & A. at East Hardin 584
Apples May Be Loaded Directly Into Cars at East Hardin 585
Loading Points Available on C. B. & Q. in Missouri 587
Apples Ferried Across River Loaded at Graf ton 588
Freight Rates to Various Markets 589
Boat Shipments Faster Than Rail From East Hardin to St. Louis 589
Possibility of a Railroad in Calhoun County 590
MOTOR TRUCKS HAUL MANY APPLES TO MARKET 591
STORAGE FACILITIES ACCESSIBLE 593
METHODS OF SALE 595
Pre-Harvest Contracts 595
Consignments to Commission Merchants 596
The Levee Sale at St. Louis 597
Brokerage Sales a Factor in 1927 598
Merits of Different Methods 599
STORING FOR LATER SALE 599
Study of Apple Prices 601
Margins Between Harvest and Storage Sales 602
RECOMMENDATIONS W~>
OFFICIAL STANDARDS FOR THE INSPECTION OF APPLES 611
MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES
By J. W. LLOYD, Chief in Olericulture, and H. M. NEWELL,
Assistant in Fruit and Vegetable Marketing
Calhoun county produces approximately one-third of the com-
mercial apple crop of the entire state of Illinois. Without a railroad
or a cold-storage plant within the county's borders, with scarcely a
packing shed and no marketing organizations, this immense apple
crop, averaging nearly 400,000 barrels a year, has found its way into
the channels of trade and into the consuming markets.
The methods employed in the grading, packing, transporting, and
selling of Calhoun county apples have been made an object of special
study with a view to learning the exact conditions existing in the
county and offering suggestions that may be helpful in the handling
of future crops.
STATISTICS OF APPLE PRODUCTION
\
In the 35-year period from 1889 to 1924 Calhoun county devel-
oped much more rapidly than the rest of the state in reference to
apple orchards and apple production (Table 1). The number of apple
trees of bearing age in Illinois, was considerably less in 1924 than in
1889, while the number in Calhoun county had been multiplied by
three. During the same period the production in Calhoun county
increased from 1.2 percent of the total production of the state
to more than 14 percent. These figures refer to "total produc-
tion," and not to "commercial production." They include apples of
all varieties and grades produced in farm orchards as well as in com-
mercial orchards. Statistics of commercial production in Illinois are
available for 1916 and subsequent years, but separate statistics for
commercial production in Calhoun county are available only for 1922
and subsequent years. During the past six years Calhoun county
produced from 28.7 to 38.3 percent of the total commercial apple crop
of the state, or an average of nearly 33 percent (Table 2) even tho
the county contained only 9.7 percent of the trees of bearing age in
1924. Furthermore, in 1924 only 52 percent of the apple trees in the
county were of bearing age, while in the state as a whole 61 percent
were of bearing age. As the younger orchards come into bearing Cal-
houn county is likely to produce a still larger percentage of the com-
mercial crop of the state.
The orchards in Calhoun county consist principally of. standard
commercial varieties, and the younger plantings are mainly of espe-
cially desirable sorts, such as Jonathan, Winesap, Willow Twig, and
563
\
564
BULLETIN No. 312
[June,
TABLE 1. — APPLE TREES' OF BEARING AGE AND TOTAL PRODUCTION OF APPLES IN
ILLINOIS AND IN CALHOUN COUNTY FOR CENSUS YEARS 1889-19241
Year
Illinois
Calhoun county
Percentage in
Calhoun county
Number of apple trees
1889...
6 949 336
126 953
1.8
1899
13 430 006
336 734
2.5
1909
9 900 627
348 888
3.5
1919
5 113 063
294 920
5.7
1924. . .
4 129 330
403 618
9.7
Total production
1889.. .
bu.
9 600 785
bu.
119 109
1 2
1899
9 178 150
319 010
3.4
1909
3 093 321
173 630
5.6
1919
4 673 117
891 317
19.0
1924. . .
5 529 149
815 278
14.7
]Data from Census reports.
Delicious. This is an additional factor that will tend to increase the
relative importance of the county in reference to commercial apple
production.
TABLE 2. — COMMERCIAL APPLE PRODUCTION IN ILLINOIS AND IN CALHOUN COUNTY,
1922-1927 INCLUSIVE
Year
Illinois
Calhoun county
Percentage in
Calhoun county
1922...
bbls.
1 450 OOO1
bbls.
416 0012
28.7
1923
1 400 OOO1
536 087 2
38.3
1924
1 100 OOO1
343 6992
31 2
1925
1 215 OOO1
451 3892
37 1
1926
1 290 OOO1
400 6362
31.0
1927
804 OOO1
240 1423
29 8
Six-year average . . .
1 209 833
397 992
32.9
^rom government statistics. 2From data collected each year by H. J. Sellmeyer, St. Louis,
Missouri. 3From data collected at shipping points by the junior author in company with a represent-
ative of the Illinois State Department of Agriculture.
GRADING AND PACKING PRACTICES
Practically all the apples grown in Calhoun county are graded
and packed in the orchard.1 Portable grading tables with canvas
bottoms are used. About the only other equipment employed in the
packing of barrels consists of a few half-bushel baskets for sorting
receptacles, a portable barrel press, and a hatchet. Sometimes a few
boards are provided on which the barrels are placed while being
packed.
The pickers empty the fruit directly from the picking sacks on to
the sorting table. The apples are sorted by hand and placed in half-
growers in the county used packing sheds in 1927.
1928]
MARKETING CALHOUX COUNTY APPLES
565
bushel baskets according to grade. When filled, these baskets are
lowered into the barrels and emptied. In most cases each sorter has
a basket for "facers." The facing is usually done by a person who
FIG. 1. — PACKING APPLES IN* ORCHARD, CALHOUX COUXTY
In this important apple-producing area it is the common practice to pack
apples in the orchard rather than in a shed. Packages, fruit, and packers are
exposed to the weather, and the product naturally suffers.
FIG. 2. — PACKING APPLES NEAR SHED OF C. L. TUREMAN, HARDIX
A few growers have built sheds where they pack apples in bad weather, tho
when the weather is favorable they sometimes work just outside the shed.
makes a specialty of facing, or facing and "tailing." In a large crew
there is likely to be a separate person for each step in the packing
process, including facing, packing, tailing, and heading. A full-sized
566
BULLETIN No. 312
[June,
harvesting crew consists of four pickers, three or four sorters, one
facer, one tailer, one packer, and one header. Such a crew can pack
about 100 barrels a day. Smaller crews are often used consisting of
only two or three pickers, two sorters, and two men to do the facing,
packing, tailing, and heading, making a total of six or seven instead
of eleven or twelve.
In basket packing the same general method of handling the apples
is employed. The same type of sorting table is used and the apples
are commonly sorted into half-bushel baskets and later poured into
the bushel baskets or packing forms, tho sometimes they are sorted
directly into the bushel baskets or forms.
Growers Usually Do Their Own Packing
Most of the packing is done by crews working under the direct
supervision of the grower. In some cases when the crop has been sold
before harvest, the crews are under the supervision of the buyer or
FIG. 3. — HAULING EMPTY BARRELS TO THE ORCHARD
A load of barrels just starting from Hardin, where they were coopered. By
the use of large racks 100 barrels can be included in a load.
one of his foremen. Occasionally a grower contracts with some person
to do the grading and packing at a definite rate per barrel. However,
by far the largest part of the Calhoun county crop is packed by the
growers themselves even tho they may be under contract to do this
work for the buyers. The cost of harvesting and packing apples in
Calhoun county orchards (including the cost of the package), based
on data furnished by nine different growers, varied from $1.137 to
$1.303 a barrel and from 32.2 to 36.0 cents a bushel basket (Table 3).
The reports made were in reference to the 1926 crop. Variations in
the costs as reported by different growers were due mainly to the fact
1928]
MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES
567
TABLE 3. — APPLE PICKING AND PACKING COSTS AS REPORTED BY NINE CALHOUN
COUNTY GROWERS FOR 1926 CROP
Grower No.
Picking
Grading and
packing
Container and
caps
Total
Barrel packing
1
$.250
$.315
$.727
$1.292
2
.250
.287
.727
1.264
3 . .
.228
348
.727
1.303
4
.177
.233
.727
1.137
5
213
307
.727
1.247
6
.250
.310
.727
1.287
7
.250
.287
.727
1.264
8 .
200
.290
.727
1.217
Average
.227
.297
.727
1.251
Basket packing
1
.080
116
.160
.356
2
.080
.105
.160
.345
3 .
080
120
.160
.360
4
070
092
.160
.322
5
.076
.109
.160
.345
6 .
070
127
.160
.357
Average
.076
.111
.160
.347
that crews of the same size did not always pack the same quantity
of fruit in a day, some crews being more efficiently organized than
others. Also there were some differences in the wages paid by dif-
ferent growers for the same operations.
So far as picking and packing costs are concerned, barrel packing
is no more expensive than basket packing, volume for volume, but the
price differential between three baskets and one barrel is about 25
cents in favor of the baskets.
Care in Fruit Handling Varies With Crews
The amount of care exercised thruout the process of grading and
packing varies greatly with the different packing crews. In some
cases the pickers are careless in dumping the fruit upon the sorting
table, and considerable bruising results, tho the injury is usually not
apparent until the package is opened at the market. In most cases,
however, the pickers are reasonably careful in emptying the picking
sacks. As a rule the sorters are careful in handling the fruit and it
is doubtful if an appreciable amount of bruising occurs at this point
in the packing process. Usually the packers are careful in emptying
the baskets, but sometimes the fruit is dumped into the barrel instead
of being lowered into it.
Sometimes the packers fail to get the proper degree of tightness
in the pack. If the fruit is not pressed tightly enough, it becomes
slack in transit and is discounted on the market. If, on the other
hand, the barrels are filled too full, some of the apples are mashed
and others bruised when the head is forced into place. Failure prop-
erly to rack or shake the barrels as they are being filled results in too
severe pressing or a slack pack, either of which is undesirable and
lowers the value of the fruit.
568 BULLETIN No. 312 [June,
Standardized Grading Not General
The packs of fruit coming from Calhoun county are exceedingly
varied. There are no uniformly accepted grade standards. Some
growers pack according to the specifications of the Illinois apple
grading and packing law, others use the U. S. grade specifications,
while many seem to pack according to their individual ideas. Apple
dealers who come into the county and buy apples on contract fre-
quently write their own grade specifications into the contracts. These
specifications are usually more rigid than the provisions of the Illinois
law or the U. S. apple grades. The buyers keep in close touch with
the packing of the apples they have under contract and usually such
fruit is well graded.
The marks on the fruit packages vary fully as much as the grades
in the packages and have no uniformity in meaning. The "orchard
run" grade of one grower may be as good a grade as the so-called
"No. 1" pack of another. Some growers who pack without reference
to any standardized grades mark their packages with Illinois or U. S.
grade designations; others use various grade designations of their own
selection based upon convenience or personal preference ; a few fail to
place any grade or descriptive marks on their packages.1 Thirteen
representative lots of Calhoun county apples in cold storage in St. Louis
were examined in February, 1926. In each case an entire barrel of fruit
was sorted on the basis of U. S. grades (Table 4) . Again in December,
1927, examinations were made of Calhoun county apples in storage.
Fifteen lots were inspected at this time (Table 5) . These apples had
been placed in storage for winter and spring sale and undoubtedly
represent better grading than many of the apples that are sold for
early consumption at harvest time.
If the twenty-eight lots of apples representing the packs of
1925 and 1927 examined in storage are considered together, it will be
seen that only one of the lots contained more than 10 percent of culls,
while the average percentage of culls was only 3.8. However, of the
eleven lots marked No. 1, U. S. No. 1, Illinois No. 1, or "A," only one
contained 90 percent or more of apples that actually graded U. S.
No. 1. The lots marked No. 1 contained as an average 28.2 percent
of No. 2 apples, while those that were not so marked contained as an
average 56.7 percent of No. 1 and 38.4 percent of No. 2 fruit.
These observations indicate that errors in the grading of these
apples were principally in failure to separate No. 1 and No. 2 fruit
'Both the Illinois law and the U. S. grade specifications designate that each
package of apples shall be so marked as to give definite information on four
items: (1) the name and address of the packer, (2) the name of the variety,
(3) the grade of the fruit, and (4) the minimum size or numerical count. Fur-
thermore it is prescribed that the grade designation be worded exactly as in the
specifications.
1928]
MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES
569
TABLE 4. — INSPECTION OF CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES IN STORAGE, FEBRUARY, 1926
Actual grading
Lot
No.
Grade markings
U.S.
No. 1
U.S.
No. 2
Culls
1
No. 1, 2^-inch minimum
perct.
76.7
perct.
16.6
perct.
6.7
2
No. 1, 2J^-inch minimum
85.9
13.1
1.0
3
70.0
24.5
5.5
4
No. 1, 2J^-inch minimum
60.1
30.3
9.5
5
No. 1, 2J3-inch minimum
96.5
3.2
.3
6
No. 1 . .
76.9
20.0
3.1
7
No. 1
85.4
13.5
1.1
8
Orchard run, 2 J^-inch minimum
70.9
24.1
5.0
9
2 ^-inch minimum
56.1
40.9
3.0
10
2^-inch minimum
57.7
33.6
8.7
11
2 J4-inch minimum
73.6
18.7
7.7
12
2)^-inch minimum
45.1
31.9
23.0
13
No mark
65.4
26.5
8.1
rather than in the packing of culls. This was undoubtedly a carry-
over from the old practice of packing "orchard run" where only the
culls were removed. In actual practice there is no more difficulty in
separating No. 1 and No. 2 fruit than in separating No. 2's and culls.
