Imperial Valley press., 1932-06-25
MIXED VEGETABLE
GARDENS OFFER
BIG OPPORTUNITY

The FL Centre Chamber of Com
merce has frequently urged that
consideration be given by vegeta-
bic growers OF Imperial Valley to
supplying Los Angeles regularly
with fresh vegetables. not only in
the winter season. but throughout
most of the year. 1t is realized,
Of course. that many vegetables
cannot be grown during the warm
est midsummer months, but just
as other products have been adapt
ed. it may be possible to produce a
strain which viii resist midsummer
heat.
There must be a large selection
of fruits and vegetables which can
be grown here during 10 months of
the year, Robert Hays, manager
of the FL Centre Chamber Of Com
merce. states. At a lower cost
they may be supplied to the 3O00.-
600 urban residents Of Southern
California. I was interested in an
agricultural statistical report issued
by the Los Angeles City Chamber
Of Commerce. Los Angeles unload
ed and used the equivalent or
g.. .256 carloads of fruits and vege-
tables in 1881. as compared with
6O.422 the year before, a three per
cent gain. which is phenomenal
when one considers the purchasing
power and consumption Of the peo-
pie has diminished.
There follows a list in form OF
the commodities which had to be
brought into the city of Los Angeles
during the last year: anise, apples,
apricots. artichokes, asparagus, av-
ocados. bananas. beans, beets,
blackberries. broccoli, cabbage, bruS-
sci sprouts. oantaloupes, carrots,
cauliflower, celery. chayOtes, cher
res. chicory. corn. crabapples.
"Cranberries. cucumbers, currants,
dixon, eggplant. figs, garlic, grapes, /
grapefruit. horseradish, kohlrabi,
leeks. lemons. lettuce, lines. logan
berries, loquats, melons, mushrooms. !
mustard, napa, nectarines, okra,
olives, onions, oranges, oyster plant, !
parsley, parsnips, peas.
Peaches, peppers, persimmons, |
pineapple, plums, prunes, pome-
granates. potatoes. pumpkins, ounce, |
radishes. raspberries. rhubarb, ro-
maine, rutabagas. spinach, squash, !
Strawberries, sugar cane, sweet po- !
tatoes, tangerines, taro, tomatoes, /
egg tomatoes, turnips, waterchest- |
nuts, watercress, watermelons.
OF course, It Is realized Hays i
stated. that such products as ap- /
pies, potatoes, avocados, etc. have /
been found to be unsuited to In |
perial Valleys climate, yet Of the |
tens of thousands of other carloads, /
some of these things might be pro-
duced in Imperial Valley. Our /
chamber Of commerce committees /
are working or this problem and /
they expect to urge vigorously dur |
ing the ensuing year that an at /
tempt be made on the part Of the /.
vegetable growers to produce all /
year vegetables for the Los Angeles /
and San Diego markets.
vegetables. Hays continued, !
Knight be said to produce one-haf |
carload to the acre, so if perchance !
we were able to supply $4,000 car
loads annually to the Los Angeles /
market. We would thereby utilize /
100000 acres in Imperial Valley |
lands in so doing. Vegetables US /
ually command a higher price than /
ordinary field crops so the money |
returned would be tremendous, so !
this plan is to be one Of the major /
projectives Of the chamber Of COM
merce during the fiscal year