Vegetable Growing for Market 



165 



apart, and each house holds from 5000 to 6000 plants. They are usually 

 planted in April after a crop of Radishes, Spinach, or Winter Cabbages 

 have been taken off, and by the end of September the crop is practically 

 finished, about six months elapsing between the first planting and final 

 picking. Taking an average of 4 Ib. of tomatoes to each plant, this range 

 of twenty-one houses would yield something like 420,000 Ib. (over 187 tons) 

 of fruit during the six months. At .18 per ton just under 2d. per pound 

 this would mean a gross return of 3366 for 10 ac. of ground, and at 

 least one-fourth of this 840 may be regarded as net profit, the rest 

 going in rent, labour, rates, interest on capital, manures, &c. 



This establishment at Isleworth is only one of thousands now devoted 

 to the cultivation of tomatoes for market. There seems to be no falling 

 off in the popular taste, and although prices are now much lower than 

 they w r ere a few years ago, it is evident that a capable grower is not likely 

 to lose anything by growing tomatoes properly, even when he has to meet 

 the competition of imported supplies. That these are by no means small 

 may be seen from the following figures taken from the Returns issued by 

 the Board of Agriculture: 



TOMATOES IMPORTED 



1906. 



i9o; 



1911. 



Value 



953,475 1,020,805 1,160,283 1,125,252 



These figures show that in four years 4,578,548 cwt. of tomatoes, estimated 

 at 4,259,815, were imported and consumed. The greater bulk of these 

 imported tomatoes comes from the Canary Islands (604,692 cwt.), the 

 Channel Islands (223,800 cwt.), France (115,500 cwt.), Spain (169,000 cwt.), 

 and Portugal (1700 cwt.). In the same period British market growers 

 probably sent to market five or six times the quantity, say 28,000,000 

 to 30,000,000 cwt, of tomatoes, and they may be valued roughly at 25s. 

 per cwt. It will thus be seen that Tomato growing is by no means a small 

 industry, and according as the population increases so is the trade likely 

 to maintain its present hold on the community at large. 



