Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-01-22
TRUCK FARMING
Will HPay 10 the yIelaity Of Memphis p
Read this, and Say.

Will lPay 10 the YIelaity Of Esmphls? p
Read this, and Say.
Editors Appeal-The business Of
g trucking" or raising garden peas,
beans, potatoes and tomatoes for mar
ket on a large scale, has not yet at
tracted the attention of Southern en-
terprise which il deserves. Some
time before the war a report was made
on this business, by q committee of
the SeabOard Agricultural Society Of
| Nirginia-We think this is the title of
the society. We quote from memory.
The committee visited a number Of
truck farms in the neighbOrhOOd Of
| Norfolk, and a-sCertaiued from the
books OF the parties the profits they
had realized for the year. 1t was
shown by this examination that IN
several instances the profits amounted
to nearly one hundred dollars an acre
a year, and in one instance the sum
| of twenty thousand dollars, or there
abOuts, had been realized clear from
one farm of one hundred and
! sixty acres. The lands were kept
in a high state of cultivation, and the
products shipped to the New York
city markets. The number Of barrels
Of green peas, snap beans, early pOta-
toes and tomatoes. sent away was
something enormous. Now the rea-
son that these prod is sold so readily
and so prOtitably il the face Of the
| competitor OTthesk He'd gardeners and
farmers about New York city is,
that Norfolk is three and three
quarter degrees If latitude south
of New York, and cOnse-
quently the spring arrives there
from the South nearly three weeks
earlier than at New York.
By looking at the map, it will be
seen that it would be easy to select an
eligible situation in Mississippi as far
south as latitude t|hirty-Oue degrees, or
six degrees in distlnce, and thirty
days in climate, south Of Norfolk.
The soil is a thin, pine land, yet it is
admirably adapted for trucking pur-
poses, inasmuch as it is absolutely
necessary to have an open, leo g sandy
soil to raise early vegetables. 1t is
true that we are TOO far of to COM
pete successfully with Norfolk,
Charleston and Savannah for the New
York trade; but when we add Louis
vile, Cincinnati, Chicago and st.
Louis together, we have a New York
of our own, and the difference of eli
mate is greater than between the two
first coast ports mentioned. Chicago
is in latitude Al therefore the diff
ference in the advance of spring would
be ffty-fOur days, whilst the time by
rail is scarcely fOrty-eight hours. st. /
] .vrsn 90 ahl-A +w~r1v~. H. E--AL-. ]
south, Cincinnati ten days, and Lou
isville about thirteen. Thus it will
be seen that in South Mississippi an
entire crop could be sold, and the land
plOWed and sJWed in field peas long
before the crops about the Northern
cities have come in. In West Ten
nessee we may reckon the latitude at
thirty five and a half degrees, which
puts Us about twenty-five OBJ days
north of South Mississippi 1--WE reckon
the advance of climate at one degree
for five days., but still far enough
south Of the great Western cities to
make the business One Of great profit.
n fact we now send many thousands
of packages Of early vegetables North
annually, and the business is growing.
Too much area, however, is devoted
to potatoes Of late varieties. If pOta-
toes are grown, they should be of the
very earliest kinds, say the early rose
or early goodrich, and all Others dis
Clrded. Tomatoes should have the
area on the truck farm. 1t is
a fact, disclosed by the statistics OIL
commerce, that this vegetable is III
Crea5ing in favor with wonderful rap
idity. In New Jersey they are grown
in immense quantities and with great
Several parties cultivate a
hundred acres each in tomatoes, and
make nearly a hundred dollars an
acre per aunum clear. About four
hundred bushels to the acre is an av-
erage crop and fifty cents per bushsI
Is an average price. Twenty-Five dol
lars per bushel has been paid for both
tomatoes and peaches in the New
York market, and we ourselves saw a
OUshel sold for ten dollars in the
Memphis market to be taken to Lou
Twenty-Five cents each is
commonly paid here at the open
ing of the season. There is no
difficulty in shipping them from
New Orleans to Chicago, or even
.drther. The proper time to pick
them for shipment is just as they be-
gin to turn red about tine stem. Gar
len peas and snap beans are not near
20 profitable or so certain as tomatoes,
they pay very well. In the
ar South drumhead or fat-dutch cab
)age, transplanted in September or
October into very highly MANFRED
and thoroughly titled land, will come
very early in thespring and if growni in
quantities will prove highly remuner-
alive. In May last We saw tons upon
ions of large WhiteEesJ led cabbages in
.he New Orleans ma -ket, and hum
ireds Of crates going on board the
steamers for the up-riyer markets.
Several years since 81 good many
persons ventured upon small expert
nent5 in raising truck for Northern {
markets. AS a general thing we can
not say they were successful. The ;
.ause Of their failure is easily ex-
None went into it as a bust 4
less, or devoted their entire time and
attention to it, and even the small :
treas given up were poorly cultivated
md unmanured as a general thing. )
To succeed, one must have capital and
% content to give to the business all
lis talents and time. He must cult :
rate we'll and thoroughly, manure :
and his reward will be certain.