54 INTENSIVE FARMING 



At the outset, by some fortunate coincidence, 

 forcing house tomatoes were sold by the pound, 

 the only sane standard of measure for any food 

 product. The outdoor crop, save that grown 

 at the South during the winter, has always been 

 sold in the Northern markets by capacity 

 measures. In this respect at least the markets 

 have observed distinction between the regular 

 season and the forced crop. This is not enough, 

 the other points of distinction above pointed out 

 should be developed and brought to the atten- 

 tion of the purchaser. 



In comparison with the outdoor crop forcing 

 house tomatoes sell for ten to fifteen times as 

 much. A good price for outdoor tomatoes is 

 one or two cents per pound, while forcing house 

 fruit sells for from fifteen to twenty-five cents 

 per pound. 



Greenhouse tomatoes, trained to the single 

 stem, should produce an average of five to six 

 pounds per plant and such plants can be suc- 

 cessfully grown when planted eighteen by eigh- 

 teen inches or about 660 plants to each 1,000 

 square feet of house area. Six hundred plants 

 at five pounds each equals 3,000 pounds from 

 1,000 square feet or from a space of ten by one 

 hundred feet. Three thousand pounds at fif- 

 teen cents equals $450.00. At the same rate 



