The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-08-04
EMPoRIA NEWS
FRIDAY, AUGUST A, 1876.
Rural TODIcs


Written for the News by a.
farmer and fruit grower of great
practical experience.
GARDENING AND FRUIT GROWING.
There are many men who would
go into the gardening and fruit
growing business if they could
see remuneratlve profits in it.
Thousands Of men in towns and
cities, who live precarious lives,
yet have some capital, imagine
that they can go into the country,
buy a small farm, and support
their families by growing small
fruit and garden truck. The most
of these men have had, perhaps,
no experience in farming, but they
think to "run" a small farm. grow
vegetables and fruit, it requires
no great skill, and previous knowl-
edge of such business; and hiring
q man who has had experience in
such things will obviate all the
difficulties in the way of success.
Not one man In ten who goes into
such a business without a good
knowledge of farming, &c, can
succeed. Nor will it do TO de.
pend on hired help, because but
few can be found qualified to over
see such a business, as it takes
many years'of close practical ex-
perience to enable a man to make
money by it. Then if a man be
found well qualified to fill such a
situation, he would not take the
same interest in the business as he
would were it his own; and the
result would probably be that all
the profits of the place would go
to pay his wages. A man in these
times, to make money by farming,
gardening and fruit-growing, must
understand the business himself;
and take of his coat, and lead in
the labor. He should say, 'Come
boys" not "Go, boys" and 1 adj.
wise all persons who are thinking
of going into the above business,
without any practical experience
in it, to try something else, as il
would not be safe for you to risk
your little hard-earned capital in
it. But for those who have haC
experience in farming, if not in
gardening and fruit-growing, ]
will give the following advice:
WHERE THE FARM SHOULD BE.
No small beginner in gardenine
should buy a farm near a large
city, or SO near as to depend or
the city market to sell the pro
ducts of his farm. Take New
York, for instance, a small grower
of vegetables and fruits would
not probably succeed near that
city, because he would have tC
send his "truck," DC, by rail t.
some commission dealer, and thu
expenses and commission would
consume all the profits. To bt
near enough such a city to be able
to drive your team into it, anC
sell your load from the wagon
would cost you $500 to $1,000 al
acre for land, and none bnt gard
ners with a large capital OWL
such lands. Again, all of ou
large cities are supplied with early
vegetables from the South; anC
by the time green peas, strawber
ries, &c, are grown near them
they have been in the market 6
month or two, and the prices are
very low. In brief, southern sup
plies of early vegetables and fruits
to our large cities have almost de
stroyed the business near them
The small farmer or gardener
shonld be near some large coun
try town, containing a population
of some thousands, or near q
small inland city of ten thonsant
or more inhabitants, and where
green peas and Strawberries from
Florida are not offered in kth(
market in March and April. HC
ought to be within an hours drive
of town, and the most of what he
would grow he should sell from
his wagon. In some cases, after
learning the ways, of doing bust
ness successfully, he might "sh;p'
some things in large quantities L
some commission house in SOM
large city. But generally all TIL
small fruit grown on small place
can be sold in the large interio
towns and villages ut much hIghe
prices than they command
cities. after deducLin0 all expenses