Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-26
FARMERS, PACKERS
LOSE ON TOMATOES
Both Declare the Western Com
petition Has Cut Into the
Peninsula's Big Industry.

Salisbury, Md, Aug. 26.--Tomato
growers and CAMPERS OF Maryland are
agreed on one thing: 1t is impossible To
prevent heavy loss this year, both to the
grower and canner.
The cnnner admits that the farmer
cannot grow tomatoes indefinitely at n
loss and the farmer admits that the
Gamer cannot pack them indefinitely at
a loss. Both feel that the Maryland
tomato industry is in bad fix.
To the canner the whole problem is one
of meeting the competition of the Middle
West and California. To the grower it
is q problem of organizing the tomato
growers of the United States to control
production and thereby control pricesr
MARYLAND for many years held unds-
puted sway in tomato growing and there
was no competing State which approached
il in packing. For Is years the Maryland
pack was averaged third of the total
for the country and several times has al
most reached the halfway mark. Galifor-
MIA passed Maryland in tomato packing
last year, being the first State ever to do
SO.
But California, Indiana, Utah and
other states produced tomatoes this year
nj contract prices Of about 25 cents n
basket, presumably Mt profit while
MANY MARYLAND growers have ldedged
themselves TO plow the crops under or
let them rot rather than sell at less than
40 and 50 cents a basket The Maryland
farmer saws he cannot produce nj a profit
at less than 40 and so cents a basket.
The MARYLAND packer says he will have
to, or stop frowing tomatoes.
The only salvation for the grower is
nationwide organization, according 10
J. T.. Patton, of East New Market, presi-
dent of the Peninsula Tomato Growers
Aesaciation, the largest Of its kind.
He has initiated a movement toward
this nationwide organization and an
appeal has been made 20 farmers of all
tomato-growing States TO meet at Co
lumbus. Ohio, during the Farmers Ma
tionsl Congress in November These
States include Maryland, California,
Indiana, Delaware, Utah, New Jersey,
New York, Ohio, Missouri, Virginia and
Washington.
''The farmers Of Maryland have real
iyed. | believe, that their problem oi
every tomato grower in the United States,
Mr.. Patton said yesterday. I'VE must
work out our own salvation and solve our
own problems, and the way 10 do IL in 10
organize for mutual protection-not "a
fight the Gamers, jobbers or consumers
efforts TO avert heavy losses from
this crop are being made. In East New
Market some farmers are trying to pack
their own tomatoes. They have leased q
canncry and started in. They don't
know how the venture wilt turn out. but
il is possible this same step will be taken
elsewhere.
Zone canner in Talbot county has of.
fered to pack crops on a basis of 10 PEI
cent of the price at which the pack Is
marketed. II there is profit, Gamer
and farmer share il there il no profit,
canner and farmer both lose.
"The situation seems To have boiled
down 10 this: Either the canner and
grower must get together ON some co
operative basis, or the grower must dc
his own canning. There IS not enough
profit for two.
ain my opinion, the secret of the
cheapness of the Western tomato is ig-
norance of the Western grower as 10
costs. / do not believe California on
Indiana can grow tomatoes at 25 cents
n basket. One fact is certain, whether
we organize or not. We cannot continue
to grow tomatoes at loss.