Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-11-06
CANNING PLANTS
IN PECQS VALLEY
PROVE A SUCCESS
Three Factories Have Had al
Profitable Season. Putting
Up Tomatoes, Peaches and
Other Products for Market,

ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE TO MORNING JOURNAL
Artesia, n NJ, Nov. 5.-With the
advent of a slight frost the morning
of November l, which killed the leaves
on tomato vines the canning factories
will soon go out of business for this |
year, The season was ideal for all |
farm products, and more were grown
than ever before in the history of the
Pecos valley. The three canning fac
tories located at Artesia, Lakewood
and Roswell have been running full
blast since the early peaches ripened, |
and all have been obliged to secure
additional storage for their output
The Artesia factory canned 12,24O
three-pound cans of fancy liberia
peaches, and about the same number
of apples. pears, prunes and ounces.
ParadoXical as it may seem, with the
most abundant crop of apples this
valley ever raised they We're too high
to be canned at profit. The explain
alton is that with less than q 10 per
cent crop in the eastern and middle |
western states there has been a fierce
demand for all our apples at a stiff
price.
246,i00 Cans of Tomatoes.
The Artesia factory has canned the !
equivalet of 246,i00 three-pound cans
of tomatoes and expects to can about |
10000 more before the seasons crop
is exhausted. The manager, f. l.. |
Humphreys, is authority for the state
ment that contracts for sweet potatoes
to come later will easily make a
carload.
The Lakewood Factory claims AMI
output just about equalling that Of
the Artesia plant, 1t probably canned
more tomatoes but less fruit. On ac-
count of the favorable conditions for
tomato growing this was the banner
season for the Lakewood plant One
farmer near there, a Mexican had a
large acreage of tomatoes, which !
yielded q revenue of $3.50 per acre.
His yield was the blue-ribbon yield of
the valley.
The Roswell factory was built and
opened for business early the present
season. owing to a lack of propagan-
da among the farmers the tomato crop
was not large, and the plant thus
canned many less tomatoes than
either Artesia or Lakewood But ac-
cording to the figures submitted byI
the manager, ]. d. Fitzpatrick, he
canned more than twice as much fruit
as both Artesia and Lakewood. His
output Of peaches alone amounted to
several carloads, besides which he
canned considerable quantities of beets
and green beans.
Superior Tomatoes.
The New Mexico tomatoes arc SUI
perior in quality to those of any
other state in the union. Their seed
cells are smaller, and. having a small
water content, are more firm. The
cans contain only the solid meats
which when removed may be sliced as
easily as when taken from the vines.
These facts are understood and
recognized by wholesale dealers who
place New Mexico tomatoes in a class
by themselves and charge accord
ihgly. Our tomatoes have never been
obliged to seek Market the market
seeks them, and nearly every case put
up by the different canneries has al
ways been contracted in advance. 1t is
quite significant in this connection
that Uncle Sam last season command
eered SO per cent of the tomato out
put of the Artesia and Lakewood
plants for shipment to the soldiers in
France.
Next to New Mexico tomatoes come
those of Colorado and Utah, and the
products of these states are only in
LCA ~ " Ohlc III liNil bACeiLCA WilNt
content.
Tomatoes Bring 100 an Acre
Twenty dollars per ton or / cent al
pound is the price paid by the fac
tories to the farmers for their toma-
toes. AT this price the average yield
of an acre, with average care and
attention, brings 800. The growing
plants are responsive to cultivation
and care, and an acre can be made to
bring much greater revenue.
The factories this year have labored
under q serious disadvantage through
q lack of help, and many tomatoes
have. been wasted on that account.
Farmers are learnin~ that tomatoes
are not only profitable but rea
sonably sure crop. one season with
another, and because of this tomato
growing is destined in the future to
contribute it's share to the prosperity
of ounalready prosperous state.
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