Sometimes grade terms are misunderstood by the packer. An
example of this is shown in Table 5 (Lot 4). In this case the barrel
was labeled "U. S. Commercial." The specifications for U. S. Com-
mercial are the same as for U. S. No. 1 except that there is no color
TABLE 5. — INSPECTION OF CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES IN STORAGE, DECEMBER, 1927
Actual gradinj
(
Lot
No.
Grade markings
U.S.
No. 1
U. S.
No. 2
Culls
1
perct.
73
perct.
27
perct.
2
18
76
6
3
U. S. No. 1, 2J^-inch minimum
64
36
4
6
86
8
5
62
34
4
6
Illinois Commercial, 2J^-inch minimum
48
50
2
7
Illinois Commercial
64
36
8
48
50
2
9
Orchard run
60
32
8
10
18
79
3
11
2 J4-inch minimum
72
28
12
No mark
82
16
2
13
64
36
14
No mark
42
56
2
15
No mark
92
8
requirement for the U. S. Commercial grade. This barrel graded only
6 percent U. S. No. 1 and 86 percent U. S. No. 2. It would have been
correctly marked if labeled either U. S. No. 2 or Illinois Commercial.
The U. S. Commercial and Illinois Commercial are entirely different
grades. In order to mark packages properly the grade designations
must be well understood.
570
BULLETIN No. 312
[June,
Thru the courtesy of the State Department of Agriculture data
were secured regarding the grading of 87 carloads of apples shipped
from Calhoun county in the fall of 1927, as shown by inspection at
shipping point (Table 6). These 87 cars of apples included 247 lots
on which separate inspections were reported. Ten different designa-
tions had been used by the various packers to indicate the grade or
pack, and four lots were left without any grade designation whatever.
TABLE 6. — CLASSIFICATION OF 87 CARLOADS (247 LOTS) OF CALHOUN COUNTY
APPLES INSPECTED AT SHIPPING POINTS, 1927
Actual grade
packages
U. S.
Fancy
U. S.
No. I
U.S.
Commercial
U.S.
No. 2
U. S.
Unclassified
Total
U. S. Fancy
2
22
'i
2
23
U.S. No. 1
No. 1
41
34
3
3
1
5
45
42
U.S. No. 2
No. 2
ii
i
12
2J^ inch
2% inch
XX
4
2
i
4
26
7
39
28
15
68
28
Commercial. . . .
Orchard run. . .
No mark
Total
24
'2
84
io
1
2
1
45
2
3
1
87
3
5
4
247
Of the 25 lots marked U. S. Fancy, or Fancy, all except one actually
graded U. S. Fancy. Of the 87 lots marked^U. S. No. 1, or No. 1, 75
graded U. S. No. 1 and 6 graded U. S. Commercial. Twelve lots were
marked No. 2; all except one of these graded U. S. No. 2. The re-
maining 123 lots, or virtually half the total number, were not marked
according to any official grade designation. In the case of 83 lots
merely the size was marked; 30 of these graded U. S. No. 2 and 46
fell in the U. S. Unclassified group, which means that they contained
too many culls to grade No. 2. The 28 lots marked "XX" were all
below the No. 2 grade.
These inspection reports indicate that in the 87 cars of apples
under consideration wherever a recognized standard grade designation
was marked on the package, a sincere attempt usually had been made
to grade the fruit according to the specifications for that grade. How-
ever, half the lots in these cars were marked in ways other than with
official grade designations and in many instances were of such low
grade that they could be officially designated only as Unclassified.
Observations made in the orchards during the harvesting seasons
of 1926 and 1927 and on the levee at St. Louis corroborate the evi-
dence already given that there is wide variation in the quality and
grade of Calhoun county apples offered on the market. The general
average of the grade of the fruit sent to St. Louis is considerably be-
low that of fruit from other important apple-producing regions.
St. Louis apple dealers hold the opinion that grading in Calhoun
1928] MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY. APPLES 571
county is poorer than in most apple sections. On the other hand, a
number of Chicago dealers do not thus discriminate against Calhoun
county fruit. The reason for the difference in opinion is quite ap-
parent. Most of Chicago's receipts from this section are apples bought
and packed by Chicago marketing concerns or consigned by a few of
the larger growers. The fruit reaching Chicago is undoubtedly better
than the average from the county, while that reaching St. Louis, the
market more accessible to inexperienced packers, is probably some-
what below the average.
Calhoun county has not kept pace with most of the important
apple-producing regions of the country with reference to improved
standards of grading and packing. The lack of standardization as to
grade is one of the greatest handicaps under which fruit from Calhoun
county is marketed.
PACKAGES USED
The apple barrel has long been recognized as the standard pack-
age for fall and winter varieties of apples shipped from Calhoun
county, even tho summer varieties and early pickings of fall varieties
not intended for storage have been shipped in bushel baskets. How-
ever, larger use has been made of the bushel basket from year to year
until in 1927 over 55 percent of the total crop was shipped in bushel
baskets. Much of the basket fruit was shipped by rail from East
Hardin, but data collected at the boat landings show that 44 percent
of the fruit shipped by boat was in baskets.
Baskets Tending to Replace Barrels
The barrel is a much stronger package than the basket and better
adapted to rough handling and to storage. However, the necessity of
rolling the barrels about on the river bank, on the boats, and on the
levee in St. Louis results in considerable bruising of the fruit. There
is more or less "give" to the bulge of the barrel, and the fruits next
to the staves at the middle of the package are often bruised during the
process of loading and unloading, tho these bruises may not be appar-
ent until later in the season when the apples are taken from storage.
The fact that bushel baskets cannot conveniently be rolled but can
be carried without much difficulty results in much more careful
handling of this type of package and therefore less bruising of the
fruit even tho the package is less rigid. The introduction of the "tub"
type of bushel basket is likely to overcome some of the objections
against the bushel as a shipping and storage package.1
'There is some variation in the storage rates quoted by different companies,
but several companies in St. Louis quoted the following rates on apples in the
fall of 1927 for the season up to April 1 : barrels, 70 cents ; bushel boxes, 25 cents ;
bushel baskets, 40 cents. Two firms quoted 30 cents on tub bushels and 40 cents
on bushel baskets.
572
BULLETIN No. 312
[June,
FIG. 4. — BASKETS OF APPLES BEING STACKED ON LEVEE AT ST. Louis
The baskets are carried on the shoulder as they are unloaded from the boat.
Thus the fruit is not bruised as when rolled in a barrel.
The lower price of baskets as compared with barrels (Table 3)
has doubtless been one of the factors responsible for the recent trend
among Calhoun county growers to replace the barrel with the basket
as a package for winter apples as well as summer varieties.
Apple Box Favored by Some Growers
There is a growing sentiment in Calhoun county in favor of the
western apple box as a package for high-grade fruit produced in this
section. Two growers are already packing their fruit in boxes .and
FIG. 5. — BOXES OF APPLES FROM HAMBURG ON UPPER DECK OF THE Alabama
A small quantity of Calhoun county apples are packed in the standard west-
ern apple box. This container has much to recommend it. It is convenient and
economical in shipment and storage and protects the contents especially well.
1928] MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES 573
others contemplate doing so in the near future. The growers now
using boxes wrap their apples in oiled paper and pack them according
to numerical count. Special brands are used, designated by attractive
lithographed labels on the ends of the boxes.
The western apple box has much to recommend it as a package
for Calhoun county. It is a neat and attractive package when prop-
erly packed ; it is strong and protects its contents well during shipping
and handling; it stacks well in storage, and because of this, storage
rates on such packages are comparable with rates on barrels rather
than on baskets. An added point in favor of the box for Calhoun
county is that it must be carried when being loaded and unloaded.
This prevents such bruising as is likely to occur in barrels.
Calhoun county is bounded, except on the north, by navigable
rivers. There is not a railroad in the county nor a bridge across
either river. Hence practically all the apples leaving the county must
go by boat, transfer barge, or ferry. Since practically all the apples
are packed in the orchard, they are hauled in the shipping packages
directly from the orchard to the loading point instead of being hauled
in field crates from the orchard to a packing shed on the premises of
the grower or at a railway siding, as is done in many other regions.
The loading point is usually either a steamboat landing on the river
bank or a place where a transfer barge or a ferry operates.
Wagons or Trucks Haul Apples to River Landings
Either wagons or trucks are used in hauling the apples from the
orchards. The length of the haul varies from less than one-half mile
to several miles. During the extremely high water in the fall of 1926
many of the boat landings were unable to operate, so that many
growers were forced to haul their apples long distances to other land-
ings. This situation, tho unusual, is likely to recur from time to time.
The character of the roads over which the fruit is hauled varies
greatly in different parts of the county and under different weather
conditions. The only hard road is that from Hardin to Kampsville.
Dirt roads that normally are relatively good are cut into deep ruts
after a few days of rainy weather and at times are nearly impassable.
Some roads, improved by surfacing with rock and gravel in former
years, have not been given proper maintenance and are quite rough
and rocky.
The character of the roads has, of course, a very important bear-
ing upon the size of load that each hauling unit can handle and on the
number of trips that can be made in a day. It also has a bearing
upon the condition and keeping quality of the apples ; for it is hard to
conceive of any package of apples, even tho well packed, being hauled
574
BULLETIN No. 312
[June,
four or five miles over rough roads without the fruit being injured to
some extent. In slack-packed barrels or baskets the fruit suffers
much more.
The use of motor trucks in hauling fruit from the orchard to the
loading point is becoming more common each year. Fruit hauled in
trucks probably receives more jolting than fruit hauled in wagons
properly equipped with springs. However, the speed with which the
work can be done by truck seems destined to make the truck the
common vehicle for the apple hauling in the near future. Careful
driving will eliminate part of the jolting.
Larger loads can be hauled with trucks than with wagons. The
load for a wagon usually varies from 12 to 18 barrels, depending
largely upon the condition of the roads. Altho small trucks under
unfavorable road conditions may haul only 12 barrels, the more usual
load for the larger trucks is 18 to 24 barrels, and sometimes even
larger loads are hauled.
RIVER TRANSPORTATION HAS CARRIED BULK OF CROP
River transportation has been the dominant factor in the move-
ment of apples from Calhoun county. Shipments to St. Louis, Han-
nibal, and Peoria have normally traveled the entire distance by water,
while those to other markets have moved by boat to some rail shipping
FIG. 6. — STEAMSHIP Belle oj Calhoun READY TO DISCHARGE CARGO
OF APPLES AT ST. Louis LEVEE
This is the largest boat engaged in transporting apples from Calhoun county.
point, there to be transferred to cars. This double handling, with the
combined charges for boat and rail service previous to the extension
of the railroad to East Hardin, made transportation rates high to all
markets that could not be reached directly by water. This fact,
coupled with the remoteness of other large markets, has caused St.
1928]
MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES
575
Louis to be the principal market for Calhoun county apples. In fact,
previous to 1927, more apples were shipped from Calhoun county by
boat to St. Louis than to all other markets and by all other transpor-
tation methods (Table 7).
TABLE 7. — RIVER RECEIPTS OF CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES AT ST. Louis, 1922-1927
Year
Calhoun county
crop
To St. Louis by river1
1922
bbls.
416 001
536 087
343 699
451 389
400 636
240 142
bbls.
281 820
328 482
219 992
244 518
223 347
60 225
perct.
67.7
61.2
64.0
54.1
55.7
25.0
1923
1924 .
1925
1926
1927
•St. Louis Daily Market Reporter, November 30, 1927, published by O'Connor Market Reporter
Company.
Steamboat Lines Handle Shipments on Illinois and
Mississippi Rivers
The part of Calhoun county bordering on the Illinois river is
served by the Eagle Packet Company. The steamer, Golden Eagle,
operates regularly between St. Louis and Peoria, leaving St. Louis
twice every week except during the winter months. The steamer,
Piasa, has hauled apples during harvest time, operating mainly down
the river from Calhoun county loading points to St. Louis.
Apples that are shipped by water from the west side of the county
are handled by the Tennessee River Packet Company, or by the St.
Louis & Calhoun Packet Corporation, operating steamboats on the
Mississippi river.
The Tennessee River Packet Company operates boats regularly
between St. Louis and Quincy. The schedule is for two trips a week.
Three boats of this company are available for use in transporting
apples: namely, The Alabama, the Crescent, and the Jane Khea. Dur-
ing the apple season part of these boats ply between St. Louis and Cal-
houn county points rather than making the entire trip to Quincy, and
they sometimes make three trips a week.
The St. Louis & Calhoun Packet Corporation operates the Belle
of Calhoun and the Illinois, making two trips a week between St. Louis
and Louisiana, Missouri. When freight movement is heavy, both
boats are operated.
The Golden Eagle, Piasa, Alabama, and Belle of Calhoun are able
to carry large cargoes on their own decks and also may propel one or
two barges each, thus greatly increasing their hauling capacity. The
Crescent, Jane Rhea, and Illinois push large barges but carry no
freight on their own decks. The boats of the three transportation
companies, together with their barges, are capable of moving more
than 60,000 barrels of apples a week.
576
BULLETIN No. 312
[June,
In addition to the boats that have been mentioned, there are
several smaller boats that either have their decks laden or push
barges, which sometimes handle a considerable volume of apples.
They have no particular schedule nor particular route but pick up
business whenever and wherever they can do so advantageously.
FIG. 7. — LOADING APPLES ON OPEN DECK OF ONE OF THE SMALLER BOATS
Boats of this type, arid also small power boats that push barges, haul
many apples in seasons of heavy crop.
FIG. 8. — STREET SCENE IN HAMBURG DURING APPLE HARVEST
When the warehouses at the boat landings have no more room for the apples
hauled in from the orchards, the barrels of fruit are piled in the street or along
the river bank.
