triggered by high relative prices in the late 1960's and early 1970's

caused by poor growing conditions in the U.S. (Simmons et al.). How-

ever, Meyers has implied that Mexican producers and shippers are con-

spiring to gain substantial U.S. market power via the coordination and

control of the UNPH over Mexican production activities.

 To illustrate both the trends and seasonality in vegetable production

and imports Figures 1 through 6 are included. These figures show three-

year averages of imports and domestic production for three periods

spannning 11 recent years. The data conform to the Crop Reporting

Boards' Vegetables: Annual Summary and represent intra-seasonal compari-

sons based on quarterly designations. All values are expressed in terms

of 1,000 hundredweight units with zero levels being denoted by an asterik

(*) to indicate that production in commercial quantities does not occur

during the period.

 Inferences based on Figures 1 through 6 must be tempered by re-

cognizing that returns to Florida producers depend on demand conditions

as well as aggregate supplies of vegetables from the various sources.

Table 1 presents average wholesale Florida vegetable prices for the same

periods analyzed in Figures 1 through 6 so that production and import

levels may be linked to demand conditions. Prices are all in terms of

dollars per hundredweight and nominal prices are, of course, the actual

values reported. Real prices are obtained by dividing nominal prices by

the average value of the consumer price index (1967 = 1) for each corres-

ponding period. The price-cost index measures the ratio of nominal

prices to total per acre growing and harvesting costs (.Brooke) for each

commodity with 1967 costs normalized to equal one.