The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-02-18
MILLION Tons OF TOMATOES.
Third Vegetable Crop i'm Size-0ver
200. COO Acres a Year.

The tomato crop is third in value Of
the vegetable crops in this country. y
large portion of the crop is canned CT
made into soupS and pur2cS. In the
United States from 2uDbOn TO HO.hoo
acres are devoted to the crop annually for
canning and manufacturing purposes.
The weld is about l.OO0,OO0 tons per an
num- The industry Is widely scattered
over the United States. but Maryland.
New Jersey. Virginia. Indiana and Cali
fOrnia produce Il large part of the crop.
The tomato says James ii. Beattie,
horticultUriSt Emitted States department
.uf agriculture. us one Of the few Ncge-
tables Of American origin that have at
tanned great commercial Importance. In
tr0duced into the United State~ about
1900 it was for a long time looked upon
largely as an ornamental plant Owing
to its relation In Inc niRiuAAadc tamilrs-it
was regarded with suspicion and was said
strong. prejudice had been broken down
that ITS cultivation began to attract atteu-
ton and its use became general.
About the middle of the last century
canned tomatoes were introduced as an
article of trade and the tomato-canninE
industry soon attained considerable impor-
tauces In 1881 the total pack of canned
tomatoes i'm the United States was, about
5000 900 cases. .ach case containing two
d02cn-No. > cans. each holding approx
matcly one quart
Tomato production has grown until at
the prcpsnt time tho tomato occupies third
place among the vegetable crops in value.
being exceeded only by potatoes and sweet
potatoes. The average annual pack of
canned tomatoes for the 10 years ended
with the season Of 1920 was approx
matciy 12.1g4.61O cases of No, ; cans or
their equivalent. In addition to the to
matopS canned large quantities were used
for the making of soups. purecS and pulp.
The tomato Is crop requiring mod
eratcly warm climate and a long growing
season for its best development. In the
northern states where the frOSt-frcc sea
son is too short for maturing tho crop out
of doors. il can be grown by starting the
plants indoors thus prolouging the season
bv several weeks. by following this prac-
tice it is possible to grow tomatoes in =
commercial way in regions where the in
duStry could not otherwise flourish. In
climates where it's growth is not inter
ruptcd by frost the tomato is a perennial
plant. but in the portions Of the United
States where the tonIato-canning industry
has attained it's greatest Importance the
tomato is treated as an annual.
Climatic conditions, nearness 10 mar
kct lahor supply. soils and other factors
have all had an influence in the develop
lncnt of the industry in Maryland, Cali
formal. Indiana. Missouri. Delaware New
York. Utah. Illinois. Kentucky. Ohio.
PENNSYLVANIA. Tennessee Virginia and
West Virginia. where the major portion
of the tomatoes grown for canning and
manufacturing are produced. the volume
of the pack in the several states being
in the order mentioned.
While the high temperatures and hot
sun of the lower South arc well suited to
the growing of tomatoes for canning and
the northern limit Of their growth Is ee-
tablished by the short growing season Of
the northern portion of the United States,
it does not follow that the present distri-
button of the industry * in all cases eco
nOmically sound.
Within the climatic range to which
the tomato is adapted il Is not particu-
larly exacting as to soil requirements.
ANY good soil suitable To general farm
crops can readily be adapted to the grow
ing Of tomatoes for canning. The plant
requires from so TO 10 days from seed
to come into bearing, but about one third
of this period can be spent in green
house. the hotbed. or some other protected
place tnndsthe growing season can in this
wayshe considerably heightened
.''Ehc plant bears until killed BY frost
iuulesS injured by drought, insects or dis
] ease hence the longer the producing sea-
FeBn tho higher the yields. The crop re-
FcttlireS about the same amount Of moisture
MS other farm crops in the sections to
(which tomatoes are adapted From a
reconsideration of these factors il is appar-
cnt that large areas, living in a broad belt
/ between the extremely hot lower South
\ and the short growing season areas of
/ the North are as far ms the general re-
lquirements Of the plant are concerned.
lwell adapted to the growing of tomatoes
for manufacturing purposes.
THE very fact that the tomato can 50
easily be produced under a wide variety
lef conditions has IN the past led to the
development of tile industry in sections
where there have been and are few Geo
monte reasons for its continuance In
sections where the soil is very light re-
uliring large quantities of organic mate
rial and commercial fertilizers and where
the crop is easily injured by drought. SaHd
where, f'tfle, ttfttt-f--rrt+r- ror1trfJn3