Boats Make Trip to St Louis Within Twenty-Four Hours
The running time of the packets from Calhoun county landings
to St. Louis varies considerably with conditions. When there are
1928]
MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES
577
large volumes of freight to be loaded at each landing, more time is
required to make the trip than when the loading is light and some
stops may be omitted. There are fifteen landings in Calhoun county
on the Illinois river and twenty on the Mississippi river at which stops
are scheduled; but the boat does not stop at a landing unless there is
freight to be delivered or loaded. The stage of the river also has
considerable influence on the running time of the boats. Nevertheless,
it is seldom that more than twenty-four hours are required to make the
trip from the upper landings in the county to the levee at St. Louis.
Delay in getting Calhoun county apples from orchard to market
is not due to slow running time of boats on the rivers, but rather to
the fact that the boats do not always take all the apples that are at
the landings. Sometimes at the peak of the harvest, apples may lie
FIG. 9. — Golden Eagle RECEIVING FREIGHT AT HARDIN
The gangplank extends from the warehouse to the boat deck,
house was damaged when struck by a boat during high water.)
(The ware-
at the landing for several days before a boat comes along that has
room to haul them. At other times a grower may request that ship-
ment of his apples be deferred in the hope that market conditions may
improve. It has been reported that in extreme cases certain barrels
of apples have been at the landing for thirty days before they were
loaded.
Warehouses at Boat Landings Inadequate
At most of the boat landings there are sheds or barns which are
supposed to serve as warehouses for the apples until they are loaded.
In most cases these sheds are owned by the landing keepers, who
charge a fee of 3 to 5 cents a barrel on all apples loaded at the given
578
BULLETIN No. 312
[June,
landing. At most of the landings the warehouses have a capacity of
less than 1,000 barrels, tho at Hamburg there is capacity of approxi-
mately 5,000 barrels. When the harvest is at its height, more apples
FIG. 10. — ROLLING BARRELED APPLES FROM WAREHOUSE TO STEAMBOAT
Deck hands starting to roll barrels of apples from warehouse across the
ground to the gangplank of the steamship Alabama. Some livestock had just been
loaded and the hurdles forming the chute had not yet been removed when this
picture was taken.
FIG. 11. — ANOTHER VIEW OF BARREL LOADING
Each deck hand has a short pike pole with which he manipulates the bar-
rels. This is a common method of loading apples on to boats in Calhoun county.
1928] MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES 579
are brought to the landings than can be placed in the warehouses. The
excess packages are piled on the ground wherever space may be found.
At Hamburg, in spite of the 5,000-barrel warehouse capacity, it is not
uncommon to find the principal street of the town piled high with
barrels of apples exposed to rain or sun.
Delays in Shipping Impair Keeping Quality of Fruit
To determine the effects of delayed shipment on the keeping qual-
ity of apples, tests were run during 1926 and 1927 on Jonathan, Wine-
sap, and Willow Twig apples grown in Calhoun county.
In 1926 it was planned to ship four barrels of each variety by
boat to St. Louis as soon as picked and there to place them in cold
storage; four barrels were to have been held in the orchard two weeks
exposed to the weather, and four barrels were to have been held in
sheds at the loading point for the same period before being sent to
storage. Owing to unavoidable conditions some of the lots were de-
layed in their trip to storage. A misunderstanding caused the Willow
Twigs to be shipped to storage a week earlier than planned. The
exact number of days elapsing between the picking dates and the dates
the various lots were placed in cold storage in St. Louis are shown in
Table 8, together with the conditions under which they were held
before being stored and the average mean daily temperatures prevail-
ing during the time the various lots were held.
At different times during the storage season one barrel of each
lot was removed from storage, and detailed examinations of the apples
made. The differences in the condition of the apples in the various
lots on specified dates are shown in Table 8.
During the 1927 season tests similar to those made in 1926 were
conducted with the same varieties. The apples in these tests, however,
were packed in tub bushels. The treatments given the various lots
were similar to those planned for the 1926 tests. The time that
elapsed between picking the various lots and placing them in cold
storage in St. Louis is shown in Table 9, together with the results of
detailed examinations made at various times during the storage season.
In both the 1926 and 1927 tests, when a package had been exam-
ined and a record of its condition made the fruit wTas disposed of.
The subsequent examinations were made on other packages of the cor-
responding lots. The results, therefore, could not be expected to be
exactly the same for the same lots because the keeping quality of
apples in the different packages might vary somewhat even under
identical treatment. Significant differences in the keeping quality of
the apples handled in different ways are, however, shown in some cases.
There are apparently no significant differences shown in the keep-
ing quality of the Willow Twig lots and the Winesap lots examined
in the 1926 tests. The differences noted are too small to be significant.
This can partly be explained by the low temperatures that prevailed
580
BULLETIN No. 312
[June,
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MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES
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582 BULLETIN No. 312 [June,
during the time the apples were held before being placed in cold
storage and, in the case of the Willow Twigs, by the relatively small
difference in the length of time over which the different lots were held
before being stored.
The results of the tests on Jonathans, however, indicate that the
apples in Lot 1, held in the shed for 12 days, kept significantly better
than those of Lots 2, 3, and 4, held longer in orchard and shed. The
percentage of decay in Lot 1 was much smaller than in the other lots;
the fruit was not as slack in the barrels and did not ripen as rapidly
during the storage period.
The results of the 1927 tests, as shown in Table 9, indicate that
delay in placing apples in cold storage was very detrimental to the
keeping quality of the three varieties tested. In the case of all these
varieties the apples that were shipped to storage soon after picking
showed much less decay at all later examinations than did those held
at the shipping point for two to three weeks before being placed in
cold storage. Fruit shipped immediately to storage ripened much less
rapidly than fruit held two to three weeks, and the packs remained
tight for a much longer period.
In none of the tests did apples held in the orchard with no pro-
tection from the weather show significant differences in condition
from those held in sheds where they were protected. The packages
that were exposed to the weather were, however, not as clean and
attractive in appearance as those held in sheds.
These tests show that with normal weather conditions it is detri-
mental to the keeping quality of apples of midseason and late varieties
to withhold them from storage for more than a very few days. Work
done by investigators in the U. S. Department of Agriculture shows
that prompt storage after apples have been picked is important be-
cause it prevents rapid softening of the fruit and because it retards the
development of destructive storage rots. It is stated:1 "At 70° F.,
softening proceeds approximately twice as rapidly as at 50° F. At
50° F., it is almost double the rate at 40° F., while at the latter tem-
perature softening proceeds fully twice as rapidly as at 32° F." Later
in the same publication the investigators say: "It is of fundamental
importance that apples intended for cold storage holding be moved to
the storage rooms as soon as possible after picking." Brooks, Fisher,
and Cooley2 say: "When fruit is placed in cold storage immediately
upon picking, the rots develop slowly, but if the rot organisms can
have a week's start on the warm fruit, they will make a rapid growth
even at 32° F."
'Magness, J. R., et al. The ripening, storage, and handling of apples.
U. S. D. A. Dept. Bui. 1406. 1926.
2Brooks, Chas., Cooley, J. S., and Fisher, D. F. Diseases of apples in
storage. U. S. D. A. Farmers' Bui. 1160. 1920.
1928]
MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES
583
If apples are to be placed on the market in good condition for
storing, they must be shipped as soon as packed. Much of the fruit
bought at harvest time is bought for storing, and fruit that shows rot
or is too ripe for safe storage is usually discounted in price according
to its condition. Holding apples in sheds or at loading points in the
hope that market conditions will improve is, therefore, likely to be an
unprofitable practice.
Rolling of Barreled Apples Adds to Damage
When a packet stops at a landing to pick up freight, the barrels
are rolled on their sides directly from the warehouse to the gangplank
or down the river bank to the gangplank and on to the boat deck or
the barge beside the boat. When the banks are muddy, boards are
usually laid down to keep the barrels out of the mud. As the barrels
are loaded on the boat they are placed on end in stacks two or three
high. Part of the barrels on the boat deck have some protection from
the weather, but those on the barge have none.
When the boat lands in St. Louis, the barrels are rolled down the
gangplank or runway on to the levee. There they are rolled over the
FIG. 12. — UNLOADING APPLES AT THE LEVEE IN ST. Louis
The barrels are rolled down the gangplank and over the cobblestone surface
of the levee. Unless tightly packed, considerable bruising of the fruit is likely
to result.
cobblestones to the location of their respective lots, where they are
stacked on their sides, usually three high, and are left to be disposed
of by the dealers to whom they are shipped. The cobblestone surface
of the levee is quite rough and it is doubtful if a barrel of apples can
be rolled over these stones without bruising some of the fruit. Fruit
that was slack-packed or that has been held at the landing too long
584 BULLETIN No. 312 [June,
before shipment suffers worse than fruit that is tight in the package,
but even the best-packed barrels of fruit cannot escape some injury
when subjected to such treatment, especially when the handlers are
not so careful as they might be in rolling the barrels about on the
levee. Baskets and boxes are carried instead of being rolled in loading
and unloading and therefore their contents are likely to suffer less
injury than the fruit shipped in barrels.
When the apples have been unloaded and piled in individual lots
on the levee, the duty of the transportation agency is completed.
Apples consigned to the cold-storage houses are hauled away to the
coolers soon after they are unloaded. Those intended for sale on the
open market are taken in charge by the dealer to whom they are con-
signed or who may already own them but may wish to dispose of them
immediately.
River Rates Uniform on Barrel Shipments to St Louis
The river freight rates on barrels of apples from Calhoun county
are the same regardless of the number of barrels in the shipment.
There is no distinction between large and small lots corresponding to
the c.l. and l.c.l. railroad rates. Thus the small shipper is at no
disadvantage so far as freight rates are concerned. Furthermore,
barrels of apples from all boat landings in Calhoun county take the
same rate to St. Louis, even tho the nearest landing is only about 40
miles from that city and the farthest approximately 100 miles by the
river route. The greatest expense in transporting these apples is in
taking on and discharging the cargoes. All labor connected with these
operations is furnished by the transportation company. The flat rate
tends to equalize the marketing costs for growers in different parts of
the county desiring to use the St. Louis market. This rate is 40 cents
a barrel. Rates on bushel baskets, boxes, and sacks have differed
slightly at different points in the county. From Mississippi river
landings the rate on each of these packages in 1927 was 15 cents,
while from landings on the Illinois river it was 20 cents. The rate to
Peoria from Illinois river landings was 45 cents on barrels and 25
cents on baskets, boxes, and sacks.
FACILITIES FOR RAIL TRANSPORTATION
RECENTLY IMPROVED
Altho there are no railroads in Calhoun county, three railway
companies have lines that run close enough to the county to receive
apples as freight.
Most Important Loading Point on C. & A. at East Hardin
The most important rail loading point for Calhoun county apples
is East Hardin, which is directly across the Illinois river from Hardin
MARKETING CALHOUX COUNTY APPLES
585
FIG. 13. — MAP OF CALHOUN COUNTY AND VICINITY
The county is nearly surrounded by navigable rivers. Altho there are no
railroads in the county, three railway companies have lines sufficiently close to
receive apples as freight. Hard roads connect the county with East St. Louis
and St. Louis.
and is served by a branch of the Chicago & Alton Railway running
from Carrollton, in Greene county. The extension from Eldred to
East Hardin was completed in 1925, and thus has been available for
rail shipments only three seasons. Previous to the completion of this
line shipments might have been made from Eldred by trucking the
apples about four miles after crossing the Illinois river by ferry at
Kampsville. Very few apples, however, have ever been loaded at
Eldred.
Apples May Be Loaded Directly Into Cars at East Hardin
At East Hardin the apples may be loaded into cars from transfer
barges or from trucks or wagons that have been ferried across the
river. A track extends over the levee and, paralleling the stream
for a few hundred yards, descends by a gentle incline into the water,
586
BULLETIN No. 312
[June,
so that at any stage of the river apples can be loaded directly from
transfer barges into the cars. The lower end of the track is always
submerged and cars may be backed down the slope as far as may be
necessary for convenient loading.
FIG. 14. — RAILROAD TRACK EXTENDING ALONG THE RIVER AT EAST HARDIN
The lower end of the track is submerged. Cars may be "spotted" at any
point to facilitate loading of apples directly from barges.
Barges operate between Hardin and East Hardin thru the ship-
ping season. At Hardin the apples are unloaded from trucks or
wagons and slid directly down skids and runways on to the barges
or are left on the bank until a barge is ready to receive them. Barrels
are usually loaded two tiers high on these transfer barges, about 1,250
barrels making a full load. As soon as a barge is loaded, the power
boat pushes it across the river, where it is tied up alongside the track.
The barrels are then rolled on skids directly into the cars.
The ferry operating between Hardin and East Hardin has sufficient
capacity for hauling from six to eight loaded trucks at a time and can
make a round trip in about thirty minutes. Many growers prefer this
method of getting their fruit to the cars at East Hardin, since there
is usually less delay in getting the apples from the orchard to the car
and also less handling of the fruit. The ferry charge at this point in
1927 was 5 cents a barrel or 2 cents a basket. There was no charge
for the empty truck going back. The rate on the transfer barge was
10 cents a barrel or 5 cents a basket, but in this case the transfer
company performed all the labor involved in handling the apples from
the time they were unloaded from the shipper's truck at the river bank
in Hardin until they were loaded into the cars at East Hardin. When
the apples were transferred by ferry, the shipper did his own loading.
In 1926 about 80 percent of the apples shipped by rail from East
Hardin were transferred across the river by barges; but in 1927 after
1928] MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES 587
the capacity of the ferry had been greatly increased, more apples were
transported by ferry than by barge. Rail shipments from East Hardin
have been as follows: in 1925, 542 cars; in 1926, 405 cars; in 1927, 311
cars.1 Many of these cars were iced at Roodhouse before being loaded.
