Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-02-17
Friday, February IT, 1905.
SOME TOMATO TALK.

Atlc ldCt, duV uOb SIEhnSe al leI I'LL,
that tomatoes planted successfully
for a few years in the same soil
lose their rich red color, and such
tomatoes when used for canning pur-
poses have to be artificially colored.
The strange feature is that horticul-
turists, so far as known here, have not
found out the ingredient of the soil
that chiefly produces color so that
the land may be repleDished. Now
that the u S. Department of Agri-
culture has issued orders that toma-
toes put up with coloring matter
must be so labeled, artificial coloring
will probably be abandoned.
q 1t is doleful fact that for the
past two or three years tomato pack
ers have lost money. A large pro-
portion of last seasons pack is still
on hand and packers have had to re-
sort to bank discount to tide them
over. The outlook for the future is
hardly promising. So far as the
grower in this section is concerned
the future is very blue. Not all the
canneries by any means that opera
ted last year will do business this
season, and this curtailment means
restricted income to many growers.
Today the tomato canning industry
looks woeful.
The cause of this has been chiefly
overproduction, along with an in
crease in canning commodities
which until within the last two or
three years were not thought
'can-able." Nearly all classes of
vegetables and fruits are now being
canned. Sweet-potsto canning is
becoming quite an industry, and in
its Infancy is paying. Probably the
prepared soups are having more to
do with a fall in the tomato canning
market than is any other canned
commodity. This industry, also, is
in comparative infancy. A few
years ago tomato canning was an
immensely paying industry. Like
ell other things it was soon overdone,
and as usual our people got in on the
tail end. While fortunes were being
made in the business our people were
rubbing their eyes and waiting to see
how the experiment turned out.
ldentically the same may be said as
to the oyster shocking business.
Now, as is our custom we grudgingly
acknowledge, we will hang on to
tomato canning and oyster-shucking
until much money Is lost and then
our people will take hold of pickles,
soups, or sweet-potato- canning just
In time to get in on the rear coach
the best fortunes will have been
made and the business worn out. A
6,0O0-acre tract in Texas has been pre-
pared for growing cucumbers for pick
les this year. The operators will get
In on "the ground floor" so to speak.
There are one or two men in the
Northern Neck, pioneers in passing
enterprises, whose policy it Is to read
up, study and enquire into what the
rest Of the country is doing, and
then pitch in. They keep abreast of
the times, make money out of these
enterprises and when the eyes of the
rest are opened aud they have begun
to follow suit these advanced men
are looking about for something new
to take the place of their worn on!
industries. The rest of the commu.
nifty is just beginning to invest heav.
lily, and they have their costly works
and machinery as elephants on hand
Farmer, trucker, oysterman-all must
read and study the signs of the times
If they expect to succeed. Don't be 6
follower; lead; and pertinent to oul
subject, take up soups, pickles, sweet
potatoes or some comparatively un.
known packing industry and get
into front seat on the band wagon.