The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1867-08-24

The Profits Of Market Gardening.

On the above sabject, We Hnd many useful
hints in a work briefly noticed In our issue aud
entitled " Gardening for Profit" The irst chap
ter Describes the men fitted for the business Of
gardening. They must be such as can stand la
horOus outdoor employmen,-a working
severance. Retired city merchants aud men Of
business who get place near town, hire n gar
dener, aud expect 10 reap q large profit, reckon
without their host, and usually nnd their gar
dcns costly luxnries instead Of paying invest
mcnis. Many golden dreams Of this kind are
Elercilessly dissipated every year. Personal At
ienlion, labor, superin,endance, wa.ehtalness,
must be given, or such business VIII be any
Thing but profitable.
~ regard 10 the amount Of capital required 10
work market garden effectively, the opinion 10
given that Tor ans thing Ices than ten acres, $500
per acre is required This will startle many
Judging by The small amount OF capital per acre
necessary 10 farm, there are many who make sad
mistakes about gardening. Gardening 10 con.
cenIratcd farming. " The space titled be smaller
the culture IL higher, and the amount OF labor
bestowed on a given quantity Of land Ear greater.
Not only does the work referred 10 maiutain that
500 per acre is needed as capital, hut u holds
Ont the not y encouraging prospect that tue
first season will not more than pay current ex'
penses, and cites many cases o. miiure arising
out Of the attempt TO garden with insuiictent
means, and under the delusivc idea that The Grst
years crop would be highly rcmunerative. The
ATTEMPT 10 cultivate too much land, with small
means, 10 a fruitful cause OF disappointment and
loss In gardening as In Turning
AZ 10 the working force per acre, q market
garden OF ten acres, within three miles Of mar
kci, will u planted In close crop, require on an
average seven men. A less quantity land will
require more working force In proportion: For
a small area, one tnan per acre will be needed
THIS labor estimate will not take few by sur
prise. There are many persons who own about
an acre OF land, part shrubbery and part gar
den, who are dismayed TO find. after short tri-
al that L requires all the time Of one man 70 take
care Of such place. They complain that u does
not pay and certainly, II the money value Of
the products grown be all that is counted, u will
not be easy TO make Il pay. A liberal allowance
must be made for health, beauty, space for CT.
crcisc, &c These are worth much 10 q family,
aud cannot be obtained for nothing. small
garden that can be worked without hiring help
or a good-sized place on which the business Of
market gardening Is carried on. and In the man.
agcmcni and working ofwhich the owners own
time and energy count, these are profitable =
while piece Of ground kept partly for the dis
play Of taste, aud the enjoyment Of nice grounds
&c. will cast the proprietor more or less accord
ing TO the pains taken with II.
Our author puts the average profits OF well cu-
,iva,ed market gardens, In the vicinity Of New
York, at $500 per acre for the past fifteen years.
This is for the products OF open gardens only,
not Of frames or forcing pits. Composition Is
very keen in the New York market. and this for
reason II IL thought market gardening might pay
better 10 smaller towns, aud even Villages. But
il the competition he keen in n city like New
York, the demand Is grca, there Is no difficulty
in worSing or large quantities Of produce !;
whereas often, in smaller places, the marke, 10
% readily glu,ted, that any overpius Of produc.
ton Is a dead loss Moreover In q city, people