Possibility of a Bridge at Hardin. — It is the expectation that a
bridge across the Illinois river at Hardin and East Hardin will be
constructed in the near future. Appropriations have been made by
the state for the construction of this bridge and the plans are practi-
cally completed. When the bridge is finished, it will be possible to
truck apples directly from the orchards to the team tracks in East
Hardin without the use of barge or ferry and this will tend greatly to
increase shipments at this point.
Loading Points Available on C. B. & Q. in Missouri
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad runs along the west
side of the Mississippi river from St. Louis to Hannibal and makes
connections there for Quincy, Kansas City, Chicago, Minneapolis, and
other markets. At Peruque, Missouri, the tracks are only about one-
fourth of a mile from the river. A few apples ferried across the river
on trucks at this point are loaded into cars for shipment. At one time
there was a spur track extending into the river at Peruque like the
one at East Hardin, but this was removed when the brick plant across
the river ceased to operate. There has been, at various times, some
agitation among the growers in the southern part of the county to
have this track replaced so that apples may be loaded from barges
into cars at this point. The ferry goes a considerable distance up the
river from Golden Eagle to Peruque, requiring about 1% hours to
make the round trip. The ferry charge is one dollar each way for a
truck regardless of its size.
North of Peruque the C. B. & Q. swings away from the river and
there are no other readily accessible loading points until Clarksville
is reached. Here the railway sidings are about a quarter mile from
the river landing point for transfer barges. Clarksville, Missouri? is
about 15 miles upstream from Hamburg, Illinois, which is the largest
apple shipping point in Calhoun county. In spite of this distance a
considerable volume of apples is brought on transfer barges from
Hamburg to Clarksville and there loaded into cars.
When shipments are heavy, two barges are in operation between
these points. The shippers deliver their apples at a warehouse in
Hamburg. The transfer companies handle them from that point to
the cars, including the wagon haul from the landing at Clarksville to
the railroad. During the busy season one round trip is usually made
by each barge every twenty-four hours. The transfer charge in 1927
was 25 cents a barrel, including the warehouse fee at the loading point.
'Data furnished by Traffic Department of Chicago & Alton Railroad.
588 BULLETIN No. 312 [June,
In 1925, 177 cars of apples were shipped from Clarksville. Most
of these apples came from Calhoun county and went to Chicago. In
1926 the shipments from this point amounted to 264 cars and in 1927,
127 cars.1 Many of the cars shipped from Clarksville were iced at
Hannibal before being loaded.
Apples Ferried Across River Loaded at Grafton
Grafton, in Jersey county, is served by the Alton & Eastern Rail-
road. A good many apples loaded in trucks are ferried across the
Illinois river below Deerplain and hauled to Grafton for loading into
cars. To reach the ferry from the nearest orchards the apples must
be hauled two to three miles over dirt and macadam roads thru the
river bottoms. After crossing the ferry the trucks must cover more
than three miles of rough road, partly dirt and partly improved, to
reach the loading tracks at Grafton. The transfer charge at this
ferry in 1927 was one dollar for each truck one way. The round trip
rate was $1.50 for trucks under two tons, and $2 for trucks of two-ton
capacity or over. This would be about 7% cents a barrel for average
loads on 1%- and 2-ton trucks. The ferry at this point is small and
can haul only one or two trucks at a load. If large quantities of fruit
were to be handled here, considerable increase in transfer facilities
would be necessary.
Another way in which apples might be taken to Grafton for ship-
ment by rail would be to transport them by packet from any river
landing in the county and transfer them by wragon or truck from the
landing at Grafton to the cars. Or the same method might be em-
ployed for loading them into cars at Alton or St. Louis. The rate by
packet is the same whether the apples are unloaded at Grafton, Alton,
or St. Louis. The total charge for getting a barrel of apples from the
boat landing in Calhoun county to the cars at any of these points is
approximately 45 cents besides the drayage charge. This expense is
involved before the apples are even started by rail. This method
also involves considerable delay before the fruit can be put under
refrigeration and requires a large amount of handling which impairs
rather than improves the keeping quality of the apples. It is there-
fore seldom used.
Shipments of Calhoun county apples by rail from Grafton during
the last three years have been approximately as follows: 1925, 100
cars; 1926, 100 cars; 1927, 70 cars.2
The Chicago & Alton line from Kansas City, Missouri, to Spring-
field, Illinois, passes thru Pike county about three miles from the
'Data furnished by General Freight Department of Missouri District of
C. B. & Q. Ry.
!Data furnished by Freight Department of A. & E. R. R. and station agent
at Grafton.
1928}
MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES
589
north boundary of Calhoun county. Up to the present time relatively
few apples have been produced in the extreme north end of the county
and shipping points on this railway line have been of little im-
portance in moving the crop, tho some Calhoun county apples have
been shipped from Pleasant Hill and from Nebo. Shipments from
Pleasant Hill were 3 cars in 1925, 5 cars in 1926, and 5 cars in 1927.1
Shipments from Nebo were 7 cars in 1926, and 3 cars in 1927.1
The orchards in Calhoun county close to Nebo are just coming into
bearing and it is probable that rail shipments from this point will
show a marked increase in the near future.
Freight Rates to Various Markets
Railway freight rates on apples from the principal loading points
accessible to Calhoun county growers to some of the important mar-
kets are given in Table 10.
TABLE 10. — CARLOT FREIGHT RATES ON BARREL AND BASKET APPLES
FROM POINTS ACCESSIBLE TO CALHOUN CouNTY1
(Rate in cents per cwt.2)
From
East Hardin
Graf ton
Clarksville
East St. Louis
13
11
20
18
14.5
22
27.5
20.5
32
32
26.5
Memphis
42.5
42.5
42.5
32
30.5
42
Minneapolis
44
44
44
'Data furnished by the railway companies concerned, winter of 1927-28.
2Icing charges are not included in these rates.
The rail rate from East Hardin to St. Louis in carload lots (with-
out refrigeration) is 10 cents a barrel less than the river rate but does
not include the transfer by ferry or barge to the rail loading point nor
unloading at destination. The rail rate from Clarksville to St. Louis
is only slightly over half the river rate from Hamburg, but to this
rail rate must be added the 25 cents per barrel charge for the transfer
by barge from Hamburg to Clarksville, thus making the total cost of
transportation by barge and rail greater than by boat.
Boat Shipments Faster Than Rail From East
Hardin to St. Louis
Shipments by rail from Clarksville, which leave that loading
point in the evening, normally reach St. Louis by the next morning,
but rail shipments from East Hardin may require two or three days to
reach the same market. River transportation usually requires no more
than 24 hours from any loading point in Calhoun county to St. Louis.
'Data, furnished by Traffic Department of Chicago & Alton Railroad and
station agents at Pleasant Hill and Nebo.
590
BULLETIN No. 312
[June,
FIG. 15. — RIVER SCENE AT HARDIN
In the foreground are barges loaded with apples and a power boat for trans-
ferring the barges to East Hardin. In the background is the steamship Golden
Eagle that hauls apples to Peoria or St. Louis.
FIG. 16. — FROM BARGE TO REFRIGERATOR CARS AT EAST HARDIN
The barrels of apples are being rolled on a skid directly from the transfer
barge to the refrigerator car. The transfer company does the loading.
Possibility of a Railroad in Calhoun County
The construction of a railroad running thru Calhoun county from
north to south has been projected and a right of way over a large part
of the distance has been acquired. The completion of such a railroad
would connect this apple region with Quincy on the north and St. Louis
on the south and entirely change the situation in reference to rail
transportation.
1928}
MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES
591
MOTOR TRUCKS HAUL MANY APPLES TO MARKET
Motor trucks are becoming more and more important in the
transportation of apples from Calhoun county to market. For several
years it has been customary to haul considerable quantities of the
early varieties and early pickings of Grimes and Jonathans packed
in baskets directly from the orchards in the southern part of the
county to the stores of dealers in St. Louis. Bulk apples have also
been trucked from the same area to St. Louis and surrounding towns.
Some growers do their own trucking, but there are now owners of
commercially operated trucks who make a regular business of hauling
FIG. 17. — BASKETS OF APPLES LOADED FROM TRUCK INTO REFRIGERATOR
CARS AT EAST HARDIN
The trucks are ferried across the river. Some growers prefer this method to
transfer by barge, since it involves less handling of the fruit and less delay in
loading.
apples to St. Louis. In either case the apples are loaded into the truck
at the orchard and delivered at any dealer's store or any cold storage
plant in St. Louis without rehandling. The trucks cross the Mississippi
river by ferry at Golden Eagle. There are two ferries operating at
this point. Each is capable of carrying five or six good-sized trucks.
Most of the trip from the ferry to St. Louis (a distance of 38 miles),
via St. Charles, Missouri, is over gravel or concrete roads, tho there
are three or four miles of road that are in poor condition in wet
weather. Under normal conditions a truck can make the trip from
the ferry to St. Louis in about two hours. A common load for a one-
ton truck is 45 bushel baskets. Some of the larger trucks haul more
than 100 baskets. Few, if any, apples in barrels have been hauled
to St Louis by truck. Commercial trucking companies in 1927 charged
25 cents a bushel basket for hauling apples from the orchards around
Brussels, Batehtown, and Golden Eagle to any point in St. Louis. In
1926, 80,000 bushels of apples in trucks crossed the river by ferry at
592
BULLETIN No. 312
[June,
Golden Eagle. In 1927, when the crop was light, there were 105,000
bushels.
After the close of the apple harvest in 1927 the concrete road
from East Hardin to Jerseyville was completed. This affords thru
connections over hard roads all the way from East Hardin to St. Louis
via Jerseyville and Alton. The distance is 68 miles. Undoubtedly
considerable volumes of fruit from the territory near Hardin and along
the concrete highway between Hardin and Kampsville will be moved
to St. Louis by truck during the next apple harvest. This new road
not only makes the St. Louis market readily accessible by truck from
the eastern part of Calhoun county, but also makes it possible to
FIG. 18. — CIDER MILL NEAR HARDIN
In 1927 about 8 percent of the apple crop of Calhoun county was made into
cider. This was used mostly by pickle companies for making vinegar, and was
shipped out largely in tank boats.
reach a number of well-populated industrial communities in the vicin-
ity of East St. Louis. It has been estimated that the combined popu-
lation of these industrial centers is more than 160,000, thus affording
a potential market for many apples.
The quantities of apples shipped from Calhoun county in 1927
by the various means of transportation are given in Table 11. Thirty-
eight percent of the crop was shipped by rail, 30.5 percent by river
packet, and nearly 23 percent by truck. In addition, more than 8
percent was shipped out in the form of cider, mostly by river boat.
TABLE 11. — TOTAL APPLE SHIPMENTS FROM CALHOUN COUNTY, 1927
Barrels1
Percent of total
By packet, on rivers
73 434
1 . 30.5
By rail
91 528
38.1
By truck, via ferry
55 167
22.9
As cider*
20 013
8.3
Total
240 142
99.8
'Including baskets and boxes calculated as 3 to the barrel.
Calculated on the basis of 1 barrel of apples to 10.7 gallons of cider.
1928] MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES 593
STORAGE FACILITIES ACCESSIBLE
There are no cold-storage facilities in Calhoim county. A few
growers have dry storage houses in which they place a small portion
of their crops. Fruit held in these houses until spring is usually quite
ripe and will not long remain firm when taken from storage. It must
be handled rapidly and usually sells at a discount because it must
compete on the market with sound fruit from cold storage. This sit-
uation has led to some discussion regarding the feasibility of erecting
cold-storage warehouses especially for handling apples produced in
Calhoun county.
Altho there are no cold-storage plants in the county, ample facili-
ties for storing Calhoun county apples are available. In St. Louis
alone there are seven storage plants having a total apple capacity of
approximately 460,000 barrels (Table 12).
TABLE 12. — COLD STORAGE SPACE FOR APPLES NEAR
CALHOUN COUNTY
City Capacityi
St. Louis
Hannibal
Louisiana, Missouri.
Peoria .
Total.
bbls.
462 000
76 000
35 000
30 000
603 000
'As reported by cold storage companies, or calculated on basis of
160 barrels to a carload, or 8 cubic feet of space for a barrel.
Hannibal and Louisiana, Missouri, are readily accessible by boat
from Calhoun county and can also be reached by rail if the apples
are loaded at Clarksville after being transferred by barge from Ham-
burg. These towns have considerable storage space and good rail
connections for shipping apples from storage to various markets.
Peoria, accessible by boat or rail, is an important distributing point
and a logical place to store apples for shipment to markets farther
east. The storage capacity in Peoria available for apples is about
30,000 barrels (Table 12). Quincy is another point at which apples
from Calhoun county might be stored.
The quantities of apples stored in St. Louis the past three seasons
have been: for 1925, 252,668 barrels; 1926, 179,893 barrels; and 1927,
179,712 barrels (Table 13). Of these, 169,961, 114,356, and 39,664
barrels respectively for the three seasons were from Calhoun county.
The St. Louis storage of Calhoun county apples represented 37.6, 28.5,
and 16.5 percent respectively of the crop for these three years. There
is ample storage space in St. Louis for many more apples from Cal-
houn county than have been stored there the past three seasons.
594
BULLETIN No. 312
[June,
In view of the storage space available for apples in St. Louis,
Hannibal, Louisiana, and Peoria, not to mention Chicago and other
distributing markets, there would seem to be no adequate reason for
the erection of cold-storage plants in Calhoun county. Such plants
FIG. 19. — UNLOADING APPLES FROM WAGON INTO WAREHOUSE AT HAMBURG
By the use of a skid one man handles the barrels with ease. In hauling the
apples over the hilly roads, brakes are used on the wagons and the load is roped
to hold it in place.
would be expensive to build and operate, and there would be no reve-
nue from the storage of products other than apples during the summer
season as is possible in storage plants in large cities. At no point in
the county could apples be loaded from a storage plant directly into
TABLE 13. — QUANTITIES OF APPLES STORED IN ST. Louis, 1925, 1926, AND 19271
Storage
package and
year
Volume of apples
stored in St.
