Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1920-03-19
GROWERS OF
ANNE ARUNDEL CO.
DISCUSS OUTLOOK
DR.. Thomas B. Symons, Director
Of Extension Service Of The
Maryland State College, Pre-
sents Question From View
point Of Consumer
A LOCAL PACKER
GIVES SNAPPY TALK

On Tuesday afternoon a very inter-
esting meeting was held by the to-
mato growers of Anne Arundel Coun-
ty. In spite of the Indictment weather
there were sixty men present who
heard addresses by DR.. Thomas B
Symons, Director Of the Extension
Service OF the Maryland State College.
T. L. Tate, local packer, and Orlando
Ridout Jr.. a grower.
DR.. Symons is especially well in
formed on the tomato situation in
Maryland and presented the question
from the viewpoint of consumer, pack
er and grower He said that the con-
sumner must be educated to eat more
tomatoes and in order TO do so, the
price of the article must be less
He presented number of statistics
showing how the industry was NOV
ing westward in the same direction OF
the pea industry, in which Maryland
excelled a decade ago. California last
year alone packed twice as many
crates of tomatoes as did Maryland,
and in 1918 Maryland packed two
thirds of the entire crop in the United
States.
Something will have to be done with
the situation or the tomato will 90 the
way of the peas. He continued from
the growers point of view, saying that
the average yield in Maryland last
year was 3 IL tons per acre or
little over 212 baskets, while in Cali
fornia and Utah the average was near
er ten tons per acre. He stated that
the grower was not growing his crop
right and not giving it the proper
plant foood and that we would have to
come around to a different plan of
growing.
lie quoted figures and gave in de-
tail the cost of growing an acre of to-
matoes and the yields from the differ
snt plants and invariably the rule was
that the larger yields came where the
best care was used in selecting seed,
planting, cultivation, spraying and
harvesting. Improved methods sure
ly cost more than the slap-bang meth
DDS used in many instances, but it
seems to pay.
Mr.. Tate's Snappy Talk
Mr. Tate followed DR.. Symons with
a snappy talk on the packers view of
the question Mr. Tate emphasized
the quality instead of the quantity
stating that in many instances he did
not average six cans to a basket of
tomatoes, due to the quality, and in
the course of his remarks stated that
he was willing TO pay premium for
a selected basket of tomatoes. He
quoted figures giving the amounts 9TH
err states were paying for tomatoes.
Maryland being the average; the cost
of production, and the selling price of
the canned product.
He gave a brief outline of the adj
vertising campaign which is about to
be launched by the Western packers
there being about $1,50O,000 invested
in the venture Mr.. Tate was assailed
by questions from the floor in the
course of his address, and while sew
eral of his hearers waxed Bolshevistic
in their retorts and comments, as a
whole his address was favorably re-
ceived.
Mr.. RidOut Talks
Orlando Ridout, Jr., followed Mr.
Tate with talk on the growing of
tomatoes. Mr.. Ridout had a good crop
last year and his remarks were SINH
lar to DR.. Symons' on the growing
question, but Mr.. Ridout made more
of practical question out of it than
DR.. Symons. He was also asked ques-
tons and given advice from the floor.
William H. Moss gave an extempor-
aneous address, waxing eloquent,
stating his age and telling how he and
Mr.. Tate had grown up together, to
which assertion Mr.. Tate rose to take
exception. not minding having grown
up with Mr.. Moss. but objecting TO the
fact that Mr.. Moss claimed him to be
as old. These pleasantries were well
received and the meeting broke up
with another meeting pending in
week. II is hoped that this meeting
can be arranged for Tuesday after
noon at 2 M in the Courf pnon,