Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1884-12-06
CITY KITCHEN GARDENS.
WHERE NEW YORK GETS ITS VEGE.
TABLES FOR IL DAY.
The Fnrners' 1IidniRht Market-Prom the
Truck Farms of Long lsland to the Cob.
Bile stones OF the City.
From the y. 7. Herald.

dAtlbk Nv BULL 0ACA a2d q Jaw t"S ~
tumn each one Of the thousand truck
farms in neal New Jersey and Long
Island sends forth a big market wagon
loaded with its produce. An hour later
the roads as far out as Flushing on the
east and Paterson On the west are filled
win long lines OF these vehicles slowly
verg ng toward one common point
NV York.
By zen o'clock tho advance guard
reaches the North and East rivers, and
from then until one O'Clock il the
morning the Bridge and the ferry-boats
are packed with heavily loaded vehicles,
which when once they reach the city go
rumbling over the stones until they
gather in one great mass at the Farmers
midnight market.
Here, in the streets near the junction
OF Dey and Washington, Is to be found
one OF the most picturesque phases Of
night life an New York-long rows Of
immense wagons backed up against the
curb, their tired horses standing with
dropping heads meeting in the middle of
the street-great piles Of produce
blocking the sidewalks, where every
spare foot Of space Is occupied by the
farmers, grocerymen and spectators,
bargaining with each other rapidly in
seventeen different languages-checked-
shirted carriers pushing along, each
one pushing, dragging or carting @ bag
or a barrel, and above all the haring oil
lamps against the awning posts, throw
ing their light in through the windows
Of the deserted shops.
For two hours and more the bargain
ing continues and then, all the loads
being sold-for New York quickly con-
the vast productlon-the delivery
boss Carriers" one of whom, COR q dol
lar, engages to deliver a wagon load to
its purchaser or purchasers. Tim the
Horse" Savannah" pretty Jack"
and "Mustache," as the carriers are
called in the cheerful idiom OF the
street, gather their men together, put
one or two on each wagon, and the
breaking up Of the market begins.
The greater part of the produce hav-
ing been bought by the spectators o
middle men, who the next day sell it to
the grocerymen, the majority of the
wagons are driven down to West Wash
ington Market. This is the stronghold
of the spectators. Over Jour hundred
OF them occupy the queer little double
decked booths which line Country row,
Broad avenue, Vesey pier, Merchants
row and the dozen other narrow little
lanes which make the market a miniature
town.
Forty years ago the North River came
up to West street, and the New Jersey
farmers brough. over their produce IN
boats and carried it across the narrow,
unpaved road into o'd Washington Mar.
ket. Now the river has been filed in
for n quarter of n mile further out, and
the made ground is occupied by the
wholesale or West Washington Market,
which is entirely distinct from the old
or retail market, and is a. little known tc
the average New Yorker as the top Of
st. Paul's steeple.
Many Of the curious little shops az,
built on piles, and not u few on ole
scows and canal boats. The city, how
ever. owns all the space, and the booths
pay q ground rent into the municipal
treasury which aggregates $500, 900
year.
From sunset until midnight, Countr,
row and Garden lane are silent and de
serted. The booths are all open and tn
contents thereof, from the boxes Of egg
TO the barrels Of pickles. are apparently
unguarded. On the floors, on boAe
and on the cobblestones outside lie th
porters, sound asleep. One could wal
through every lane OF the market with
out seeing a moving thing.
But when Mt two O'Clock the farmers
wagons come down from the narke
in Greenwich and Washington streets
and the carriers begin to deliver til
~variegated loads which the speculatoi
have Just bought, each lane falls INTO
condition of apparent chaos TO which
Jam on Broadway is an easily solve
problem. There is, however, no actu.
confustoa for the omn;cient '~carriel
reigns supreme, and under his guidu
hand, a wagon uiloads its cargo
half a dozen different booths, and star
away over the ferry in an hours time.
Many of these carriers are paid $50
week by the bosses, because Of the
.transcendentability to dump a load Of p
tatoes or apples on the floor of a spec
lator's shop so as TO bring the best poin
Of the stuff uppermost.
Some Of our men are mighty smart
said one of the boss carriers to a !,
porter, early on q recent morning, as
watched the unloading Of Q thousa,
lunches of radishes from a wagon 10