Louis
Calhoun county apples stored in
St. Louis
Percentage of
Calhoun county
apples stored in
grower's name
Volume
Percentage of
total stored in
St. Louis
Barrels
1925
162 004
116 585
27 069
51 237
27 915
182 938
220 756
162 009
275 992
252 668
179 893
179 712
145 615
107 848
25 196
17 002
13 204
32 454
6 868
6 321
10 951
169 961
114 356
39 664
89.9
92.5
93.1
33.2
47.3
17.75
3.1
3.9
3.97
67.3
63.6
22.1
9.08
13.57
9.8
28.7
26.45
39.0
99.2
100
100
10.05
15.77
26.05
1926
1927
Baskets
1925
1926
1927. . .
Boxes
1925. . . .
1926
1927
Total as barrels. .
1925
1926 . .
1927
'Compiled from data furnished by the cold-storage companies. Storage space available in St.
Louis, 462,000 barrels.
1928] MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES 595
refrigerator cars, and river transportation to market is not available
in winter. If a cold-storage plant were erected at East Hardin, just
outside the county, the loading of cars could readily be handled in
winter, but the lack of summer revenue would be a serious obstacle to
the profitable operation of such a plant; and in years of light crop in
Calhoun county even the winter revenue would be reduced since the
location is not favorable for shipping in apples from other regions for
storage purposes.
METHODS OF SALE
Calhoun county apple growers have used a number of different
methods of selling their fruit. Considerable quantities of the apples
usually are sold long before the harvest. Other quantities are sold at
harvest time but before the fruit is shipped. Much fruit is shipped
on consignment to large markets. Smaller quantities have been sold
thru brokers or stored by the growers and later sold. Numerous
variations of these methods have been widely used from time to time,
and the quantities sold in the various ways have varied considerably
from year to year.
Pre-Harvest Contracts
It has been a common practice for apple buyers to come to Cal-
houn county in June, July, or August, and begin operations for the
season. These buyers usually represent large produce firms in impor-
tant markets. A buyer visits a number of orchards inspecting the
fruit and estimating the crop. He then bargains with the owner of
any orchard that interests him and they attempt to reach an agree-
ment as to price and method of selling. If an agreement is reached,
a contract is usually drawn up stating the price to be paid, basis of
grading, and other points of importance. In some cases, however,
such transactions take place without a written contract being signed.
The buyer usually pays the grower a part of the purchase price at
the time the contract is made and agrees to pay the balance when the
fruit is shipped.
The buyer may pay a lump sum for the entire crop on the trees.
The fruit then becomes his property and he assumes all risks due to
adverse weather conditions or possible insect and disease damage. The
buyer makes all arrangements for handling the crop and pays all ex-
penses of these operations. He may hire the grower to harvest, pack,
and haul the crop at a stated rate per barrel or he may handle the
crop with his own crews.
Some buyers are unable to estimate accurately the size of a crop
on the trees before harvest time. During some years adverse weather
conditions have caused large quantities of fruit to be lost before it
could be picked and packed. Often the buyer does not wish to assume
the risks that must be borne when a crop is bought on the trees several
596 BULLETIN No. 312 [June,
weeks before the harvest. In such cases the buyer agrees to pay a
stated price for the crop packed and delivered at the loading point.
A flat price per package is usually paid for both No. 1 and No. 2 fruit,
and the grade specifications are stipulated by the buyer. Such a price
is made as will allow a fair return for the costs of harvesting, packing,
and hauling to the loading point in addition to the price for the fruit.
Under such an agreement the buyer may purchase the grower's entire
crop or he may buy only certain varieties. When only certain varieties
are bought, the buyer may arrange to have the remainder of the
grower's crop handled by his company for the grower's account. Con-
tracts in which the crop is bought at a definite rate per barrel are
usually written, and the grade specifications under which the fruit is
to be packed are included. Here also the buyer usually advances the
grower a part of the money when the contract is signed and agrees to
pay the balance when the fruit is delivered for shipment. When this
method of sale is employed, the grower does all of the harvesting,
packing, and hauling. The buyer, however, usually visits the orchard
once or twice each day to see that the grading is being done according
to specifications and that the fruit is properly packed.
Sometimes a buyer does not begin his operations until harvest
time. In such cases he may go into orchards where the growers have
not yet sold their crops. If the quality and condition of the fruit
being packed is satisfactory to him, he attempts to buy it. If a sale
is made, the price agreed upon usually applies to the fruit delivered
at the loading point.
The buyer, instead of visiting the orchards, may work at the
loading points (usually boat landings) and there inspect various lots
of fruit as they are hauled in from the orchards. He then attempts
to buy those lots which seem desirable to him.
Consignments to Commission Merchants
Most of the fruit not bought up by apple dealers is shipped on
consignment to commission merchants in the larger markets. This is
the most widely used method of selling Calhoun county apples. Altho
some consigned fruit is sent to Chicago and other markets, by far the
largest part of such fruit is shipped by boat to St. Louis and is there
sold in the apple sales that are held on the levee nearly every day
during the shipping season.
Some growers in Calhoun county have used this method regularly
and have shipped consistently year after year to one or two repre-
sentatives in this market. Others have consigned consistently to St.
Louis but have not formed any permanent market connections there.
These growers ship first to one dealer and then to another, their choice
depending upon how satisfactory the preceding returns have been.
Sometimes growers divide shipments among several different dealers
and send later shipments to the one who makes the most satisfactory
1928]
MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES
597
returns. Other growers ship on consignment only when they have
been unable to interest buyers in their fruit or when they and the
buyers have been unable to agree upon a price. These growers usually
have no regular market representative, and consequently their fruit
has little standing on the market.
The Levee Sale at St. Louis
An auction sale of apples takes place on the levee at St. Louis
whenever the boats bring down enough fruit to justify a sale. The
sales usually begin about ten o'clock in the morning or about two
o'clock in the afternoon. The fruit has been piled in lots that are
numbered. Each commission merchant receives from the boat clerk
a list of the lots consigned to him. When the time for the sale arrives,
FIG. 20. — BARRELS OF APPLES ON LEVEE AT ST. Louis
The apples are brought by boat from Calhoun county and piled up on the
levee in readiness for the auction sales which take place nearly every day during
the apple harvest.
the commission merchant opens one or two packages of a lot of apples
and invites prospective buyers to examine them. He then passes slips
of paper to those who wish to bid on the lot. The bids are written on
the slips of paper and handed to the dealer selling the fruit. He ex-
amines the bids, tears up all the slips except the one containing the
highest bid, and announces the successful bidder. A sales ticket is
then made out for the lot and the buyer arranges for the disposition
of his purchase. This process is repeated by the different commission
merchants having fruit to sell until all of the lots are disposed of or
until the buyers leave. Frequently large quantities of apples cannot
be disposed of at one sale. Those not sold then are held over until
the next sale which usually takes place that afternoon or the next
day. The commission charged for making sales on the levee is 10
percent.
598 BULLETIN No. 312 [June,
Sometimes a prospective buyer sees a lot of apples which he is
particularly anxious to obtain. He may, in that case, arrange to
inspect them and to have the commission merchant set a price on the
lot. If the price is agreeable, he may buy the fruit without bidding
for it. This is more often done with highly desirable lots of apples
than with fruit of ordinary grade and pack, and the resulting price is
correspondingly greater. When a lot of apples is offered for sale and
bids are solicited, the usual custom is for the highest bidder to be
given that lot of apples at the figure he bids. The salesman may,
however, announce before the bidding begins that if the price is not
satisfactory he reserves the right to withdraw the lot from sale. This
is seldom done except with high-grade fruit in good condition for
storing and then only when the commission merchant has some such
agreement with the shipper. Fruit that is only fair in quality or con-
dition is usually sold for what it will bring because storage of such
fruit is seldom profitable.
When supplies are heavy and demand slow, any market is usually
dull. The market at the levee is not exempt from this condition. At
such times it is very difficult to get satisfactory prices for the best of
fruit, and off-grade fruit in poor condition sells for very little. The
grower who ships poorly graded fruit that is also in poor condition,
is greatly handicapped when his product strikes such a market because
it cannot be stored with any assurance of profit and because its value
on such a market is extremely low. Likewise a shipper shipping to
a dealer with whom he has no well-established connections and no
agreement to cover such circumstances, is likely to find his fruit being
sold at a low price because his representative has no authority to store
it when unable to make a satisfactory immediate sale.
This apple sale on the levee often has been condemned as detri-
mental to the interests of Calhoun county growers. It undoubtedly
has its faults. However, it performs a distinct service in evaluating
and disposing of numerous small lots of apples of every grade, condi-
tion, and description.
Brokerage Sales a Factor in 1927
Recently some fruit from Calhoun county has been sold on a
brokerage basis. Part of this fruit was sold at harvest time and part
was stored for selling later in the season. The growers who arranged
to have their fruit handled in this way designated whether they wished
it sold at once or stored. The time of selling from storage was
left to the discretion of the broker. In general the selling was dis-
tributed thru the whole storage season. The freight from the shipping
point to the storage house was paid by the broker and deducted from
the sales along with storage and brokerage charges when returns were
made. The brokerage charge was a flat rate per package regardless of
the selling price of the fruit.
1928} MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES 599
Merits of Different Methods
Each of the various methods of marketing has its merits. Selling
to a reliable dealer for a lump sum in advance of the harvest relieves
the grower of all risks due to subsequent storms, insect invasions, and
market fluctuations and gives him money to pay operating expense.
On the other hand, the assumption of these risks by the dealer is pre-
sumably covered by his margin in price.
If the apples are sold at an agreed price per barrel in advance of
the harvest, the grower assumes the risk of loss by storms and the
buyer the risk of price fluctuation. In this case the risks are divided
between the grower and the buyer. Waiting for buyers to appear at
the orchard or river bank during the harvest is probably the most
undesirable way of marketing. The expected buyers may fail to come.
In such cases shipments are delayed, transportation facilities con-
gested, and ultimate consignment often the only recourse.
When apples are shipped on consignment, the grower assumes all
risks and expenses until the goods are actually sold, but on the other
hand receives the benefit of any favorable changes in market values
from day to day. Brokerage sales are associated with wider distribu-
tion of the fruit, as to time and place, and lower selling costs than the
charge for commission sales, especially when market values are high.
STORING FOR LATER SALE
Some years considerable quantities of fruit have been placed in
cold storage by the growers. Some growers store fruit every year. In
many cases, however, they store only when the price offered by buyers
does not seem satisfactory to them or when the market price for fruit
at harvest time is low. In years of good prices at harvest time the
amount of fruit stored by the growers is likely to be small.
At best apple storage must be considered a speculative enter-
prise. Low prices at harvest time may be due to a large crop of
apples in the country as a whole, business depression thruout the
country, large crops of other fruits that compete with the apple, or
to combinations of these and other factors. Under such circumstances
increases in the price of apples during storage may or may not be
sufficient to cover the costs of storage and the risks involved. It is
usually difficult to predict with accuracy the future trend of the mar-
ket. Most growers do not have access to enough reliable information
concerning supplies of apples and competing fruits and concerning the
other factors influencing the price at harvest time to judge accurately
the price that may be offered for stored fruit. Sometimes men expe-
rienced in fruit marketing who have all available information are
unable accurately to judge the situation.
600
BULLETIN No. 312
[June,
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1928]
MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES
601
Study of Apple Prices
Changes in prices of apples that have occurred between the time
of harvest and the end of the storage season each year from 1920 to
1927 are illustrated in Table 14. The average monthly prices of bar-
reled Jonathan, Winesap, Ben Davis, and Willow Twig apples on the
St. Louis market, as given in this table, were calculated from data
secured from the St. Louis Daily Market Reporter. To expedite the
TABLE 15. — PRICES OF APPLES AT HARVEST TIME AND
FROM STORAGE IN ST. Louis, 1920-1927
Variety of apple and year
Harvest
price '
Average
price from
storage
Costs of storage and
interest
Margin
Jonathan
1920-21
Sept.
$5.84
3.60
4.29
5.14
4.54
3.03
6.20
4.66
Oct.-Nov.
5.15
3.49
3.98
5.95
4.21
2.83
4.521
4.27
Oct-.Nov.
3.68
2.25
2.38
3.61
3.10
2.29
4.27
3.08
Oct.-Nov.
5.22
3.48
4.29
5.65
3.88
2.88
5.51
4.41
Dec.-Feb.
$7.39
4.58
4.37
8.56
3.35
4.10
5.94
5.47
Jan. -Apr.
7.25
5.56
4.15
8.59
4.63
4.18
(')
5.73
Feb.-May
5.32
4.08
2.94
5.47
3.08
3.57
6.31
4.40
Feb.-May
7.03
6.02
4.49
8.53
4.76
5.05
7.91
6.26
$.70 + .12 =
.70 + .08 =
.70 + .09 =
.70 + .11 =
.70 + .10 =
.70 + .07 =
.70 + .13 =
.70 + .10 =
.70 + .11 =
.70 + .07 =
.70 + .08 =
.70 + .12 =
.70 + .09 =
.70 + .06 =
.70 + .09 =
.80 + .10 =
.80 + .06 =
.80 + .06 =
.80 + .09 =
.80 + .08 =
.80 + .06 =
.80 + .11 =
.80 + .08 =
.80 + .13 =
.80 + .09 =
.80 + .12 =
.80 + .15 -
.80 + .10 =
.80 + .08 =
.80 + .14 =
.80 + .12 =
.82
.78
.79
.81
.80
.77
.83
.80
.81
.77
.78
.82
.79
.76
.79
.90
.86
.86
.89
.88
.86
.91
.88
.93
.89
.92
.95
.90
.88
.94
.92
$ .73
.20
- .71
2.61
-1.99
.30
-1.09
.01
1.29
1.30
- .61
1.82
- .37
.59
.67
.74
.93
- .30
.97
- .90
.42
1.14
.44
.88
1.65
- .72
1.93
- .02
1.29
1.18
.90
1922-23
1923-24
1924-25
1925-26
1926-27. ...
