The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-02-12
TIE EARLY VEGETABLES.
Where New York's Supply Comes
From.
The Wonderful variety and Abundance
of the Markefs-Prices Which
some Bring-Luxuries of
wealthy Plants.
New York Times

New York Times.l
That there are no markets in the world
equal to the markets OF this city is a fsvorite |
boast of New Workers. That the market
buildings are not referred to in making this |
boast is evident to any one getting glimpss |
of the ancient barn-like structures, dignr- |
fed by the names of Washington and Full !
ton markets, but that wonderful variety and |
abundance of food products of half the
world, which are displayed IN these forlorn |
looking buildings, are what the boast refers
to Is at once evident to any one who makes
a tour through them. The quantity of meat
will surprise him, but the variety Of fruits |
and vegetables will astonish him still more.
At ali seasons he will find variety of vege-
tables unknown to any other market IN the
world, and find them, too, months in ad-
vance of their regular seasons, for the peo
pie of this city will have and are willing to
pay for rare vegetables, just as they seek
after the rarest fruits, flowers and hundred
other luxuries.
OF the early vegetables which reach the
New York markets some of the very first to
arrive do not come from the far South, as
one would naturally suppose, but from the
far North. Rhubarb, the first of the vegeta-
bles, is sent here in January from the farm
of Colonel Rhodes, near Quebec. There it is
raised in dark galleries 20 feet under ground,
and heated by steam The rhubarb grown
in these galleries is very large, very tender,
and almost white. For shipment each stalk
| is carefully wrapped in soft paper, and they
| are put in bundles weighing two and one
half pounds. In this market it can only be
procured in one stand, and there it sells for
S. per dozen punches. By the 1st of Marcn
| rhubarb comes in from Jamaica, Long
Island, that brings 81 80 bunch. Many of
| of the Brussels sprouts now in the market
also comes from Canada, the remainder
being from Shelter Island Cucumbers,
of which the delicate little white
| pine variety came to this market from
| Boston as early as the 10th OF last month,
sold here for So per dozen at wholesale.
/ They now bring half that price. This year,
| for the first time, few very early cucum-
| bers were sent in from Grayesend, Long
Island, but they were SO inferior 10 the
| White Pines that they only brought So 80
per dozen. BY the middle of next month
/ the long Worcester cucumbers from Wor-
1 cester, Mass, will be in the market, ans will
bring $3.50 per dozsn. For 10 years New
| YORK has received It's finest lettuce, or salad,
! as the marketman call it. from Boston, and,
for the last three days, there has not been
! head of Boston lettuce in the market, the
/ first time such a thing has happened since
| the supply began to come from that quarter.
| The Boston lettuce is very white, crisp, and
! well headed, and market gardeners In other
parts OF the country try in vain to initiate it.
very few years ago Jamaica, Long Island,
| gardener sent to Boston for men who knew
the business and told them to raise
| Boston lettuce on his farm at any ex-
| pense of money or care. They tried, but
without success. Radishes are now in the
market and sell at from So to So per
| hundred punches eight being in bunch.
! Formerly, all the radishes, long and round,
came from Boston, but during the past few
| years New jersey has been sending in round
radishes, until now Boston sends on only a
few of the long and more delicate variety.
Tomatoes were in the market as early as the
! 18th OF November, but the demand for them
was very slight. The first this season came
from Nassau, wrapped in soft paper, and
packed in crates. The Bermuda tomatoes
| will begun to arrive early in February. Ber-
muda potatoes will be here next week, but
they will be old crop potatoes, and will sell
for SIS to 81 per barrel. The new Bermuda
potatoes will arrive by the LIST of March, and
will be worth 81 per barrel more than the
earlier arrivals AS high as ST. per barrel
has been paid in Washington market for the
first new Bermuda potatoes
Onions come in from Bermuda with the
potatoes, and sell for $5 per crate. Fancy
prices are also sometimes paid for these, and
$40 per crate was paid last year for the very
first in the market. Bermuda beets will
arrive about the last of February, and will
retail at from to 10 cents apiece. Ber-
muds formerly sent cucumbers to this city,
but they were always yellow and old by the
time they reached here, and none will come
this year. Last year, the first asparagus
came TO this city from South Carolina, in
February. and the same firm will probably
have it as early this year; but, generally, the
first comes from Florida early in March.
Shipments then arrive from Savannah,
Charleston, Norfolk. Baltimore, New Jersey,
and from Oyster Bay, Long Island, whence
it issent in about the LIST of May. The ear
lest asparagus sells at $1.15 per bunch, and
the first Oyster Bay grass" which is the
finest of all, always sells for 81 per bunch.
By the LIST of June it is in abundance and
sells for $1.75 per dozen punches. Last
year few boxes were sent down from Canada,
but the experiment was a failure. A
few peas were sent to this market from New
Orleans three weeks ago, but there was no
demand for them. The.regular supply will
begin to arrive next week from Lake City,
Fla, and will bring about $40 per crate.
These crates nominally bold bushel, but
really contain about three pecks. OF the
very first peas half q dozen restaurateurs
will buy crate together, divide the con-
tents, and display them in their show win
\ COWS, while feeding their customers on
canned peas, which they sell as fresh. The
finest Of the early peas come in April, from
Anne Arundel county, Md, and in May the
best peas to be had in the New York market
reach it from Long Island. After that they
come from the Northern part of the State.
A very few boxes were sent from the neigh
borhood of Sacramento CAL, in salmon cars
last year, but they were not good when they
arrived, and, as the result of repeated exper-
iments, California shippers no longer at
tempt to supply this city with any vegetable
except cauliflower. The first string beans
come from Florida about two weeks later
than peas. Lima beans are never sent from
the South, and the earliest and best come
from Hackensack, n. J. Early turnips are
sent TO New York from as far South as
Charleston, and come with the peas and