The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1890-02-12
Market Gardening as a 8usI-
ness.


Peter Henderson, the veteran market
gardener, read a paper on this subject
before the Massachusetts, State Board oi
Agriculture, as their meeting December 3
1855. His advice is usually good and TO
the point, and few extracts can hardly
be otherwise bat welcome to our readers.
There are thousands of farmers, says
Mr.. Henderson, whose lands are near 10
the small towns, hotels, watering places
and summer boarding houses, where, il
the farmer would devote few acres 70
fruits or vegetables, or both, there is
scarcely doubt that every acre so eulti-
waited would be much more profitable
tnan if devoted 70 ordinary farm crops.
In most cases, success would be proper
toned to Inequality of the land, but no
one need hesitate to begin the cultivation
of either fruitIp vegetable crops on any
soil that viii False good crop Of corn,
hay or potatoes. The farmer. when he
grows to supply local demand, such as
for hotels. boarding houses, etc, has a
great advantage in selling direct to the
consumer.
When it can be done, select land that is
level and well drained by having grav-
ely or sandy subsoil, and not less than
ten inches in depth of good soil. Look
around the neighborhOod and observe
the farm crop; if these are not strong
and vigorous, rest assured that the soil IS
not such as viii answer for your market
garden work. Again, get as near 10 your
market as possible, and see that the roads
leading thereto are good, especially if
your market is large city. The busi-
ness of market gardening, though health
ful and fairly profitable, from which any
one not accustomed to manual labor
would quickly shirk The labor is not
what might be called heavy, bat the
hours are long. No one should engage
in it after passing middle life neither IS
it fitted for men of feeble constitution.
The capital required for beginning
market gardening in the vicinity OF
large city should not be less than $500
per acre for anything less than ten acres.
The first year rarely pays more than cur
rent expenses, and the capital of 500
per acre is all absorbed in horses, wagons
implements, sashes, manures, seed, etc
If the capital is insufficient to procure
these properly, the chances of success are
eorrespondingly diminished. Above ali,
be careful not to attempt the cultivation
Of more land than your capital and ex-
perience can properly manage. More men
are stranded, both on the farm and gar
den, in attempting to cultivate too much,
perhaps than from any other cause.
II has been the practice is the past to
use hot-bed sashes almost exclusively for
the purpose offorcing vegetables, or for
warding plants for use in the open ground.
But Of late years greenhouses are being
largely used, both for the purposes Of
forcing lettuce, radishes, beets and Gu
cumbers, as also for growing plants of
early cabbage, caulifover. lettuce, celery
and tom atoes and in either case. we be- |
lieve that in we'll constructed greenhouses
not only is the work better done, but |
that the saving in labor in three years
will more than Offset the greater cost Of (
the greenhouses.
The essayist ascribes the reason for this
somewhat reduced yield of the market
gardens of New jersey to the crowded I
condition of the land, which does not
allow giving the soil needed rest by
seeding to grass or clover, as is usually
done on Long Island, etc He believes
that in garden Of fifteen acres if one
third is laid down in grass each year,
and the balance kept under the plow, the
gross receipts will be greater and the
profits more than if the whole fifteen
acres were under tillage; for less labor
would be required, and manure tells bet
ter on sod land than on land under til
lage.
Attention is also called to the high
quality of manure from stables where
imported peat moss is used for bedding.
Such manure isthought to be worth twice
as much as ordinary straw manure. No
doubt there are swamps in the United
States composed of peat moss which may
some day prove goldmine TO their dis
coverers.
The ordinary stable manure, Mr.. Hea-
ierson continues, is yet used almost ex-
clusively by the market gardeners Of
Hudson county, y. j., and that, too, at
the rate of seventy-five tons to the acre
Very little concentrated manures are
used on Our lands, which are continually
under tillage; these are always more
iilling on land broken up from sod where
the fbrous roots Of the sod stand in lieu
Of stable manure.
l would advise all that intend engag-
ing extensively in the business Of market
gardening to have attached to the busi-
ness greenhouses to greater OF less ex-
tent, not only that they need never fail
10 give a good return for capital invested,
whether for use in forcing vegetables
fruits or flowers, but, in addition. that
the labor of the workmen can be utilized
As well in midwinter as in midsummer
This enables the employer to keep his
hands all the year around, instead Of
having the annoyance Of hiring mex
perieneed men when the work begins in
spring. From my first beginning Of the
now over 40 years ago, we have
used greenhouses in connection with
'ur outdoor gardens, and in consequence
have been able to keep our old hands,
IT least twenty five of whom have been
With US from ten TO thirty years. We
1ay these men twice the wages of mex
workmen, and find it has paid
o do so.
A Lost Art.