1927-28
Average
Winesap
1920-21
1922-23
1923-24
1924-25 . .
1925-26
1926-27
1927-28
Ben Daris
1920-21
1922-23
1923-24 . .
1924-25
1925-26
1926-27 . .
1927-28
Average
Willow Twig
1920-21
1922-23
1923-24
1924-25
1925-26
1926-27
1927-28
Average
JXot included in the average below.
November on account of crop shortage.
JXo quotations on barreled Winesaps in St. Louis after
compiling of the records, quotations for every third day only were con-
sidered. This usually resulted in nine quotations for the month. To
test the accuracy of this method the monthly averages thus secured
for the season of 1926-1927 were compared with the monthly averages
based on daily quotations for the same season. In most cases the dif-
ference in the monthly averages obtained by the two methods were
from 2 to 4 cents a barrel, the maximum difference being 11 cents for
one variety one month. Some months one method gave the higher
602 BULLETIN No. 312 [June,
average and in other months the other method. Thus the variations
from month to month practically balanced one another, so that there
were no essential differences in the averages obtained by the two
methods. The quotation used each day was the average between the
high and the low quotation for No. 1 fruit in good condition as given
in the Market Reporter. St. Louis quotations on apples in barrels
refer almost exclusively to Calhoun county stock.
The prices of the four varieties at harvest time, the average selling
prices from storage, the cost of storage and interest, and the margin
of profit or loss per barrel for each year from 1920 to 1927 are given
in Table 15. These figures were derived from the monthly average
prices given in Table 14. Since most of the Calhoun county Jonathans
are harvested in September, the September average was taken as the
harvest price. The harvest period for Winesap, Ben Davis, and Wil-
low Twig apples extends thru October and November. Some seasons
the Winesap harvest especially may be nearly completed in October,
but other years it extends well into November. The average prices for
October and November have therefore been taken to represent the
harvest prices for these three varieties.
The market reports from which these price quotations were de-
rived indicate that most of the barreled Jonathans stored in St. Louis
were marketed in December, January, and February, and most of
the Winesaps in January, February, March, and April, while most of
the Ben Davis and Willow Twigs taken from storage were sold in
February, March, April, and May. The average prices for these
periods have therefore been taken as representative of the prices
received for stored apples of the respective varieties.
Storage rates in St. Louis were reported as 60 to 70 cents a barrel
for the season ending April 1, with an additional charge of 10 cents
for each month or fraction of a month thereafter. On this basis the
average storage charge for Jonathans and Winesaps has been figured
at 70 cents a barrel and the average charge for Ben Davis and Willow
Twigs at 80 cents a barrel. Interest has been figured at the rate of
6 percent a year on the average price at harvest time, beginning at
the middle of the harvest period for the respective varieties and ending
at the middle of the period for sales from storage as indicated above.
Margins Between Harvest and Storage Sales
During the period covered by these figures there were substantial
margins above actual carrying charges on the three late winter vari-
eties every year except two, and the average margin per year, including
the two years of losses, was 44 cents, 67 cents, and 90 cents a barrel
for Ben Davis, Winesaps, and Willow Twigs respectively. In the case
of Jonathans there were substantial margins 'two years out of seven,
small margins two years, and serious losses three years. The average
MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES
603
Price per
Barrel
*9M
850
8.00
750
700
650
600
550
500
450
400
550
300
Z50
225
Millions
Of
Barrels
,
I
/
1
I
\
'
>
/
\
•
/
\
41
f '
, \
/
\
/
V
J9
'
. \
/
\
/
\ —
> /
37
i \
x
x
V
\
/
\ ?-
55
\
1 ,
x'
A -
., E
'
SE
53
\
> ,A
i*
>V
//<-
51
,A
^x
z \
\
a v
29
\
/ (
X
\
y
/ V
27
\
/ Price
at hardest time
from storage
e U.5. Commercial op
> calculated from da
>r markets to 1921
' \
/
25
\
Volun
- - Price
on
pie crop
25
21
1020 1921 mi 1925 1924 1925 1926 1927
FIG. 21. — PRICES OF CALHOUN COUNTY JONATHANS AT HARVEST AND FROM STORAGE,
SHOWING RELATION OF PRICES TO VOLUME OF UNITED STATES
COMMERCIAL APPLE CROP
Price per
Borrel
*900
«50
aoo
750
700
650
6.00
550
500
450
400
550
3.00
250
225
Millions
of
Barrels
41
J9
57
55
35
51
29
27
25
2J
21
/
'
.
/
\
,
•
/
\
1
/
\
/
\
/
v -
/
> %
/
\
*~)
\ —
XX
>
/
V /
\ \
/
\ -
7
x
X
A/
\ V
/
\ -
\
» /
\
/A
2j
^^
\ -
\
/
\
/ \
/ \
\
*V—
\
/ 'x
^.^•-''
\
/•' \
\
/
Price of harvest tlrt
Price from storage
Volume U.S. Commerc
Price calculoted from
for other markets 1
i
e \
/ -
l>
/
(al opple^
data
i 1921
^crop
F=
1920 1921 1922 1925 1924 1925 1926 1927
FIG. 22. — PRICES OF CALHOUN COUNTY WINESAPS AT HARVEST AND FROM STORAGE,
SHOWING RELATION OF PRICES TO VOLUME OF UNITED STATES
COMMERCIAL APPLE CROP
margin for the seven-year period was only one cent a barrel. This
does not take into account any shrinkage, expense of repacking,
other extra charges, or compensation for the assumption of risks in-
volved. The loss on Jonathans in 1927-28 when Ben Davis and Wil-
604
BULLETIN No. 312
[June,
Price per
Barrel
*900 .
Miiiiona
of
Borrelj
4\
39
37
35
35
31
29
27
25
23
21
450
Price at
harvest time
aoo
— Price from storage
- Volume US. Commercial apple
- Price calculated from data
other morKets in 1921
750.
- -
for
7.00.
650.
/
{ —
600 .
,
x
/
\ 7
550.
f
v
,/"
\
/
\ h
500.
•%
,
/
\ /
\ /
f
y-
450 .
\
^ Y
V
v
A-
400 .
V
% / '
/\
A
/ y
330
- ' \
x /
\
/
. \
/ A
300
\
/
\
I /
•-•^\
^
/ 1
250 .
\
\
/
~*-^.
•^
/
225 .
\ r
>
!
1920 1921 1922 1925 1924 1925 \9li> 1927
FIG. 23. — PRICES OF CALHOUN COUNTY BEN DAVIS APPLES AT HARVEST AND FROM
STORAGE, SHOWING RELATION OF PRICES TO VOLUME OF UNITED STATES
COMMERCL\L APPLE CROP
Price per
Barrel
*900
850
aoo
750
ZOO
650
600
550
500
450
400
550
3M
250
225
WllllOIS
of
Barrels
/'
j
e
l
/
\
•
1
/
V
' N
x
/
\
7^
41
v
/
\
/
V A
50
/
x
, /
\
J
\/-
37
f
%
\ /
\
, \
/
i -
55
\
A
h/
\ \
r
/ \ ?
55
« /'
\
l/\
x;
—~^~
\/_-
1
51
Y
/
f \
/ \
r*-.
I \
29
\
/ ,
/
\
i 5
27
\
/ — " Price
at harvest thpe
from storage
e (iS. Commercial op
calculated from do
r markers In I9ZI
^
?le crop
/
f
25
: 25
V —
Volun
- - Pric<
oth<
V
; 21
\QiO 1921 1922 I92J 1924 1925 1926 1927
FIG. 24. — PRICES OF CALHOUN COUNTY WILLOW TWIGS AT HARVEST AND FROM
STORAGE, SHOWING RELATION OF PRICES TO VOLUME OF UNITED STATES
COMMERCIAL APPLE CROP
low Twigs showed a profit, wyas due partly to the heavy crop of Jon-
athans in the country as a whole and the poor keeping quality of some
of the Jonathans from other regions. The Jonathans showed a wider
range in selling price out of storage from year to year than any of the
1928] MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES 605
other three varieties. It seems evident that the storage of Jonathans
is more hazardous than the storage of the other varieties under con-
sideration.
The relation of harvest prices for the given varieties to storage
prices and to the volume of the commercial apple crop1 in the country
as a whole is shown graphically in Figs. 21, 22, 23, and 24. Since
there were no quotations on barreled apples in the St. Louis Daily
Market Reporter for the 1921-22 season due to crop failure in Calhoun
county, the prices indicated in the charts for that season have been
calculated from prices in other markets. Prices for the other years
were taken from Table 15.
If a grower were to store about the same quantity of apples each
year, especially of the later keeping varieties, his profits from storage
in the more favorable years would, according to the figures given for
the seven years, more than balance the losses in the unfavorable
years. Furthermore, if a grower can regularly have the advice of an
able and experienced fruit man who is intimately acquainted with
marketing conditions and prospects, his opportunity to profit from
storage will be increased.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Restrict New Plantings to Standard Varieties. — Any additional
plantings of apples in Calhoun county should be restricted to standard
commercial varieties that are adapted to the region and in good de-
mand on the markets. This is in line with recent plantings and the
policy should be continued.
2. Wider Use of Improved Cultural Methods. — The more general
use of cultural methods favorable to the production of high-grade fruit
should be encouraged. Thoro spraying and careful pruning are espe-
cially important. If all orchards in the county were given as good
care as the best, the proportion of high-grade fruit from the county as
a whole could be increased.
3. Adoption of Standardized Grading. — Standardized grading
should be adopted as a county-wide practice. While there are different
standards of grading that might be employed, the grade specifications
recommended by the U. S. Department of Agriculture are the best-
known in the trade in this and other states, and are used as the basis
of shipping-point inspection in most apple regions east of the Rocky
Mountains. These specifications are given on page 611. While these
'"The commercial apple crops of the United States for the years under con-
sideration, as given in government statistics, were as follows:
Year Barrels Year Barrels
1920 33,905,000 1924 28,013,000
1921 21,557,000 1925 33,246,000
1922 31,945,000 1926 39,411,000
1923 35,936,000 1927 25,900,000*
'Subject to revision.
606 BULLETIN No. 312 [June,
grade specifications may not seem entirely satisfactory to every
packer, they are the only specifications now applicable to Illinois
apples that are generally recognized in the trade,1 and it would be
much more satisfactory for all packers to follow them than for each
to follow his own inclinations as so commonly has been the practice
in the past. When all packers grade according to the same standards,
the output from different orchards will be much more uniform. The
packing of uniform, standardized grades thruout the county will do
much toward enabling Calhoun county to acquire an enviable reputa-
tion as an apple-producing region.
In packing under the U. S. grade specifications it should be recog-
nized that the 10 percentage of tolerance is allowed merely to permit
rapid packing on a commercial basis without incurring any danger of
failure to conform to the specifications. Purposely to include 7 or 8
percent of apples that are known to be below the requirement is almost
sure to result in a pack that will exceed the 10 percent tolerance, for
in spite of all the precautions that may be taken a few defective
specimens will slip past the sorters. If each packer strives to make
his pack considerably better than the minimum requirements, much
more satisfactory packs will result and the reputation of the county
will be enhanced.
4. More General Use of Shipping -Point Inspection. — Much help
in standardizing the grading can be secured from the use of shipping-
point inspection. To get the most benefit from this service a careful
study should be made of the inspection report on each car as soon as
it is completed and such changes made in the grading of the
fruit for the next car as may be necessary to meet the requirements
with a safe margin to spare. One of the chief advantages of shipping-
point inspection lies in its educational value to the packer. Unless use
is made of the information in the report to improve the subsequent
packing where needed, the chief value of the inspection service is
likely to be lost. Personal conferences with the inspector may be of
assistance in interpreting the reports in some instances. Such confer-
ences should be sought whenever additional information will help im-
prove the pack.
5. Greater Care in Packing Bushel Baskets. — Special attention
should be given to the packing of bushel baskets to insure a heavy
pack that will not become slack during shipment or storage. The
package must be thoroly shaken before it is completely filled. The
facing layer must be especially tight and crowned considerably at the
center. When mechanical packing devices are used, it will often be
JGrading according to the provisions of the Illinois apple grading and pack-
ing law, passed in 1921, has never come into general use, and these grades are not
well known in the trade.
MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES
607
necessary to insert a specimen or two of fruit in the facing layer just
before the cover is put in place in order to make sure the pack is tight.
6. Use of "Tub" Bushels. — Fruit packed in bushels intended for
storage should be in "tub" bushels rather than in round-bottom bas-
kets. This type of package carries better in the car and stacks better
with less danger of crushing in the storage house. There are great
differences in the strength and rigidity of packages from different
factories, and it is important that a good quality of tub bushel be used.
7. Use of Apple Box for Fancy Fruit. — The apple box must be
used with discretion. It is a package designed primarily for fancy
fruit. To make an attractive pack the specimens must be uniform
in size. The wrapping of each apple is associated with box packing.
Unless the fruit is fancy and the packer is prepared to attend to all
FIG. 25. — PACKING SHED OF FRANK DIRKSMEYER NEAR HAMBURG
This shed is equipped for box packing. It is one of the few apple packing
sheds in Calhoun county.
the niceties involved in up-to-date box packing as practiced in the
West, it is unwise to attempt this method of preparing apples for
market. Under special conditions, however, a limited amount of fruit
may be handled advantageously in this way.
