2 BULLETIN 1412, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
acres in 1924. Both Colorado and Idaho reported larger acreages 
in 1923 than in 1924 and lettuce production may be considered as 
in a more or less unsettled stage in both States. 
The factor chiefly responsible for this increased production and 
consumption probably is the emphasis placed in recent years on 
the value of leafy vegetables, especially lettuce, in the diet. Head 
lettuce has ceased to be considered a luxury and is now a common 
article of diet in many homes the year round. This widened de- 
mand har brought some growers substantial profits, exaggerated 
stories of which have induced increased plantings and have at- 
tracted others to the growing of lettuce. Production has increased 
until, at present, many growers are finding it difficult and at times 
impossible to dispose of their crop at a profit. 
CTATP* NUMBER 
SlrtlC. OF CARS 
CALIFORNIA 'f-^? 
NEW YORK f®^ 
FLORIDA fJJJ 
COLORADO ''^ 
IDAHO , ' 24 J 
ARIZONA WJJ 
WASHINGTON l0 ^ 
NORTH CAROLINA-^ 
SOUTH CAROLINA-^ 
NEW JERSEY ||§ 
NUMBER OF CARS IN THOUSANDS 
4- 6 8 10 12 
16 
= 1923 
= 1919 
Fig. 1. — Lettuce shipments increased remarkably from 1919 to 1923, when they 
became fairly stable 
PRODUCING AREAS 
California, the only State to ship head lettuce the year round, 
leads all other States in the volume of shipments. In 1924 New 
York State was second in the number of shipments and Florida 
third, followed closely by Arizona. The first three States produced 
nearly 80 per cent of the total car-lot shipments of lettuce in 1924, 
while more than 97 per cent of the entire tonnage in that year was 
produced by the 10 States shown in Figure 1. The relative impor- 
tance of these 10 principal States and the growth of shipments from 
1919 to 1923 are shown in this chart. The principal areas devoted 
to the production of leaf lettuce, most of which is grown under glass, 
are located near Boston, Mass., Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Ashta- 
bula, Ohio ; and Grand Rapids, Mich. 
Table 1 shows the commercial acreage, the yield per acre, and 
the production of lettuce in 10 States from 1919 to 1924, inclusive. 
