POSTWAR READJUSTMENTS IN AGRICULTURE 31 



merits in overhead irrigation. With greater mechanization in vegetable growing 

 and the adoption of labor-saving devices leading to lower costs, it may bec(;me 

 profitable to use part of the crop of Massachusetts growers for processing pur- 

 poses, although the sale of fresh vegetables in nearby markets will undoubtedly 

 remain the mainstay of local producers. 



Onions 



For a long time onions have occupied an important place among Massachusetts 

 farm products. In recent years a number of unfavorable factors have been handi- 

 capping the successful operation of this industry. Developed primarily in the 

 Connecticut Valley, onion growing has depended to a large extent on hand 

 labor. Although the amount of hand labor required has been markedly reduced 

 by the extensive use of small two-wheeled tractors, hand labor requirements are 

 still high. Besides the general difficulties of putting this type of agriculture on a 

 fully mechanized basis, the prevailing system of intensive cultivation and the 

 high cost of land in the Connecticut Valley have militated against it. It is not 

 likely that in the near future there will be any material change in the acreage 

 under onion cultivation. In the immediate postwar period the acreage of around 

 1,200 seems feasible. 



Potatoes 



The potato acreage in Massachusetts has increased considerabl}' during war- 

 time. The reported area of 25,000 acres during the peak of wartime production 

 is over 30 percent higher than in recent normal years. It is considered feasible 

 for producers to maintain this acreage by the greater use of machinery, such as 

 pickers, and the general improvement in prevailing practices. The rate of fer- 

 tilization is already high. There are, how^ever, possibilities in better control of 

 diseases and in more complete programs of spraying and dusting. One of the 

 major problems in maintaining soil fertility and controlling erosion is the estab- 

 lishment of satisfactory rotations and the use of suitable cover crops. Some land 

 in the Connecticut Valley may have to be released from continuous potato cul- 

 ture because of the exhausting effect of the crop on organic matter. Maintenance 

 of the acreage will be possible by using other farm land or by opening new areas 

 of a suitable character, as has been done recently on favorable sites in uplands. 



Tobacco 



Under increased wartime demand, the tobacco acreage has stopped its down- 

 ward trend of recent years. Some expansion of production is possible in the next 

 two or three years in response to continued high demand and higher prices. 

 Later on, with the re-establishment of normal conditions and with somewhat 

 lower prices, there will be a tendency to decrease the acreage, which is likely to 

 be stabilized somewhere around 5,000 acres. 



Fruit Production 



Fruit growing has been for a long time one of the most important branches of 

 Massachusetts agriculture. The types of soil and climate in various sections of 

 the State are favorable for successful orcharding. For a number of years prior 

 to the war, prevailing prices, especially in the apple market, were mostly unsatis- 

 factory to local fruit growers. This retarded somewhat the carrying out of 

 practices recognized as essential for the adequate maintenance of fruit trees. 



