CROPS UNDER GLASS 



51 



During most of the winter and spring the chief diet consisted 

 of cereals and meat. Those were the good old days of the 

 big black bottle up in the corner that had to come down every 

 so often, and from which everyone had to take a big table- 

 spoonful every morning. 



People think nowadays that a diet which includes more of 

 vegetables and of fruits is more wholesome, and that the big 

 bottle is not so necessary as it used to be. This change is 

 evident on all sides. 



Several factors have contributed in bringing about the in- 

 creased demand for garden products. In the first place, our 

 population is increasing. There are more people in the Unit- 

 ed States every year than there were the year before. That 

 means that more vegetables are eaten. Then, the proportion 

 of our people that lives in the cities is increasing. That means 

 that a larger proportion of our population must be fed from a 

 distance and a smaller proportion of the vegetables is grown 

 by the people who use them. People Avere formerly satisfied 

 to have vegetables during a few months. Now they want 

 vegetables all the year. I notice the greatest difference in 

 the three years I have been here at Cornell. We used to think 

 it remarkable that people could have tomatoes all the year 

 around. Now they want lettuce and cucumbers at every 

 season. In 1910 we said: ''There are some vegetables we 

 can have all the year." In 1914 we were almost safe in say- 

 ing: ''There is no vegetable we cannot have all the year." 

 I believe if we are willing to go about it rightly, this is thor- 

 oughly possible. It means that the forcing business has de- 

 veloped, and it means also that it is still developing. It is 

 growing every year. We hear some pretty big cries to the 

 contrary. Last October we heard them. A mighty wail went 

 up through the land from Ashtabula and Erie about the ter- 

 ribly low prices and about the tremendous quantities of let- 

 tuce that were being dumped, and about the consequent losses. 

 This year we are not hearing a word of complaint. As one 

 travels in those parts, he sees more glass. I\Ien that had 

 eight acres last year have nine this year, and men that had 

 one or a half are putting up more. 



I think I may say the latter part of last season went a great 



