Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-02-15
TOMATOES
DISCUSSED
Tomato Growing and the
Canning Business.
DISCUSSION.
Elmer Times Presents a Review
of the South Jersey Tomato
Situation.

rIoui Tic last ISSUE Oh Elmer I1meS
In South Jersey as a whole, there
promises to be an immense acreage
IF tomatoes the coming season. In
Cumberland county below Bridgeton,
where big crops of tomatoes are
grown each year, the increased acre
age will perhaps be greater than else
where. The growers who did not con-
tract made big money last year when
late in the season the fruit brought
tht highest prices ever known. and
that has decided most OF them against
contracting for the disposition of their
crop this season. This decision places
home Gamers in an unfortunate pre-
dicament If they are to operate their
factories they must buy cans in ad-
vance, and as it is impossible to Sc
cure enough help to operate thei"
factories, they must make sure in ad-
vance that Italians are engaged to
come from the large cities to remain
through the packing season. To war
rant them in making these advance
arrangements it would appear that
they must contract in advance for a
suitable acreage Of tomatoes, and es-
pecially is this true when packers
find it necessary to dispose of a GER
tain portion of their pack in advance
to be on the safe side. The refusal OF
so many growers to contract leaves
the Gamers in an unfortunate posi-
tinn. and they do not know Just wbic,.
way to turn.
1t has heretofore always been pos
slble to contract for a reasonable
acreage in advance, but unless the
majority of growers change their
minds, the Gamers will not be able
to book large acreage this year.
There are two sides to the tomato
contract question. 1t has been thought
iii many Localities to be big thing
to get canhouse located in a neish-
borhood because it would afford a
sure market for certain products. In
recent years boats have run from
Baltimore and other places to Jersey
and they bid for tomatoes higher than
contract prices. Wherever farmers
have lived close to navigable stream
they have been able to do well cart
ing to the boats in most instances.
Sut not in all. In four years average
some growers have been utterly dis
gusted with selling in the open mar
ket. If a boat or boats had a full
supply the farmers had his load on
his hands, and often disposed of it at
a third to half price, or in some in
stances losing an entire load.
In discussing this point, one far
mer says that whenever there is a
surplus of tomatoes the growers are
unable to get their wagons unloaded
promptly, and often stand nearly all
day at the can houses with their
teams, and many times leave their
wagons standing at the factories all
night, and he says that counting the
time lost, the present scarcity of help
and the high wages paid workers, it
is as profitable to let the tomatoes rot
in the field when they cannot be sold
i'm the open market, as to pick them
and lose so much time waiting at the
factories to be unloaded.
II we are to get a proper view of
the whole subject we must decide
whether or not local canhouse is
good for a community, and if it is,
or not we are under any OBJ
legation to support it. A mutual con-
tract can be made that the growers
will deliver the product of a certain
number of acres at fixed price per
ton. regardless of what the price may
be in the open market, and the can
ner agrees to pay that price regard
less of the fluctuations in the market.
There is a mutual determination to
insure market for the grower and
fruit to pack for the canner, and that
makes it possible for the Gamer to
stock up with cans, put in needed
and prepare for packing