Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-04-26
WHAT Crops TO CHOW
SALEM COUNTY FARMERS DISCUSS INTER
EsTING TOPICS

! The Salem County Board of Agriculture
held an interesting session in Woodstown
! YESTERDAY. "What Shall We Grow as Q
| Substitute for the Tomato Crop for Equal
Profit ?p was the subject of much diseuf-
sion
| s. jackson Morgan said the Gamers claim
that the market is over 5urdened. The
canneries have increased and the market
has not developed There is only one way
to recover the tomato crop, and that is to
! limit the acreage He said the farmers
who wanted to grow tomatoes for So so per
ton would do well to limit the acreage. and
by thas means bring the tomato back to
where it was few years ago. Under the
present conditions, Mr.. jackson believed
that there was more money in the corn crop
than in the tomato crop, and he recon.
mended corn or potatoes as good substi.
tute for the tomato since the fail in the
price.
Charles Dickinson said that the average
farmer didn't get over four tons of toma-
toes to the acre, and at S. ton the farmer
was losing money on every acre Of toma-
toes grown. He thought corn would pay
best in a great many sections. and gave
| figures showing the cost of production for
each crop.
John Mickle said he had lived without
growing tomatoes. and with the price so
low and bngs SO plentiful, he had decided
not to grow them.
James NJ. Summeriil was very emphatic
10 his declaration that the canneries OF
Salem county had made the farmers poorer
than if they had never been in the county.
Reeves Flitcraft declared that the can
ners were not the men to blame for the
losses sustained by the growers. The
farmers" said be, are TO blame them
selves for the failure in the tomato CROP
Mr.. Mckle said the farmers and the
Gamers did not trust each other very far
in the making of contracts.
John Strong said "Too many of the
tomato growers are like the fellows who
follow the sweet potato and watermelon
crops until the Sheriff sells them out. or
they are rem wed by death" Several of
the farmers advocated raising cattle in
stead of Cutting the markets with growing
crops at loss to the producer.
Emily Borton opened the discussion on
the subject, Is it advisable for the Farm
ers Wife TO Con6ne herself Strictly to
Household Duties She said the farmers
wife was the same busy woman as in the
years ago, and she believed that if the
wife could help outside of the routine
duties she should do it.
George Duell said the farmer should re-
lieve the dreary isolation Of the housewife.
He said the farmer ought to watch the
wood pile and keep water in the pail, and
show the wife some opportunity for reerea-
tion and pleasure.
Joel Borton said the farmer should
change mis- mode of living and be more
practical, and try and live like the mer-
chant in the city. One farmer in reply
said if the farmer tried to live like the
city merchant he would soon be without a
farm.
Empson Atkinson, in treating the SUBJ
ject, ''Our Roadsides,' advocated a law
making it compulsory to properly care for
the roadsides G. R. Loveland said the
farm had better market value with clean
roadsides, and NJ. D. Dickinson said dirty
roadsides and fences covered with wild
growth were detriments to the farm.
Professor E. B Voorhees,. Director of the
State Experiment Station, made the closing
address on Forage Crops.p lie said a
feeding crop should not be measured by
the tons, but by the food in it. Corn, said
the speaker. was the best crop, and was
cheap and easy TO grow.