Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-26
ON NEVILLE ISLAND.
Interview With an Old Time Gar
dener as to Garden Stuff.
THE BEST SEASON SINCE THE WAR.
How Watermelons We're Padded in Canoes
in 0lden Times.
A PROLIFIC YIELD OF CUCUMBERS
OFFICE OF PITTsBURG DISPATCH,
SATURDAY. August "a, 1889. J

l. SATURDAY, August "A, 1853.
Mr.. James Dickson has been Neville
Island gardener now close to three score
years. An interview with him to-day devel-
oped the following facts concerning the
products of that fertile island, which may
be called the gardeners paradise. The
yield of Neville's Island for 1889 in garden
stuffs Is fully 20 per cent larger this season
than last, and quality of stuff will show as great
Improvement as quantity.
The quantity of cucumbers raised on the
island, as well as quality, breaks all former
records. The total produced will not fall below
$1,000 bushels. Mr.. Dickson reports 2,OOO bush
els as the product of his gardens and says tnat.
though the vines are apparently dead, their
yield still continues as good as at the beginning
OF the season. The quantity of tomatoes raised
on the island is not up to last season. put the
Improvement in quality more than makes up
able to gather so to 50 bushels OF tomatoes
daily, as Mr.. Dickson is doing the past week,
will have little ground for complaint Concern,
ing diminished quantity OF yields as compared
with last season.
The citron crop this season is practically
failure. The yield of sugar corn is below that
of last year, owing to the absence of hot days
and nights the past summer, which are very
essential elements in the development OF a
good corn crop, Lima beans are fully up TO
any past season in yield. For Saturday
seven bushels were hulled on the farm of Mr..
Dickson for the Diamond market.
A Good Crop,
Neville's Island n sver turned out better
crop than it will yield this year of our Lord,
1882 Many an acre will produce its 250 bushels
of the best Peerless potatoes The rot, which
is such blight to potatoes in clayey soils, has
not yet found its way to this gardeners para
disc Ground is so precious for gardening pur-
ISL wheat o
other corn than roasting ears, are raised TO a
very small extent. The entire island embraces
800 acres. has population of 400 TO 5O0. The
main employment Of this population is gar
dening.
Every foot almost is arable and no equal
space in the county furnishes the same amount
of stuff to our markets. In the changes OF
the past 20 years the watermelon crop. which
in the olden time was one of the big products
of the island, has become thing OF the past.
tember mornings could have been seen push
ing their canoes, laden with the finest of water
melons. toward the Pittsburg wharf.
Said James Dickson: MANY hundred loads
of watermelons have pushed from Neville's
Island to Pittsburg in canoes 30 to 40 years ago.
and no better watermeloDs were ever raised.
1 can remember seasons when could have
walked over my large melon patch and stepped
on melon from one end to the other without
touching the ground. Now we scarcely raise
any watermelons. The season is too short
By the time we can get our
Melons on to Market
the season is practically over and other fruits
are so abundant that we cannot sell. The op-
portunity of getting watermelons to this mar
ket from more southerly points is now SO good
that the home raised article has been forced to
the wall. But one thing is certain, there are no
melons brought to Pittsburg markets these
days equal n flavor to those we raised on New
lilies Island along in the thirties and forties
when padded my own canoe to Pittsburg."
The writer, whose memory goes back to the ear.
ly forties, is ready to say amen to the above. as
the flavor of those old Neville Island melons
fingers with him STILL The boyish appetite
may have something to do with the amen.
AS finale to the interesting interview with
MI. Dickson, he said: 1regard this season as the
best in our line since the war as a whole. We
have sometimes had better prices than this sea-
son, but entirely satisfied with the situation.
We are able to furnish our customers with good
goods, as quality of garden stutf was never bet
ter than it is this year. There is no place for
grumblers on Neville's Island at this date"