Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-08-24
A BONANzA IN TRUCK FARMING.
Some Hints About the wealth HID
den In Our Market Gardens.

The growing importance Of the fruit and
vegetable trade in the South is brought out
by Mr.. Bailey, who is represented to be an
Englishman Of character and capacity, and
the representative Of an English company,
with headquarters at Philadelphia, which
controls most Of the refrigerating patents Of
the world. He has visited Atlanta recently
for the purpose of arranging for a line Of
the best refrigerator cars to be run next
spring from Georgia to the Eastern and
Western markets.
He is reported as saying: 1--WE ask no
subsidy or bonus from your people or from
your railroads. We only ask that you give
us early fruit and vegetables to haul, and we
will have the cars and make the schedules.
There is no business so profitable as that OF
truck farming and raising early fruits for
the Northern markets. The first peaches
that get to New York sell for $50 to $35
bushel, and the first strawberries 81 % to 81
a quart, and vegetables in proportion. Now,
Georgia can get her peaches, berries and
vegetables into New York six weeks ahead
of the Jersey crops, and two weeks ahead of
even the Norfolk crops. This two weeks
means a great deal. To illustrate: | be-
lieve that a million quarts of strawberries
raised in Georgia next year, and carried by
our cars, would sell in Fulton Market at an
average wholesale price of thirty-fve cents
a quart at the lowest. We guarantee to
land them in New York forty hours after
we get them, as fresh as they came from
the vines, and at about ten cents a quart.
The berries would thus net the grower
twenty-five cents a Quart-perhaps, more.
II you get four thousand quarts to the acre,
not unusual when properly cultivated, you
would have 81, 900 to the acre--a splendid
result.
"There is no business so uniformly profit
able as truck farming. In Jersey or New
York farm of six or ten acres is all that
man needs. On this he raises the most
astonishing quantities of celery, asparagus,
cucumbers, tomatoes and berries, and gradu-
ally though certainly grows into compe-
tence. These men have all the disadvantage
of being late in the market, and getting the
lowest prices, while the Southern truck
farms get the cream. 1t can be shown by
demonstration that a Georgia truck grower,
by reason of getting into market so much
earlier and having the fancy prices, has an
advantage, transportation considered, of %
to so per cent. over the Northern truck
growers. He has the additional advantage
of using lands that cost him from So to S25
an acre, while the Northern farmer pays
from $3.50 to 81 900 an acre.
"The SOutherner can frequently raise two
and three crops on the same land, where
the Northern farmer is restricted to one
crop. If you only once get truck farming
fairly started in this section, 1t will rapidly
induce immigrants and become very i'm
portant item. II you will only give us
chance, we will have cars sent here to take
your berries and vegetables at rates that
must pay you handsomely to either Eastern
or Western markets.
Instances are given of farmers In Fulton
county, Ga, who have made paying crops
in this direction. Mr.. Geo. McRae, of
LOwndes county, on five acres, two planted
in cucumbers and three In tomatoes, shipped
600 crates Of each and realized 81, 400 on the
five sores. Another farm of four acres in
strawberries Melted the owner 81, 500 Joe
Lambert came to Fulton county a few years
ago with 5000. He bought a farm for
81, 500. He has paid for this-added i'm
provements for which he paid So 500, and
two acres for which he paid 5000. His
place is now worth SIS, 900, and he has
acres of cabbages, of which he has sold
$4,000 in cash, and expects $4,000 more.
sAvANNAH's ADVANTAGES.
What Atlanta and Middle Georgia lack
Savannah is abundsntly supplied with, viz;
quick transportation to the New York
markets.
There are lines of steamers plying between
this place and New York, Baltimore, Phila-
delphia and Boston, all supplied with the
facilities for the transportation of vege-
tables and fruits. In addition to this
the Atlantic Coast Line of railroads and the
Southern Express Company run refrigerator
cars to Northern cities during the fruit and
vegetable season.
There is abundance of land within easy
access of the city, and with the inducements
that are offered, the facilities Of transporta-
ton, and the high prices that may be
realized, the truck business, as it is called,
has become an important item in the trade
and commerce of Savannah.