Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-03-05
Vegetable Culture.

Assertions as to the possible profit
to be derived from vegetable growing
in this section are often questioned by
the Eastern press. The Farmers
Club of New York State met recently,
and Peter Henderson delivered an ad-
dress to the members, in which occur
these words
It is safe to say that there are hun
dreds of farmers in nearly all parts Of
the country each season who strike
out from the old stsreotyped crops OF
the farm into growing few acres OF
either vegetables or fruits, and in
many cases both; and not few have
abandoned the farm as a farm
entirely, and have devoted their
whole energies to gardening for
! market. Last week l had
q visit from man living in the vicin-
ity Of Rochester, N. Y, who came to
thank me for advice given dozen
years ago in this matter, when he
timidly made the attempt of growing
half an acre of his fifty-acre farm in
vegetables for village market. His
venture was so satisfactory that be
gradually increased his area, so that
Of his fifty acres he has now thirty
acres used mostly in growing early
-cabbages for the Rochester market.
He further informed me that his net
profit from the cabbage garden was
last year $500, or little over 5000
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 marked case is where a
farmer in the vicinity Of Baltimore
has been cultivating for six years past
over 100 acres in Hackensack melons,
which are sold in New York at prices
that give him $4,000 year profit from
the same land that in corn and wheat
did not net him one-tenth of that
sum. Another instance that came
under my personal observation last
year: A college-bred man OF %, fail,
ing in health from Office work, pur-
chased farm of 60 acres at Newport,
Long Island, three years ago. The
second year he tried few acres in
vegetables and small fruits, which he
found sale for in the village o.
Northport at satisfactory prices.
/ was on his farm in the sum
mer of 1888, and must say that fol
one whose knowledge was derived
almost exclusively from books, bis
venture had most promising look
His book knowledge, however, did
not restrain him from tucking up his
sleeves and working from sunrise te
sunset. have but little doubt tha'
he will yearly increase his area fol
vegetables and fruits, and that his
farm, like hundreds more on Long
Island, will be eventually converted
into garden for vegetables and small
fruits. The now famous celery-grow
ers of Kalamazoo, Mich, were, less
than twenty years ago, nearly all
farmers who could scarcely make
ends meet. Now the profits derived
from the culture of celery have mad,
many Of them comparatively rich.
A friend cites the case of anothe
man, whose farm adjoins village o
1000 inhabitants. He had one year
large surplus of strawberries ant
sweet corn, which he had grown TO
his own family, and had many appli
cations for the fruit and the corn b.
the village people. He conceived tn
idea of employing a man with a cal
to supply this unexpected demand i
the village, and sold the whole
these products at such prices as pal
: clear profit of $155 per acre whic
was about five times as much as tn
average value of the farm crops. |
addition, the sale of the strawberrie
created q large demand for ice cream
which was equally profitable. N
doubt this example could be followe
in the neighbourhood of nearly ever
village in the country.
It IS not advised that any farme
should, in the beginning, embar
largely in growing vegetables an
fruits. Nearly all who have beel
most successful are those who, lik
my Rochester friend, started with
small patch, increasing the area a
his means and the demand for tn
products justified. Those who ca
most advantageotsly use their farm
for the culture Of fruits and vegetable
K are such as are near towns, hotels G
summer boarding houses, for tn
fruits and vegetables usually ful