The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-05-10

- AAAHLE 4hHDIoA IdE trim
WARD MAREET-An ISTELLIGESCER re-
porter skirmished around the Filth Ward
Market for over an hour Saturday after
noon, earnestly intent on ascertaining the
conditions Of the retail trade in garden
stuff and the prices therefore. About the
first discovery made was that vegetables
were very scarce and held at high figures.
Every reader will at once recognize that
this i very unusual at this season Of the
wear. II the Spring is anyways up TO time
the middle Of April generally bring with
Il ali the products OF the garden that are
needed to supply the wants OF those who
are able TO pay elevated prices. This
wear, however, II is different and buck.
sters stand behind their stalls with folded
arms, their offerings almost begging for
purchasers,
Ii il customary to quote potatoes by
the bushel, and as our representative Is
not a family man, and hence could not
be supposed to understand the mysteries
81 marketing, be was somewhat surprised,
in his response 70 his question, "What
are new potatoes WorthP TO hear "ftty
cents a quarter peck" Thinking the TEL
Low was joking, the newspaper youth
struck a nOnchalant attitude aud said,
"Come, now, boss, what are potatoes WORTH
You have some very nice ones here"
n tell you they're fifty cents quarter
peck, and you can't get 'em cent less"
That settled it, and bOarders will now
understand Why the delicious tlrina-
ceous tuber, for which Europe is indebted
to the discovery Of America, has not yet
tickled their palates. Ahalf peck or two
half pecks Of new potatoes wouldn't be q
smell for o lot Of voraciOus boarders,
hungering and yearning for but seldom
getting the products Of the early Spring.
The potatoes sold in Saturdays market,
however, were not raised in this vicinity
they we're "Bermudas." Hucksters say
they will have no new potatoes OF their
own before the first Of July.
"If your potatoes are worth fifty cents
quarter peck, how much doyOu ask for
your tOmatoesH
aFifty cents a box, sir. Nice, ripe and
fresh. Have bOxY
mot any, thank you y And such
boxes! Not one Of them would hold
over quart Of strawberries, for which
they were originally intended, Each box
held about six tomatoes-four little ones
underneath and two big ones on top.
Sliced and properly seasoned with salt,
pepper and vinegar, they would satisfy
the appetite Of perhaps one person.
Peeled and cooked, and bread crumbled
in with them, they might, with the aid Of
feminine ingenuity, make decent dis.
play in one end Of q small side dish.
"You have been kind enough 10 aston.
ISL me with the price Of potatoes and
tomatoes, perhaps you will also be court
eOus enough to startle me with the price
OF peas" said our interlOcutOr to the
market man,
"Peas2 Peas are selling at twenty.
five cents a quarter peck. Shall | pun
You up SOmeP
"Not any to-day, guess"
"What the dickens are you askin' 50
many questions fur, then, II you don't
want 10 buy noIhin'T
That was q sumner, q truthful answer
to which would have precluded the OBJ
tanning Of any further information, as
every reporter who has undertaken TO
get up market article well knows. II
l. popularity Of country people gener.
ally to bitterly oppose the publication Of
prices Of their wares in the newspapers.
| For some reason they don't like II, and re-
porters are never given a cordial vel.
come.
Feeling that probably enough inter.
rogationS had been prop0unded to the gen.
tleman with whom the above conversa.
ton was held the reporter pur-
sued hia inquiries in other directions.
Here and there cucumbers, quite
nice and fresh, were found in
small quantities and only twenty cents
each asked for them. New onions we're
plenty at five cents, and radishes in limit
cd supplyat ten cents abunch. Lettuce
for twenty cents quarter peek. For
apples from thirty to forty.fye cents per
peck was demanded. Oranges abounded
In profusion, and but thirty cents per
dozen was asked. Sweet potatoes were sold
al twenty-five cents per quarter peck, and
Irish potatoes at thirty.dve cents peck.
J