The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-05-16

market gardeners is ten acres, and they
think it is a poor year when their profits
from that amount of land do not average
So, 900, and that too when nearly all the
products are sold to wholesale middlemen,
In large quantities, and which before reach
ing the consumer, costs him at least double
the original price paid. The farmer in
most cases growing vegetables or fruits has
a great advantage in selling direct to the
consumer, and the small amount Of land
necessary for growing these crops will cost
him comparatively little, so that with proper
attention think there is every inducement
for many farmers to add this profitable
branch to their operations.
The kinds Of garden products that would
be found most profitable would be think
in small fruits, strawberries, raspberries,
blackberries and grapes. In vegetables,
asparagus, beans, peas, beets, cabbage,
caulihower, celery, sweet corn, cucumbers,
melons, radish, spinach, squash, tomato
and turnip. Much will depend on the To-
cality what is best to grow to ship from a
southern point to anorthern one, then such
vegetables as asparagus, where there is a
great deal of value in proportion to bulk,
is the most advantageous to grow. l re-
member case Of one of our New Jersey
farmers, shiftless sort of man, who never
could make ends meet here, fell heir to a
hundred acres near Atlanta, Ga. He had
been near enough while living in jersey to
get a knowledge of how to grow asparagus,
and planted about an acre of his Georgia
farm with it. He sent his asparagus to
New York to the same commission firm
that sold my vegetables and realized nearly
81 per bunch for his whole crop, which was
about ten times the price paid for aspara-
gus grown in the vicinity. The climate of
Augusta was probably not SO suitable for
asparagus at that of New York and New
jersey, but nevertheless the extraordinary
price he got amply made up for deficiency
in crop. He told me that from 1857 to
1860 his acre of asparagus netted him a
clean profit of 81 800 per acre. Aspara-
gus has ever been one of the safest vegeta-
bles to grow with us, for it is rare indeed
to see the market glutted with it. The
reason is obvious it takes at least three
years even under the most favorable condi-
ton to get full crop of asparagus from the
time seed is sown. Few cultivators can
afford to wait so long for results, and hence
less competition. As / have before said it
has a greater value in proportion to bulk
than almost any other vegetable. Five
hundred cabbages of good size will make a
load and sell for $50, but 1000 lunches of
asparagus will be about the same bulk and
weight and average 5000 per wagon load.
The asparagus which supplies New York is
grown principally on Long Island, the beds
when once established giving an annual net
profit of from $500 to $500 per acre.
Of the varieties of the different kinds of
vegetables or fruits, I viii say nothing, as
the kinds of one location may not always
be suitable in another A good rule where
you go to a nursery, seed or implement
warehouse, if you are not well posted, is to
ask the clerk what kind he sells the most
of, be it fruit plants, vegetable seeds, or
implements, and you will be safe to choose
such, if you have no particular choice, for
it is most invariably the case that the gem
eral public finds out what has most merit,
and such too as would most likely be suited
for most locations.