Omaha daily bee., 1906-04-30
CANNING CENTER MOVING
Great Development of the Business in the
Western States.
EASTERN STATES LOSING THEIR GRIP
Tomatoes the FavOrite Among Canned
GOOds-Demand increases Faster
Than the supply-The
Annual Output.

Following the shifting OF the center OF
population and money supply from the
east to the west the canning industry,
| which each year preserves and distributes
| throughout the world millions Of cans of
vegetables and fruits, has broken away
| from a strong eastern Capitalization and
settled in the states easily accessible to
| Chicago. Within the last Ave years a new
complexion has been given the packing
| business, and, to keep up with the indus
| trial evolution. eastern packers have been
! forced to move westward or see their
| trade so into other hands.
! Chicago has come to the fore as the dis
! tributing point of the country.
| Great grocery jobbing concerns in Chi
cage, which do millions of dollars worth Of
| business year, find that from IS to 80
per cent Of their trade is in canned goods.
| VESTS Vegetable Business Immense.
Especially in the production of canned
! peas, corn and tomatoes has there been a
big change in the standing of the states.
New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Della
ware and other eastern states have seen
| their business decrease and come to in
| diana, Wisconsin. Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Ne
! braska and other western states. Indiana
especially has come to the front in recent
years. With Wisconsin, Indiana has taken
great portion Of the canned pea produc-
ton from Maryland and New York
Indiana, Illinois and Iowa now lead the
list in the production of canned corn, but
in the production of canned tomatoes In
DIANA among the western states, has had
| most notable rise.
Maryland Delaware and New Jersey are
losing their tomato output and Indiana is
gaining almost in proportion, although
Ohio is sharing the benefit. Illinois prairie
land has been found poor for the produc-
| ton of tomatoes in commercial quantities
but the cleared forest land of Indiana has
proved especially fitted to their culture
Consequently tomato canning plants have
grown up like mushrooms in the Indiana
| belt.
Land and Freight Rates n Reason.
New York and other eastern men inter-
ested in the industry have made searching
inquiry into the conditions which are
bringing to the west what promises to de-
velop in few years into one of it's richest
assets. First of all. they have discovered
that rich western land is more suited to
the production of tomatoes than worn
lands Of eastern states, which require great
expenditure for fertilizer. Added to this,
western farmers have been educated to
the point where they are willing to give
up part of their large field crops for the
more careful growing of tomatoes, which
bring greater returns.
Then, too, freight rates have had their
effect For a long time eastern Gamers
labored under strained conditions. The cen
ter of demand for their goods kept going
gradually westward necessitating the pay
ment of long haul tariffs. Factories are
now readjusting themselves to conditions
of population and avoid high freight rates
by abandoning eastern plants and rebuild
ing in western locations.
Build New Plants in the west.
Several hundred new plants have grown
up in the west in the last few years. During
the packing season of 1905 alone eight
factories in Delaware, ninety-five In Mary
land and several more in New York, which
operated in 1904, closed their doors and did
no packing. When the next season for
packing begins in the latter part of Au-
gust or September, It Is thought by western
packers that several more eastern plants
will have located in the west.
According to figures compiled by New
York experts the taste OF American people
for the acetic qualities of the tomato has
increased to proportions never measured
for it. Indeed. the appetite of the country
for the juicy red vegetable has grown so
large that there is doubt If the supply now
in the market will hold out until a new
pack is made late in the summer.