June, 1926] CAN WE PRODUCE MORE OF WHAT WE EAT? 21 



capita; Manchester, 5,825 cwt. or 7.7 pounds per capita. This compares 

 with an estimated consumption of 6 to 7 pounds per capita for the nation 

 as a whole. 



DRY ONIONS 



The purchase of dry onions by retail stores and hotels closely paralleled 

 these purchases of dry beans. (See Table V). Many stores handled ap- 

 proximately 5,000 pounds of each. Of the 50,000 one-hundred pound 

 sacks of onions purchased, 96 per cent, or 48,000, were shipped in. This is 

 equal to the production of over 500 acres with an average yield of 200 

 bushels. Most of the onions shipped in were produced in Massachusetts 

 and New York, although some come from Bermuda and southern states in 

 crates. 



The production of onions in ^Massachusetts has developed into a 

 specialized industry employing much cheap hand labor. Such districts 

 can produce so cheaply that it is doubtful if the New Hampshire farmer 

 could afford to compete with this crop. At least it would be necessary to 

 approach such districts in labor cost and use many of the methods in 

 production that are employed there. 



Moreover, onion production has in recent years suffered from over- 

 production due to available cheap labor in certain districts. 



SQUASH 



Local farmers evidently supplied most of the squash consumed in the 

 state, since the stores and hotels (as shown in Table V) imported only 2,156 

 cwt., or 18 per cent of total purchases. The southern part of the state, as 

 indicated by districts 4, 5, 6 and 7, ships in very little of this commodity; 

 in fact it is believed that some squash is trucked to markets to the south. 

 In the northern part of the state, as indicated in districts 1, 2 and 3, some 

 squash is shipped in. Berlin (as shown in tables in appendix) imported 

 186 cwt., or 63 per cent of its total purchases, and Plymouth imported 120 

 cwt., or 54 per cent of its total purchases. Other towns imported only a 

 small amount of squash, the large city of Manchester shipping in only 61 

 cwt. and Nashua only 7 cwt. 



Any increase in local production of squash in southern New Hampshire 

 must therefore be on the basis of shipping to outside markets, and since 

 the squash market is periodically flooded, expansion in acreage is some- 

 what risky. 



SWEET CORN 



The purchase of sweet corn from other than farmers was found ex- 

 ceedingly small. (See Table V.) Probably much of that which is im- 

 ported comes in before local farmers are able to harvest. Quarantine 

 regulations prevent shipments from certain areas, and, no doubt, more 

 out-of-season corn would be brought in if it were not for this. The 

 summer hotels in district 2 ship in a large amount, much of which comes 

 from Sullivan county where a few growers are making a specialty of early 

 sweet corn. 



It is interesting to note from the tables in the appendix that Claremont 

 and Laconia shipped in no corn, and that Manchester- shipped in 2,700 



