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Show TOMATOES FOR WAR The tomato, once an obscure plant, is now the most ' valued commercial truck crop produced in the United States. It is especially valued this year for its food content con-tent for our fighting forces on all fronts. The federal government has set up a production goal of 40 million mil-lion cases of canned tomatoes for 1942, as compared with little more than 31 million cases produced in 1941. In addition, considerable quantities of tomato juice, soup and other products will be produced. Ordinarily about 40 per cent of the processing crop is utilized for canned tomatoes, 15 per cent being used for soup, catsup, paste and numerous other products. Farmers will try to produce all the processing tomatoes needed this year, but difficulties may be experienced in getting the tomatoes picked and then canned. The department of agriculture has announced that it will buy from certified canners all quantites of 1942 canned tomatoes offered to it through December 31, 1942 at 95 cents per dozen No. 2 cans f. o. b. cannery, for U. S. grade C. To obtained ob-tained certificates canners must be approved by the USD A state war boards as having agreed by contract to pay growers at least the minimum price applying to their particular locality. The present program does not provide for tomatoes not grown under contract. Although tomatoes for processing process-ing are grown in more than 36 states 8 states grow about four-fifths Of the crop. Leading producing states ! are California . (9,614,200 tons in 1941); Virginia (91,600); Ohio (213, 800); New York, (167,200); Pennsylvania Penn-sylvania (150,400). States growing lesser quantities include Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, Delaware, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Colorado, and Utah. Production was increased in practically all states except Kentucky, Missouri, and Delaware during the last 20 years. Besides the 620 thousand acres of processing tomatoes that will I need to be planted to meet the j production goal, about 200,000 acres of tomatoes will be grown for the fresh market. Tomatoes for fresh market are porduced in almost all parts of the United States. Leading Lead-ing producing states are California Califor-nia (5 million bushels) ; Florida (2.8 million bushels) ; New Jersey (2.1 million bushels); Maryland( 1.22 million bushels). Other important states producing for the fresh market mar-ket include Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Mis-sissippi, Colorado, Undiana, Michigan, Michi-gan, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Illinois, Illi-nois, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia. Total production pro-duction for fresh market has more than doubled in the last 20 years. j Improved transportation facilities ' have made possible for winter shipment ship-ment of fresh tomatoes from the south and California to the larger northern markets. Consequently, production increases have been greatest in these areas. Tomatoes in both fresh and canned form are important in the diet of our fighting forces but canned tomatoes are used more than fresh tomatoes. The army garrison gar-rison ration prescribes two ounces of canned tomatoes per soldier per day, or 45 pounds per year. No direct allowance is made for fresh tomatoes, toma-toes, although these may be substituted substi-tuted for canned at the rate of four ounces of fresh tomatoes per soldier per day for each two ounces of canned tomatoes. Average yearly per capita consumption in the United States is about 9 pounds of canned whole tomatoes, tomato juice, and pulp. Consumption of fresh tomatoes toma-toes for the urban population Is about 17 pounds. Canned tomatoes also figure importantly im-portantly in the food requirements for ou rallies; substantial quantities are required for lend-lease shipments ship-ments abroad. As a source of pure water and vitamin C, and as a food earily prepared and blendable with other foods, canned tomatoes are in- valuable for use in bombed areas, in the trenches and on shipboard. |