Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-05-19
FRUIT AND VEGETABLES.

The raising of fruits and vegeta-
bles is growing industry in many
sections of the South and promises
to assume vast proportions. The
farmers are a very conservative class
and are slow about embarking in
new enterprises, but the small eX-
periments made in truck farming
have proved so successful, that such
culture is being rapidly increased.
and will in a few years, doubtless,
mOnOpOlize large share of the at
tentiOn of farmers along the lines of
leading railroads.
We hail with pleasure this new
source of agricultural wealth that
has dawned upon the South; it
heralds a new era and makes its adj
vent along with the loom, the fur
mace and the many manufacturing
enterprises that are awakening this
section to renewed life and vigOr.
1t promises to break up the disas-
trOus sticking to staples that has
brought the wolf to the farmers
door in many districts, and fastened
a heavy incubus on all classes of
business. 1t will introduce that
system OF diversified crops, so long
urged but so tardily adopted, put
money IN the purse of the farmer,
break up the credit system and abol-
ish the mortgage.
Georgia has taken the lead in
truck farming, as she has in most
all Southern enterprises, and vast
fields in that state are now devoted
to the cultivation of fruits and veg
etableS. The railroads are running
refrigerator cars into all the fruit
and vegetable growing sections and
making the transportation of such
products cheap and rapid. Tennes-
see probably comes next to Georgia
in the extent to which she engages
in this new found industry. In
Davidson and Sumner counties
many acres are now devoted to
fruits and Irish potatoes are becOm-
ing staple crop in those sections.
At recent meeting of the David
son county Fruit and Vegetable
Growers Association, 1t was ascer-
tanned that in Davidson county
alone there are at present ten thOus-
and acres in Irish potatoes. One
section of four miles square around
HendersOnvIile, in Sumner county,
expects to realize SlS5 900 frOC. that
crop this year. The figures are rea-
sonable and based on crops made in
the same locality and the prices re-
allied last year. In West Tennes-
see, Gibson county seems to be TAX
lug the lead in fruit and vegetable
culture. About Milan, Humboldt
and Gadsden the whole country is
alive with the idea and nothing is
talked about but fruit and truck
farming. Much land is set out in |
and raspberries, young
orchards cover acres of ground, and
Irish potatoes and other vegetables |
are taking the place of cotton, Just |
now all ldies have been pressed into
service to pick strawberries and
hired pickers are in demand at p |
cents per quart. The Milan Elk
change of the 18th inst, says:
cases of strawberries and
ten cases of peas were shipped from
here yesterday by express. In
Guiding the Gadsden and Humboldt
shipments, about one Car load per
day of berries left here on the Cen
trsI road this week. Two car loads
will go to-day"
This gives some idea of what i'm
Uortance this industry, yet in its
infancy, is ASSUMING. Those loeali-
ties chat have engaged in it have
found that it pays, and, Of course
other localities will not be slow 70
proRt by their example. "S'
Tennessee cannot successfully COM
pete with Arkansas, Texas ana Tue