The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-05-16
Glre 6armer.
Fruits and Vegetables.
BY PETER HENDERSON.

An experience Of over thirty years as a
market gardener and scotsman has given
me opportunities for observation that ena-
bles me to speak understandingly on this
subject. believe it is to say that, Of my
own knowledge, there are hundreds Of
farmers in nearly all parts of the country
each season who strike out from the old
stereotyped crops Of the farm into growing
few acres Of either fruit or vegetables;
and in many cases both, and not few have
abandoned the farm as farm entirely and
have devoted their whole energies to the
growing Of fruits or vegetables. Recently
/ had visit from man living in the vi
cinity Of Rochester, NJ. Y, who came to
thank me for advice given him dozen
years ago in this matter, when he timidly
made the attempt Of growing half an acre
Of his 80 acre farm in vegetables for
village market. His venture was so salts
factory that he gradually increased his area,
SO that he has 30 of his 80 acres now used
mostly in growing early cabbage for the
Rochester market. He further informed
me that his net profits from the cabbage
garden was last year $500, or little
over $500 per acre, and that it was not
very good year for cabbage at that. We
market gardeners in the vicinity Of New
York would not be content with profit of
5000 per acre on our high priced land, but
it would be more than satisfactory to most
farmers. Another market case where a
farmer in Maryland has been cultivating
for six years past over 100 acres in Canta-
loupe melons, which are sold in New York
at prices that give him over $4,000 a year
profit, from the same land that in corn and
wheat did not net him one tenth of that
sum. Another instance came under my
personal observation last year. A college
bred man of %, falling in health from Office
work, purchased farm of 60 acres at
Northport, L. L, three years ago. The
second year he tried few acres in vegeta-
bIes and small fruits, which he found sale
for in the village of Northport at most sat
isfactory prices. I was on his farm in the
summer of 1888, and / must say that for
man who had got his knowledge almost
entirely from books his venture looked as
if it would be complete success. ! will
say however that he buckled up his sleeves
and worked from sunrise to sunset. /
have but little doubt that he will yearly in
crease his area for vegetables and fruit, and
that his farm, like hundreds more of those
on Long Island, viii be eventually convert
ed into market garden for vegetables and
small fruits.
TLo- e,,,,o,,g aalavvr erroxvorc of TX oil
amazoo, Mich, were less than twenty years
ago nearly all farmers, who could hardly
make ends meet Now the profits derived
from the culture of celery have made many
Of them comparatively rich, that is rich
for tilIers of the soil, for few such make
mammoth fortunes, but we get added riches
usually in vigorous health and placid minds.
In paragraph from the Philadelphia Led
ger Of last week / find the following in re-
lation to celery growing in Kalamazoo
aWhat was dozen years ago swamp is
to-day vast celery field, beside which a
hundred acre lot is but garden. The
shipping season begins in July, increases
until the holidays, then gradually decreases
until the crop is disposed of in the spring
fifty tons daily are being sent out, and the
crop of 1886 will reach $4,000 tons.
Twenty thousand stalks are raised upon an
acre Of ground" This is a very moderate
estimate Of the number of plants per acre
and it is probably one-half more, as we
grow nearly 10000 plants per acre, which
averages &c. per root wholesale, or a product
of 5000 per acre. The $4,000 tons ship
ped from Kalamazoo bring probably $3.50,
600 annually.
Another case in point which has been
communicated to me by a friend is as fol
lows: His farm, in Pennsylvania, adjoined
village Of 1000 inhabitants. He had
one year large surplus of strawberries and
sweet corn, and had many applications for
the fruit and corn by the village people.
He conceived the idea of employing a man
with a wagon to supply this unexpected
demand in the village, and sold the whole
of these products at such prices as paid
clear profit of $175 per acre, which was
about five times as much as the average
value Of the farm crops. In addition, the
sale of the strawberries created large de-
mand for cream, which was equally profita-
Bile. No doubt the example could be fol-
lowed in the neighborhood Of nearly every
village in the country.
It is not advised that any farmer should
embark largely in growing vegetables or
fruit. Nearly all who have been most sue
cessful arc such as those who, like my
Rochester friend, started with small patch,
increasing the area as his means and the
demand for the products justified. Those
who can most advantageously use their
farms for the culture of fruits or vegetables
are such as are located near towns or hotels
or summer boarding houses, for the fruits
and vegetables usually furnished to such
places, when furnished at all, are such as
are shipped from the large cities after pass
ing through the hands of commission men
who of course must make their profit
and are usually furnished in a stale and
battered condition, costing three times more
to the consumer than the original grower
gets. As matter Of fact the vegetables
and fruits usually served at first class hotels
and fashionable summer boarding houses
80 or 100 miles from New York, where the
guests pay So or 81 day, are no better
than that to be found in the cheapest res
taurants in the larger cities though they
cost the proprietors three times as much
and which they could in the great majority
of cases get grown for half the money and
served fresh from the ground daily. Ina pa
per necessarily as short as this must be, no
details of operation can be given, nor is it ne
eessary, for all that need besaid on these sub
jects have been given in the books on fruits
and vegetables long since published. | will
merely give few leading instructions of
the best conditions, and to do this | will
take the liberty to quote from work that
/ have just written Whenever choice can
be made the land used for such purposes
should be as level as possible and be of
nature what. is known as sandy loan that
is, a dark colored, rather sandy soil, over
laying subsoil of sand or gravel All
soils that have adhesive clay for their sub
soils are not so well suited for fruits or
vegetables, besides requiring at least double
the amount Of labor for cultivation Above
all things necessary to success in growing
either vegetables or fruits is manure. It
NAV he laid down as a settled fact that I'M