It is always difficult to impress upon the farmer the fact that tomatoes gain in weight during the ripening process, and the riper they have their tomatoes the more they get in dollars when they drive up on the scales. This argument cannot be advanced when the tomatoes are bought by the basket, as they are in the east, but when paid for according to weight and not volume, the ripeness of his tomatoes is an important point for the farmer to watch. At the tail end of the season when frosts are threatening, this argument of the increased weight of tomatoes which are red ripe all over of course loses its effect entirely. All the farmer is interested in at that time is in getting as many of his tomatoes as possible accepted before a heavy frost finishes them. At this time increased vigilance at the receiving end is necessary. Careful Handling at Factory The less handling crates or baskets of tomatoes receive, the better. Every packer wants to eliminate handling as much as possible to conserve labor, but when one sees the laborers around the average plant heaving crates of tomatoes around as though they were pig iron, he wonders if the manager fully realizes the effect of this bouncing of heavy crates of tomatoes on to trucks, receiving platforms, etc. It is just as easy, or almost as easy, to set the crates down gently, but the laborers who do this work must be constantly reminded of it. You do get tired of constantly hammering at them, but it is surely worth the effort. A common attitude for the men to take is that the tomatoes are all going to get mashed up anyway pretty soon, so what’s the difference. When you consider the fact that crates of tomatoes are commonly handled from six to eight times before they reach the sorting belt, this handling often consisting of dropping the crates down so hard that the top tomatoes almost bounce out, it is no wonder that when they are spread out on the sorting belt the bottom layer of each crate is mashed and moldy, so that half of these bottom tomatoes have to be thrown away. Varieties Any of the brilliant red varieties of tomatoes are suitable for catsup or pulp making. Those varieties having a purplish cast should be avoided, as they cook up into a product having a brownish color. The smooth, round varieties, such as the Stone, are especially good for peeling, while the flat varieties, and those having a very coarse, uneven surface, are well suited for pulp or catsup. Storing Tomatoes