Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-03-30
TOMATO GROWERS
WIN THEIR FIGHT
Decision Due To Efforts Of Con
gresham Linthicum, Who
Went Before Board.


Congressman Linthicum with his
colleagues, Mr.. Price and Mr.. Polk,
has been making great fight for the
tomato growers of the State, before
the Army and Navy Board, telling the
Board that his people, speaking for
those of his native county OF Anne
Arundel, cannot possibly grow toma-
toes at S21 per ton at the present rate
of expense. He contended that the
average yield is not more than three
and one-half tons per acre and that
his people could not produce for less
than $40 per acre He told the
Board that if they would not pay over
$21 per ton for tomatoes the people
would refuse to grow them and the
scarcity would be so manifest and the
prices so high that it would cost the
government millions of dollars to buy
the necessary quantity for the army
and navy.
Mr.. Linthicum called the attention
of Colonel Grove, representing the
Board, to the fact that the farmers
wanted to do all they could toward
the winning of this war by the pro-
duction of food, but at the same time,
with the great scarcity of labor and
high cost of fertilizer and the scarcity
and cost of seed, it was impossible
for them to do it with their limited
capital, without sustaining great loss
which they could not afford to do.
Colonel Grove told Mr. Linthicum
and his colleagues that if the people
in the East could not produce the to-
matoes for the price, that they could
be obtained in California where they
grow about eleven tons to an acre for
SIS per ton or less.
Colonel Grove was then asked
whether it was not a fact that the
great desire of the army and navy to
have tomatoes for their soldiers and
sailors was the necessity of obtaining
the acid which tomatoes contain and
which is necessary for their welfare
Colonel Grove said it was. He was
then informed and admitted that the
California tomatoes, where they are
grown by irrigation, have not the re-
quired acid and have nowhere near
the amount of acid that the tomatoes
grown in the East contain, the tri-
States Maryland, Delaware and Vir-
ginia.
After one of the most strenuous
meetings which has ever been held in
Washington, where more than fifty
large and influential farmers and
packers were present, Colonel Grove
finally agreed that he would take the
question up with Representatives Lin
thicum, Price and Polk the next day.
The following day these gentlemen
met Colonel Grove and Mr.. Burden.
Superintendent under Mr. Hoover of
the Food Commission. After long
debate it was finally agreed that the
price of tomatoes would be lifted and
the Army and Navy Board would then
go into the market and purchase for
the best price.
This decision was a great satisfac-
ton TO the tomato growers and will
mean more than one million and a half
dollars in their pockets. 1t was high
ly gratifying to the Representatives in
Congress because it is very essential
to the public generally that large
crop of tomatoes be grown this year.
Mr.. Linthicum suggested to Col
onel Grove that if the army and navy
wished to obtain tomatoes at a lew
price and within reason it would be
we'll Tor them to make contracts with
the packers, paying for the goods in
advance and taking bond for their de-
livery. In this way, he said, the
packers would be financed in their
operations without great expense and
would be able to sell to the govern
ment all it wished for perhaps nearly
cost
Colonel Grove said he had the power
10 do this and would take the matter
under consideration.