The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-13
Early Tomatoes Active

Tomatoes grown for car-lot ship ments comprise only about 10 to 15 per cent of the commercial crop. Con siderable stock is sold and used in the local markets near producing sections. but the greater part of the acreage Is grown for canning. Tomatoes for ship ment as table stock are grown most extensively in six early producing and shipping states. These states are California; Florida, Mississippi, Tex as, Tennessee and New Jersey, which have shipped between 10 900 and 1000 cars of about 400 bushels, or 10 to 12 tons, during each of the past three seasons. These shipments comprise about two thirds of the whole car lot movement of tomatoes.
 Production Of tomatoes in recent years has tended to decrease while prices have shown an upward trend from season to season This year, however. acreage in the early states appears to be consider ably larger than last season. The conn hined area in Florida and Texas is es timated at 31 ,450 acres compared with 26.s00 acres last season, and the yield is estimated at 139 crates, or 10 per cent in- crease per acre.
 Shipments of early tomatoes this sea son to April 22 were 2,N4 cars, compared with 1,720 cars to corresponding date last year, and with ,453 in 1918. Until tue present season the only movement before 1 the third week in April was from Flori- | da, chiefly from the east coast section 1 This season the figures included one car from Texas The Texas movement l goes chiefly to middle western marlo T and commonly reaches about one-four- the volume of shipments from Florida. Texas shipments, however, have shown a | tendency to decrease, 36S cars being | shipped in 19l9 compared with 947 cars l in 1917 California shipments have av- | eraged not far from the Texas move ment, but last year California shipped nearly twice as many cars as Texas | The movement from Mississippi has av- eraged not far from that of California and Texas. New Jersey has decreased 1 from 3,122 cars in 1af6 to 2,006 cars in 1918 and 1012 cars in 1919.
 1 Interest at present centers chiefly in the Florida crop which has been moving | actively from the east coast section
 Shipments from Florida of 2,143 cars may be compared with ,469 to April 20 last year Indications the middle of April were that car-lot movements for the rest | of the season would be light to moderate with the exception of perhapS fairly liberal shipments between April 20 and 1 May or 10. The railway embargo caused serious interference with ship | ments
 l Low temperatures in early March
 caused frost injury and unsatisfactory
 conditions during the early part of the
 season in the Florida producing sections. 1 During the first three weeks in March. | immediately after the frost prices at Florida shipping points rangeS from s2.5O to 8 per six-basket carrier, although shippers were making an effort to get better prices for tomatoes picked pTe- viously and placed in packing housAs. On account of the uncertain quality of the stock, buyers held off during early March but were more active during the latter part of the month, and demand increased somewhat for the very mod
 crate supplies of first-quality stock
 available Shipments improved gradually
 in quality during the latter part of l March and prices showed an upward
 tendency strengthening to a range of
 S275 to S3 f. o. b.. while some cars of best quality reaeher $3.25 to s3.50 per
 carrier Prices strengthened in early
 April to range of s2.75 to 8 g and be-
 fore the end of the month had reached
 a much higher range-around s450 to se ! f. O. b. cash track for best green stock
 inferior stock ranging A5O to $50.
 ! Conditions in consuming center in
 March were unsatisfactory also. the
 chief reasons being the poor quality of
 arrivals and the green condition of stock.
 which, on account Of defectS sometimes
 not apparent, did not color properly
 Shippers frequently received low retuEHs and suffered heavy losses
 With the arrival of more favoraL>s
 weather in consuming centers and inn provement in quality of stock sales be- came more satisfactory during the third
 week in March particularly for stock of
 fancy quality. During the last week in March many of the arrivals were over ripe because of the weather and as a
 result of conditions at shipping point
 Also fruit of different stages of ma
 turty ripened the stock rapidly and the picking and shipping could not be done 1 as promptly as desirable
 l Prices in northern consuming markets have ranged somewhat lower this season partly because of the variable condition
 of the stock as described and partly be cause shipments have been about one third larger than last season. Jobbins prices ranged B to A5o for six-baske 1 carriers in March and 8 to $7 in April | with many tops reaching s toward thu end of the month, compared with a gen eral range of s35o to $50 in Aprik las lyear.