AN ECONOMIC STUDY OF THE PRODUCTION OF CANNING CROPS 53 



Use of land 



The value of the land on which tomatoes were grown, and the aver- 

 age charge per acre for land operated under various tenures, are given 

 in table 53. The highest land values were in the Chautauqua area. 

 This section has climatic and soil conditions which make it particularly 

 adapted to the production of grapes, tomatoes, and other crops that require 

 protection against frost. The acreage of such land is limited. It there- 

 fore has a high sale value. 



TABLE 53. VALUE PER ACRE AND CHARGES FOR USE OF LAND IN TOMATOES, 133 



FARMS, 1920 



* Includes only value of land owned or worked on shares. 



Most of the tomatoes were grown on land operated by owners (table 54). 

 Because of the amount of labor required by the tomato crop, it is not 

 a very satisfactory crop for a tenant. When grown on shares, the land- 

 lord sometimes pays part or all of the cost of the labor of picking. 



TABLE 54. PROPORTION OF ACRES OF TOMATOES GROWN UNDER DIFFERENT 



TENURES, 1920 



Per cent of acres of tomatoes grown 



RETURNS 



The prevailing contract prices for the season of 1920 were $22.50 per 

 ton in the Orleans and Niagara areas and $20 per ton in the Chautauqua 

 area. The tomato crop of 1920 was being harvested just as the business 

 depression was beginning to affect the wholesale price of canned tomatoes. 