8. More Packing Sheds. — Calhoun county needs more packing
sheds. Orchard packing is especially precarious in wet weather. A
rain lasting only a few minutes is sufficient to stop packing operations
in the orchard until the fruit has dried off. In shed packing it is
feasible to have enough fruit picked ahead to last the packers for a
few hours so that packing may continue during intermittent rainfall.
When shed packing is employed, the fruit may be picked slightly wet
if necessary and allowed to dry in the shed before it is packed. Fur-
thermore, in shed packing the packing equipment, the supply of pack-
ages, the packed fruit, and the packing crew are afforded protection
608 BULLETIN No. 312 [June,
from unfavorable weather. Special equipment to facilitate grading
and packing can more readily be employed in a shed than in the
orchard. The sloping ground in some Calhoun county orchards adds
to the inconvenience of orchard packing.
The use of packing sheds will facilitate standardized grading and
reduce packing expense. The almost universal experience of people
who have substituted shed packing for orchard packing has been the
securing of a better pack at lower cost. One of the Calhoun county
growers, C. L. Tureman of Hardin, kept an accurate account of his
costs of shed packing in 1927 and found that he saved 5 cents a bushel
and 15 cents a barrel as compared with the costs of orchard packing
of his crop in 1926. The present outlook in the apple business over
the country as a whole indicates that for the next few years profits
are likely to accrue from reductions in packing and marketing costs
rather than from increased prices. Since the use of sheds reduces the
expense of packing, their use should become general thruout the county.
9. Prompt Shipment After Picking. — Precautions should be taken
to insure the prompt shipment of apples after they are picked. The
existing transportation facilities are adequate to move the crop
promptly if they are utilized to their full capacity and the flow of
apples from the orchards to the loading points is made as uniform as
weather conditions will permit.
The transportation companies, both river and rail, should be fully
informed considerably in advance of the crop movement each season
regarding the approximate volume of apples that is likely to be
shipped. A railroad needs about 30 days' time in which to assemble
a supply of refrigerator cars for use in a given region if the number
needed is greatly in excess of the requirements in previous years. Op-
erators of transfer barges and ferries also should be advised regarding
the probable crop movement in plenty of time to make any adjust-
ments in equipment that may be necessary. Full preparations for the
handling of the crop should be made long before the apples mature.
Delays in hauling fruit from the orchard to the loading point, or
in loading after delivery at loading point should be avoided as much
as possible. Purposely withholding shipment in the hope that market
conditions may improve is of questionable value. If fruit is to be
held for later market, it should be shipped promptly and placed in
cold storage rather than held at the orchard or on the river bank.
10. Better Utilization of Existing Cold-Storage Plants. — So
long as existing cold-storage plants that are readily accessible from
Calhoun county have sufficient capacity for handling all the product,
there would seem to be no adequate reason for erecting additional
storage plants especially for the storage of apples produced in this
region. There is no insurmountable barrier to prompt storage under
existing conditions. Better utilization of the present transportation
1928~\
MARKETING CALHOUN COUNTY APPLES
609
facilities, and especially better planning in advance for the movement
of the crop, will make prompt storage entirely feasible.
11. Wider and More Direct Distribution. — Advantage should be
taken of the recent improvements in transportation facilities which
have increased the number of markets that can readily be reached
with Calhoun county apples at harvest time. The new rail and
hard-road connections have made it much easier for persons inter-
ested in apples to get into the county. This situation should naturally
lead to a wider distribution of the fruit since buyers, brokers, and
dealers from various markets can now readily visit the region, inspect
the growing crops, make the acquaintance of the growers, and become
familiar with the shipping facilities.
FIG. 26. — THE MOST PRACTICAL WAY OF GETTING INTO CALHOUN COUNTY
There is not a bridge across either river into the county. With the present
hard road connections, driving to the county by auto and crossing the river by
ferry is the most expeditious way of entering this important apple-producing
region.
The completion of the hard road to East St. Louis, thus connect-
ing Calhoun county with the various industrial centers in that part of
Illinois, presents an opportunity for many growers to truck their lower
grades of fruit in bulk to these markets and there dispose of them at
reasonable prices and without excessive marketing expense. Such dis-
position of off-grade fruit, instead of consigning it to the St. Louis
market, will be a benefit to the people of these towns and will also
have a tendency to improve the conditions in St. Louis for the sale of
the better grades of fruit. Distribution of apples by truck to the
manufacturing towns and trading centers within hauling distance east
and southeast of Calhoun county should become an important factor
in the handling of the crop now that hard-road connections have been
established.
12. Marketing Arrangements Before Harvest. — Marketing ar-
rangements should be made considerably in advance of the crop move-
610 BULLETIN No. 312 [June,
ment whether the fruit is to be handled thru a buyer, a broker, or a
commission merchant. It is a wise practice for the grower not to wait
indefinitely in the hope that some buyer may become particularly
eager to secure his crop. In many instances the grower should take
the initiative and personally call upon the dealer he has decided he
would like to have handle his crop, after assuring himself of the
business ability and financial integrity of the dealer in question. With
the present hard-road system it is not difficult for a grower to drive to
St. Louis, for instance, for a conference with a dealer regarding his
crop.
13. Personal Contact With Marketing Agency. — Personal contact
should be maintained with the marketing agency thruout the harvest
season. After business connections have been established, there is
great advantage to the grower in keeping his dealer fully advised from
day to day regarding shipments in transit and in prospect. Telephone
tolls are good investments when apples are being harvested. If goods
are sent on consignment, it is especially important that the dealer
know exactly what quantities and grades are included in each ship-
ment. With such information in advance, it is often possible for the
dealer to sell the apples before they arrive. This is especially true
in the case of fruit that is graded according to definite standards.
14. Maintenance of Satisfactory Connections Once Established. —
There is much cumulative advantage to be gained for both grower and
dealer by maintenance of the same marketing connections year after
year, after satisfactory contacts have once been made. Under such
circumstances it is possible for both to profit from the reputation es-
tablished in previous years. Especially in years of heavy crop is the
grower with regular connections and an established reputation at a
decided advantage. At such times market preference is a tangible
asset.
Whether the apples are to be sold at harvest time or stored for
later sale, there is the same advantage in having established market-
ing connections and a definite marketing plan.
1928] MARKETING CALHOUX COUNTY APPLES 611
OFFICIAL STANDARDS FOR THE INSPECTION OF APPLES1
II. S. Fancy shall consist of apples of one variety which are mature but not
overripe, carefully hand picked, clean, well formed, free from decay, broken
skins and bruises except those incident to proper packing, sprayburn, stings or
other insect injury, sunscald, visible watercore, and from injury by russeting,
limbrubs, hail or mechanical or other means. Each apple of this grade shall have
the amount of color specified hereinafter for the variety. (See size requirements.)
In order to allow for variations incident to proper grading and handling,
not more than a total of 10 percent, by weight, of the apples in any lot may be
below the requirements of this grade, but not to exceed one-half of this tolerance,
or 5 percent, shall be allowed for defects causing serious damage, and not more
than one-fifth of this amount or 1 percent shall be allowed for decay.
U. S. No. 1 shall consist of apples of one variety which are mature but not
overripe, carefully hand-picked, clean, fairly well formed, free from decay, broken
skins, and bruises except those incident to proper packing and damage caused by
limbrubs, sprayburn, sunscald, russeting, hail, visible watercore, disease, insects or
mechanical or other means. Each apple of this grade shall have the amount of
color specified hereinafter for the variety. (See size requirements.)
In order to allow for variations incident to proper grading and handling, not
more than a total of 10 percent, by weight, of the apples in any lot may be
below the requirements of this grade, but not more than one-tenth of this amount
or 1 percent shall be allowed for decay. [This same tolerance applies to the U. S.
Commercial and U. S. No. 2 grades.]
U. S. Commercial shall consist of apples of one variety which meet the
requirements of U. S. No. 1 except as to color, and provided further that early
varieties such as Duchess of Oldenburg, Red June, Wealth}', Williams and other
varieties which ripen at the same period need not be mature. (See size require-
ments.)
U. S. No. 2 shall consist of apples of one Arariety which are mature but not
overripe, free from decay and from serious damage 'caused by dirt or other
foreign matter, bruises, sprayburn, sunscald, russeting, hail, disease, insects or
mechanical or other means. (See size requirements.)
Unclassified shall consist of apples which are not graded in conformity with
any of the foregoing grades.
Color Requirements
In addition to the foregoing requirements for U. S. No. 1 and U. S. Fancy,
each apple of these grades must have the percentage of color shown in the list
below. "Color" means a good shade of red characteristic of the variety. Faded
brown stripes shall not be considered as color.
U. S. Fancy, 50 percent; U. S. No. 1, 25 percent: Arkansas Black, De-
licious, Gano, Jonathan, King David, Missouri Pippin, Winesap, and other sim-
ilar varieties.
U. S. Fancy, 33 percent; U. S. No. 1, 15 percent: Arkansas (Mammoth
Black Twig), Ben Davis, Rails (Geneton), Rome Beaut}-, Stayman Winesap,
Wealthy, Willow Twig, York Imperial, and other similar varieties.
U. S. Fancy, 25 percent; U. S. No. 1, 10 percent: Duchess of Oldenburg.
Red Astrachan, and other similar varieties.
lrThese standards issued June 30, 1927, by the Bureau of Agricultural Economics of the
U. S. Department of Agriculture, apply to apples packed in containers other than the standard
northwestern apple box.
612 BULLETIN No. 312
Size Requirements
The minimum size of the apples in any closed •container shall be plainly
stamped, stenciled, or otherwise marked on the container. "Minimum size"
means the transverse diameter of the smallest apples permitted in the container
taken at right angles to a line running from the stem to the blossom end. Mini-
mum sizes shall be stated in terms of whole and quarter inches, as 2% inches
minimum, 2% inches minimum, in accordance with the facts.
In order to allow for variations incident to proper sizing, not more than 5
percent, by weight, of the apples in any container may be below the specified
minimum size. Where the maximum and minimum sizes are both stated, an
additional 10 percent tolerance is provided for apples which are larger than the
maximum size stated.
Packing Requirements
Each package shall be packed so that the apples in the shown face shall be
reasonably representative in size, color, and quality, of the contents of the
package.
Definitions of Terms
As used in these grades:
"Mature" means having reached the stage of maturity which will insure the
proper completion of the ripening process.
"Clean" means free from excessive dirt, dust, spray residue or other foreign
material.
"Well formed" means that the apples have the shape characteristic of the
variety in the locality where grown.
"Fairly well formed" means that the apples may be slightly abnormal in
shape but not to an extent which detracts materially from the appearance of
the fruit.
"Damage" means any injury or defect which materially affects the appear-
an-ce or keeping quality. Any one of the following defects, or any combination
thereof, the seriousness of which exceeds the maximum allowed for any one
defect shall be considered as damage:
Limbrubs Dark brown over % inch in diameter. Light brown
over 1 inch in diameter.
Sprayburn or sunscald Color materially changed ; skin blistered or
cracked.
Russeting Smooth, net-like over more than one-fourth of
surface. Smooth solid, over more than one-tenth
of surface. Rough or bark-like area more than \->
inch in diameter.
Hail marks Skin broken; or superficial marks exceeding ^
inch in the aggregate.
Scab Spots not corked over or corked over spots affect-
ing a total area of more than % inch in diameter.
Insect stings, healed More than 2, either of which is over % inch in
diameter.
Cedar rust .Aggregate area over ^4 inch in diameter.
Worm holes Any.
Sooty blotch or fly speck. .Thinly scattered over more than one-tenth of
surface or dark, heavily concentrated spots affect-
ing an area more than ^ inch in diameter.
"Serious damage" means any injury or defect which seriously affects the
appearance or keeping quality.
(70 #)
AUTHOR INDEX
613
AUTHOR INDEX
PAGE
Bauer, F. C. Crop Yields from
Illinois Soil Experiment Fields
in 1926 17-40
Bauer, F. C. Crop Yields from
Illinois Soil Experiment Fields
in 1927 341-72
Bauer, F. C., DeTurk, E. E., and
Smith, L. H. Lessons from
the Morrow Plots 105-40
Brunson, A. M., and Smith, L.
H. Experiments in Crossing
Varieties as a Means of Im-
proving Productiveness in
Corn 373-86
Burlison, W. L., Dungan, George
H., and Stark, Robert W. Bar-
ley Varieties for Illinois. . . .41-52
Burlison, W. L., Sears, O. H., and
Hackleman, J. C. Soybean
Production in Illinois 465-532
Buswell, A. M., Lehmann, E. W.,
and Kelleher, E. C. A Study
of Factors Affecting the Effi-
ciency and Design of Farm
Septic Tanks 297-340
Case, H. C. M., and Ross, Robert
C. The Place of Hog Produc-
tion in Corn-Belt Farming. 145-80
Crandall. Charles S. Native
Crabs: Their Behavior in
Breeding 533-60
Davidson, F. A. Growth and
Senescence in Purebred Jersey
Cows 181-236
DeTurk, E. E., Bauer, F. C., and
Smith, L. H. Lessons from
the Morrow Plots 105-40
Dungan, George H., Stark, Robert
W., and Burlison, W. L. Va-
rieties of Barley for Illinois. 41-52
Gaines, W. L. The Energy Basis
of Measuring Milk Yield in
Dairy Cows 401-40
Hackleman, ,T. C., Sears, O. H.,
and Burlison, W. L. Soybean
Production in Illinois. .. .465-532
PAGE
Hamilton, T. S., Mitchell, H. H.,
and Kammlade, W. G. The Di-
gestibility and Metabolizable
Energy of Soybean Products
for Sheep " 237-96
Kammlade, W. G., Hamilton, T.
