St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1918-06-01
Tomato Canning in Arkansas

business, very mucn greater THAN INC
average individual would suppose.
IT comprises all kinds of meats,
fruits and vegetables and forms one
ef the great branches of commerce.
The business has grown rapidly dur
lag the past decade, but growth has
been much more rapid in some sec
tions than in others. The greatest
production of canned vegetables in
the United States is in the section
known as the Tri-States, that II, in
the states Of Delaware, New jersey
and Maryland. About t~hree-fouTths
Of the total tomato pack made Is put
up in that section, as well as great
quantities Of other vegetables and
fruits.
The tomato is the most popular OF
the canned vegetables and is t!.ere'
fore the leading article preserved by
canning. The total pack in the III it
ed States runs from nine to fifteen
million cases of Number 8 cans an
nually, possibly an average Of not
less than IL, 900 cases, with the
Tri-State packing three-fourths OF the
total output OF the entire thereby
making the price. When it is said
making the price it is meant that all
sections price their canned foods on
the Baltimore basis with freight rate
added or deducted as the case may
be. This gives this section large
fields inwhich to distribute its out.
put with the freight rate considerably
In our favor. This immediate local
ity can produce a lot more canned
foods before it will actually have the
big canning centers to compete with.
or. at least, we will have time to
learn better how to grow canning
crops and to get u methods and
equipment to the point where we can
meet competition. Stronger compe-
tition and the production of larger
yields will both eventually come.
This being a locality of small farms
and large acreage of rough land. rot
suitable for growing grain to advan-
tage making it a splendid locality for
growing crops for canning, especial
" tomatoes. The canning industry
In this county on a permanent basis
Is just now beginning.
From the information available it
was the year 1896 when the canning
business was first started in this
county by some promoters organic
Ing companies at different places
within the county. Factories were
erected at Springdale, Cane Hill,
West Fork, Prairie Grove and Fay
~etteviile. These plants were pro
noted BIZ parties who wanted to
make money BY selling machinery
and stock in the companies. These
canneries did not last long-only
about four years. However, the n
at springdale lived long enough to
make an enviable reputation for the
aspringdale Canned Tomato" But
It, like almost all promoted plants,
gave up and quit, and for a time the
industry was dead SO far as this
county was concerned.
The following statement was re-
Gently made by Mr.. Charley Appleby
who is a member of the firm, Apple
by Brothers Canning Company of
Fayetteville, which firm owns and
operates five large canneries: in
1906. we had near Pennington a
field of blackberries. We found that
shipping them to market as gathered
from the vines proved to be unprof-
table. So we began to cast about
for some other way to get money
for our blackberry venture, and final
III decided to try what would now be
called home canning. This proved
To be Il success, SO from that small
beginning the present canning bust
ness of this county has grown. Dur
ing the past 81 there were twelve
canning plants operating in the
Isl. that shipped canned foods by the
d besides home Gamers,
who sold to the larger factories, or
to local dealers. At a rough esti-
mate, / would say there was n
million dollars worth of canned foods
shipped from this county last sea-
son"
Washington county in area con-
tains approximately $50 square miles.
Ii is generally rough and mountain
u The Frisco railroad runs about
midway through the county north and
south, two branch lines of the Frisco
traverse the county about
midway east and west, giving the
county better shipping facilities than
ii found in many counties in North
west Arkansas. The canning plants
are we'll enough scattered to repre-
sent the different sections of the
county. Two Of the larger plants are
located al Fayetteville, the following
points, Pennington. Literal, Spring
dale. west Fork, Elkins, Sonora, Ton
town, Lincoln and Prairie Grove, all
have one plant each of fairly good
size. The home canneries, numbering
between 20 and 80, are scattered pro-
about over the county.