Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-06-12
For the Journal.
Truck Farmsng-Letter from Colonel Ere
mont,
WILMINGTON, N. O., June 10. 1868.

WILMINGTON, N. O., June 10. 1868.
Editors Journal, Wilmington
GENTLEMEN Permit me to use your
columns to correct somewhat an article on
&c TRUCK; Farming" that appeared in your
paper Of the 7th
That article does not do justice to the
subject, in several particulars, and mas
much as have induced many of our peo-
pie to begin this good work. it is due to all
parties that all the facts should be stated.
As to prices The "earIy peas y from
Wilmington, forwarded On the 22nd of April,
brought $40 per barrel; prices gradually
dropped to $40 a barre. On the Goth of
May the first snap beans " went forward,
and brought $50 barrel. All have yielded
highly remunerative rates.
Your article says: 1.-THE only crop thus
far gathered is English peas A few
peas are still going forward. ''Snap beans. :"
''Iri~h potatoes, "radishes and lettuce, )"
as vegetables, have been sent. "Straw-
berries, :: ''blackberries" and ''whortleber
ries - have gone forward, and brought
good prices.
All that we hoped or expected to DO this
year has been done, viz We have demon
strated that vegetables and fruit can be
produced here from three to four weeks
earlier than they can be produced near the
cities of New York, Philadelphia or Balti-
more, and placed III those markets entirely
fresh and nice. and at highly remunerative
prices
We have but made beginning, but such
BEGINNING as will produce results little
dreamed Of one year ago by the producers
themselves My advice has always been to
try hut two or three acres each this year,
and see how much an acre could be made,
by the most thorough cultivation, to pro-
duce, and what would be the net profits
from the same.
Ii no unforeseen calamity befalls this sec
ton of our State, another year will bring
| forth crops and incomes that will surprise
many of the large planters who have here
tofore locked upon Cation and Rice as the
great products-for export-of the country.
There should be no apprehension on the
part of TRUCKERS or Fruit Growers"
as to an orerstOched market.
AS soon as prices reach q moderate rate,
and yet vastly profitable to producers,
vegetables and fruit are sent to all important
points, North and West, by the train load,
and it is not difficult to understand this
when we remember how much later their
crops come forward than ours of the same
kind.
But week or two ago it was said that
eight car loads of Strawberries, on one train,
went from Baltimore to Pittsburg.
If there is one section of our vastly pro
ductlve Southern country more blessed
than another with fine climate, suitable
character of soil and facilities for rapid
transportation combined-for the growth of
early vegetables and fruits-it is the section
lying between the Cape Fear and Roanoke
rivers, bordering on the Wilmington and
| Weldon railroad from ten to twenty miles
on either side, rs we'll as along the line of
the connecting railways, within six to ten
hours run of Goldsboro'. if there is any
better location for Truck Farmers or
''Fruit Raisers we have not found it.
This area of country could sustain popu-
lation more than a hundred times larger
than it now possesses, with great prosper
ity to itself and benefit to the State at
large.
There have been sent, since the Doth of
April, from the Wilmington station alone,
five hundred and sixty-four barrels, and
one hundred and twenty -three boxes of
vegetables and fruit, equal to six hundred
and twenty barrels
The cucumber crop and the tomatoes
have not yet gone forward, and it will,
therefore, be safe and within the Unit, no
uoupb, w SStIiIttS tile Vi uIIlS SueS-
ton, this season, at one thousand
barrels, and these barrels will we'll
average a net income to the pro-
Queer of more than SO Il barrel, pro-
badly near SD barrel. But say $10, 900 by
way of returns to the few vegetable growers
within one mile of Winnings on-besides
what they have sold in this market. Re
member, at the same time, that this has
only been q year of 6 experiment. With
such beginning, what may we look for
ward to next year, and for years to come
The single article of sweet potatoes
seems destined to become ono of the great
articles for eXpOrt--almOst equal to Cali
fornia gold mine. The success of the dry
ing process by which this vegetable may
be preserved two or three years, and sent
to all parts of the world in such con-
densed state az to make its transportation en-
tirely practicable, while it's anti-Scorbu-
tic :" qualities will cause it to be carried
everywhere, at sea and to the regions of
snow and long winters. It will certainly
become a very profitable article for produc-
ton hereabouts.
With all these advantages of soil, climate,
&C., if our eastern North Carolina does not
rapidly Tecupreate it v i'll be difficult to tell
why.
With many thanks for the interest you
have taken in the subject, desire to say
do not wish to be understood as COM
planning of your article, but only wish to
add facts brought to my notice [ will
supply you full statement Of shipments
from all stations as soon as completed.
Respectfully yours,
S. L. FREMONT.
REMARKs.-We are pleased in being able
to present to our readers SO glowing an
account of the success of truck farming as
an experiment in this section, as set forth
in the above letter from Col. FREMONT
That our article, published few days
since, "does not do justice in several par
ticulars," is no fault of ours It may not
have done full justice, yet the statements
therein published were "facts," and made
upon the authority of one of the largest
truck farming companies in this vicinity.
Peas may have brought $40 per barrel in