S., and Mitchell, H. H. The
Digestibility and Metabolizable
Energy of Soybean Products
for Sheep ' 237-96
Kelleher, R. C., Lehmann, E. W.,
and Buswell, A. M. A Study
of Factors Affecting the Effi-
ciency and Design of Farm
Septic Tanks 297-340
Lehenbauer, P. A., and Weinard,
F. F. The Effects of Phos-
phorus and Sulfur Fertilizers
on Flower Production of Roses
and Carnations 77-104
Lehmann, E. W., Kelleher, R. C.,
and Buswell, A. M. A Study
of Factors Affecting the Effi-
ciency and Design of Farm
Septic Tanks 297-340
Lloyd, J. W. Bush Lima Beans
as a Market Garden Crop. 389-400
Lloyd, J. W., and Newell, H. M.
Marketing Calhoun County
Apples 561-612
Mitchell, H. H., Hamilton, T. S.,
and Kammlade, W. G. The
Digestibility and Metaboliza-
ble Energy of Soybean Prod-
ucts for Sheep. . .'. 237-96
Newell, H. M., and Lloyd, J. W.
Marketing Calhoun County
Apples 561-612
Rickey, Lacey F. Costs of Stor-
ing Corn on the Farm 1-16
Ross, Robert C., and Case, H. C.
M. The Place of Hog Produc-
tion in Corn-Belt Farming. 145-80
Sayre, C. B. Experiments in the
Culture and Forcing of Wit-
loof Chicorv . 441-64
614
AUTHOR INDEX
PAGE
Savre, C. B. Winter Forcing of
'Rhubarb 53-76
Sears, O. H., Hackloman, J. C.,
and Burlison, W. L. Soybean
Production in Illinois. .. .465-532
Smith, L. H., Bauer, F. C., and
DeTurk, E. E. Lessons from
the Morrow Plots 105-40
Smith, L. H., and Brunson, A. M.
Experiments in Crossing Va-
PAGE
rieties as a Means of Improv-
ing Productiveness in Corn. 373-86
Stark. Robert W., Dnngan, George
H., and Burlison, W. L. Bar-
ley Varieties for Illinois. . . .41-oLJ
Weinard, F. F., and Leheubauer,
P. A. The Effects of Phos-
phorus and Sulfur Fertilizers
on Flower Production of Roses
and Carnations . ..77-104
INDEX
INDEX
(The headings in capitals are subjects of entire bulletins')
PAGE
Acid phosphate experiments with
roses and carnations 81-104
Comparison of phosphate with
bone meal 86-0.°,
Aledo experiment field yields ....
!20-21, 345-40
Antioch experiment field yields . .
'. ...21, 346
Apple production, statistics on. 563-64
Apples, Calhoun county, grading
and packing of , 564-71
Methods of sale of 595-90
Packages used for 571-7.",
Recommendations for produc-
tion of . . .- 605-10
Shipments of in 1927 592
Storage facilities for 593-95
Storing of for later sale 599
Transportation of, by rail.. 584— 90
freight rates of 589
by river 574—84
damage from rolling barrels
583-84
freight rates of 584
losses from delays in.... 579-83
time required for 576-77
warehouses at landings. . .577-79
by truck 591-92
within county 573-74
Apples, official standards for in-
spection of 611-12
Self-pollinations of 560
Study of prices of 600-605
Barley, acre value of compared
with other crops 43
As nurse crop 43
Diseases of 50-51
Distribution of in Illinois 44
Feeding value of 43
Seed bed for 50
Sowing dates for 50
Uses of 43-45
Varieties of, description and
origin of 52
Variety studies of in central
Illinois 47-49
in northern Illinois 45-47
Bnrlev and oats mixture. . 49
PAGE
Beans, see Lima beans, bush
Bloomington experiment field
yields 21, 346
Bone meal for lima beans
393, 395, 397-9S
Breeding experiments with corn .
373-86
With crabapples 533-60
Calhoun county, map of 585 •
Possibility of railroad in 590
See also Apples, Calhoun county
Carlinville experiment field yields
; ."..22, 347
Carnations, effect of phosphorus
and sulfur on production of . .
78, 93-100
On split calyces 78, 98
Carthage experiment field yields.
22-23, 347-4S
CHICORY, WITLOOF, EXPER-
IMENTS IX CULTURE AND
FORCING OF 441-62
Best planting time 449-50
Conditions of experiment ... 447-49
Effect of freezing 451
of rest period 450-51, 452-5.°.
Forcing in field 459-60
Forcing in storage, covering ma-
terial 460-61
method of 447-49
second 458-59
size of roots for 455-58
temperature for. 451, 454-55, 456
Objects of experiments 447
Chicory, Witloof , methods of forc-
ing '. 446-47
Varieties of for forcing. . . .443—45
See also Chicory experiments
Clayton experiment field yields. 23, 348
Clover, value of in rotation. . .114-15
Corn, continuous cropping of. ...
111-13, 120
Effect of soil treatment and
rotation on maturity of.. 120-22
CORN, EXPERIMENTS IN
CROSSING VARIETIES AS
A MEANS OF IMPROVING
PRODUCTIVENESS IN. . .373-86
INDEX
PAGE
Crosses made 376-85
closely selected strains. .. .383-84
common dent varieties 382
Eeid yellow dent with closely
selected strains 384-85
Summary of results. .374, 385-86
Sweet and pop with dent. .382-83
Corn, grown with soybeans. . . .493—07
Storage on farm 3-16
crib, interest, and insurance
charges 3-4
damage during 14
method of figuring costs of .11-14
shrinkage and change in grade
during 5-11
summary of costs 15
Terminal storage of 4
Corncribs, construction require-
ments of 14
Corn-hog ratio 177-78
Cost of producing hogs
146, 148-58, 166-60
Cost of production on Morrow
plots 131-36
COSTS OF STORING CORN ON
THE FARM 1-16
COWS, GROWTH AND SENES-
CENCE IN PUREBRED JER-
SEY 181-235
Analysis of data 185-225
Appe'ndix 231-35
Introduction 183-85
Literature cited 220-30
Source of data 185
Summary 226-28
Cows, see also Dairy cows
CROP YIELDS FROM ILLI-
NOIS SOIL EXPERIMENT
FIELDS IN 1026 17-40
CROP YIELDS FROM ILLI-
NOIS SOIL EXPERIMENT
FIELDS IN 1027 341-69
Crab apples, results in breeding of
.535-60
Mains angustifolia 538-41
Mains cororuiria 536-38
Mahis dawsoniana 554—55
Mains fusca 552-54
Maltts ioensis 541-47
Mains soiilardi 547-52
Mercer county crab 550-52
Self-pollinations of 555
Separation of from pear genus 536
Species of recognized 535-36
DAIRY COWS, ENERGY BASIS
OF MEASURING MIL^K
YIELD IN 401-38
Estimation of energy value. .404-15
PAGE
Fat percentage and feed re-
quirements 415-10
and yield of milk 410-28
Illustrative applications ...420-32
Introduction 403-404
Literature cited 436-38
Significance of fat percentage.
432-34
Summary and conclusions. . .434— 35
Dairy cows, soybeans for 471-72
Davenport plot yields 30, 368
Dixon experiment field yields ....
.'23-24, 348-40
Elizabethtown experiment field
yields 25, 350
Emmer, yields of 51-52
Endive, French, see Chicory
Enfield experiment field yields . . .
."..25, 350-51
Ewing experiment field yields
'...26, 351-52
Farm management, hog produc-
tion in successful 160-70
Fertilization, effect of on crop
maturity 120-22
On soil content 122-30
On yields 111-22, 138-30
Fertilizing experiments with lima
beans 305-08
Grain, plant for drying and
shrinkage tests of 16
Greenhouse soils, supplements for
78-104
Gypsum experiments with roses
and carnations 78, 03, 06-09
Hartsburg experiment field yields
26, 27, 353
Hog production, adjusting sales in
to markets ' 146, 160-70
Costs of 146, 148-58
Factors influencing success of.
146, 150-60
Labor requirements of 161-62
Maintenance of soil thru .... 163-64
Value of skilful management in
166-69
Hogging down, advantages of... 163
Hogs, feed consumed by
159-61, 171-72
Finishing of for better markets
164-66
Harvesting of crops by 163
Returns from light and from
heavy 170-71, 172-76, 178-79
Seasonal variations in price of
176-78
Horses, soybeans for 471
Inoculants, commercial 482
INDEX
617
PAGE
Inoculation experiments with lima
beans 394-96
Irrigation experiments with lima
beans 393-96
Joliet experiment field yields
"...26, 28, 354
Kewaiiee experiment field yields. .
.' 28, 355
Labor, distribution of thru year. . 134
LaMoille experiment field yields.
'....29, 355
Land values as affected by treat-
ment and rotation 136
Lebanon experiment field yields.
29-30, 356-57
Lima beans, preparation of for
market 398-99
Lima beans, bush, experiments
with 392-9S
Fertilizer experiments with . . 395-98
Inoculation experiments with .
394-96
Irrigation experiments with. 393-96
Plan of experiments 392-93
Summary of experiments 390
Variety tests of 392-98
Limestone, effect of on soil acid-
ity 130
McNabb experiment field yields.
.'...30, 357
Mains varieties, see Crab apples
Manure, effect of on yields. . .111-20
MARKETING CALHOUN
COUNTY APPLES 561-612
Mercer county crabs 550-52
Metabolism experiment 237-95
Milk yield, energy basis of meas-
uring * 403-38
Minonk experiment field yields . 30, 356
Morrow plots, annual acre yields
of 112-13, 138-39
Economic lessons from 131—36
Effect of rotation and fertiliza-
tion on 111-22, 137-39
History and management of. .
'. 106-11, 140
Summary of results on 137
Yields of 1926 and 1927 on. 39, 368
Mt. Morris experiment field yields
30-31. 357-58
Newton experiment field yields . .
'.31, 358-59
Nitrate of soda for lima beans. .
393, 395,396
Oblong experiment field yields . 32, 360
Odin experiment field yields. . .33, 361
Oquawka experiment field yields.
.'...33, 361
PAGE
Palestine experiment field yields.
"...34, 362
Phosphate fertilizers, comparison
of 86-93
PHOSPHORUS AND SULFUR
FERTILIZERS, EFFECTS OF
ON FLOWER PRODUCTION
OF ROSES AND CARNA-
TIONS 77-104
Appendix 101-104
Conclusions and recommenda-
tions 100
Experiments with carnations,
effect of acid phosphate. .93-100
later phosphorus and sulfur
experiments 96-99
Experiments with roses, effect
of acid phosphate 78, 81-85
of acid phosphate vs. bone
meal and precipitated phos-
phate 78, 86-93
of gypsum 93
Literature cited 100
Previous investigations 80-81
Summary 78
Raleigh experiment field yields . 35, 363
RHUBARB, WINTER FORC-
ING OF 53-76
Commercial practices in 55-58
Experimental work in 59-76
effect on yield and quality of
age . ." '...66-73
of freezing and rest period
73-75
of temperature 59-63
of watering 63-66
summary and conclusions. .54, 76
Storing in home cellars 58
Roses, effect of acid phosphate
on production of 78, 81-85, 100
Compared with steamed bone
meal and precipitated phos-
phate 78, 86-93
Effect of gypsum on production 93
Rotation, crop, effect of on crop
maturity 120-22
On soil* 122-30
On yields 111-22
Rye, yields of 51-52
SEPTIC TANKS, FACTORS AF-
FECTING EFFICIENCY AND
DESIGN OF 297-339
Comparison of 2-chamber tanks
with different cross-sections.
321-32, 338-39
Single vs. multiple-chamber...
301-21, 330, 336-37
018
INDEX
PAGE
Sewage flow in farm homes. .301-303
SHEEP, DIGESTIBILITY AND
METABOLIZABLE ENERGY
OF SOYBEAN PRODUCTS
FOR 237-95
Appendix 283-95
Discussion of results .263-80
digestibility of soybean prod-
ucts . . .' ." 266-68
metabolizable energy of. .276-80
significance of indirectly cal-
culated coefficients of di-
gestibility 271-76
of refused feed 268-71
Investigation of 1923 244-55
of 1925 255-63
Literature cited 281-82
Previous experiments 239-43
Summary and conclusions. . .280-81
Sheep, soybeans for 471
Sidell experiment field yields. .34, 264
Soil acidity, effect of limestone on 130
Soil experiment fields, crop yields
on, 1926 ' 19-40
1927 341-69
Purpose and location of
18-19, 342-43
Soil treatment, effect of on crop
maturity 120-22
On crop yields 111-22, 138-39
On soil content 122-30
Soybeans, acreage and distribu-
tion of in Illinois 467-69
Adaptability to various soils. 473-75
As substitute for oats 472
Average prices for 473
Compared with cowpeas on poor
soil 473, 474
Cultivation of 485-88
Digestion experiments with, see ».
Sheep fff£
PAGE
Grown with corn 493-97
Handling and storing of 493
Harvesting of for hay 489
for seed ' 489-90
History of production of in Illi-
nois 530
Improvement of soil by 475-76
Inoculation of 479-82
Place of in crop rotation. . .476-78
Seed bed for 478-79
Seeding of 482-85
Threshing of 490-93
Uses of 526-30
as cake 527-28
as oil 528
as human food 528-30
Value of as nitrogenous feed . .
469-71
Variety study of 498-520
description of varieties. . .516-26
differences in varieties. . . .514—16
in central Illinois 502-13
in northern Illinois 499-502
Yields of compared with corn. . 472
Sparta experiment field yields. . . .
.' . . . 36, 364-65
Spring Valley experiment field
yields ' 36-37, 365
Steamed bone vs. acid phosphate
for roses and carnations. 78, 86-104
Sulfur, experiments with on roses
and carnations. ..78, 89-93, 96-100
Swine, soybeans for 471
Toledo experiment field yields. 38, 366
Unionville experiment field yields
37, 39, 367-68
Urbana experimental plots . . . 39, 368
Water consumption in farm homes 303
West Salem experiment field yields
, '. .40, 369
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