Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-09-04

odle oI produce was granted TO the farm
ers, and is by them used, subject to certain
restrictions imposed by the city or its rep
resentative, the superintendent of the mar
ket, and it is their trade which makes the
streets so lively at an early hour.
Let us accompany one of those farmers
on trip when he has load of produce to
sell. Leaving home, five, 10 or - miles
away, as the case may be, about dark at
night he drives in and takes his station
upon South market street, if it is not occu-
pied. The "first come is the first served"
and he may take his choice of any places
not filled, on any night excepting Sunday
night. He may register his name before
the first of May. and if his business war
rants it, he can have certain space allot-
ted to him. upon which he may drive be-
fore o'clock at night, and which will be
reserved for him until 10 o'clock, after
which time it is open to the first one who
desires the position The space so allotted
to him he is apt to take whenever he is in
the market, and, in fact. the regular fire.
quenters have their regular positions, and
no one of them sees fit to take another's
position any more than he would if it had
been law instead of custom that he
should have it.
Arriving then upon the street he drives
to his position, or if that is already filled,
to another very near it, that his regular
customers may know where to look for
him. Immediately a hoster is ready to
take the horse or horses to a stable to be
cared for until his load is sold. TO the
credit of the stable keepers it may be said
that the horses are usually as well cared
for as at any stable. They are cleaned
down, fed and watered according to the
instructions of the owners, and there is
seldom any complaint of apparent neglect
If the farmer is on hand early and the
evening is fine, there is a stroll around to
see what others may have upon their wag
onS, and perhaps some consultation as to
the probable prices of the morning and a
comparison of the crop prospects and the
methods of cultivation. But they must be
up early in the morning and they retire
early, some to the hotels near by, and some
take their blankets and 90 to the stables
where their horses are and take shake
down upon the hay. Not many custom
ers for the Brunswick or Vendome among
them.
The wagons with their loads are left to
the care of the few police and watchmen
upon the street, and although any one
might travel all about among them without
seeing one of these guardians. he could
scarcely get off the street without being
seen by them. so well is this known that
very few articles are ever reported as hav-
ing been stolen from the wagons, even
coats and whips being left there, and there
are but very few attempts to steal.
With the earliest break of dawn the
farmers are stirring, and so are their Gus
toners. The marketmen from inside the
market or from the dump" or from other
markets are on hand to replenish their
stock. With them words are few and de-
csive. \ price is named and accepted or
rejected very quickly, and seldom is il
changed unless inspection of the row of
wagons reveals an unexpected scarcity.
Then there are the hucksters, who buy to
sell again from their wagons in the city or
the suburban towns. They are not as par
ticuar about the quality of the goods, but
want to get low price. Very few of them
want an assortment, but if there is a glut
in the market, it matters little upon what,
be it cabbage or strawberries, they are
ready to make an offer for a load and de
vote their time to selling it.
Again, there are hotel stewards and
keepers of restaurants who purchase their
days supply, or more, if they like the quail
ity and price. Some have wagons of their
own and bring empty boxes to exchange
for those in which the farmer has packed
his produce. Others send off their goods
by the express wagons, while some near by
employ the hand cart men who are wait
ing just below for such jobs.
\ fair number of wagons in June would
be about 20 on South Market street, where
they stand in five rows on the north or
market side of the street. Four or five
of these will be two-horse wagons and the
rest one-horse wagons. There may be an
overflow of some 10 more upon CONNER
cial street. Later in the season, say after
the first of August, when there are more
vegetables to be brought in, not only will
South Market street be packed to the limit
allowed, but so also will Commercial, from
Richmond street to the Custom House,
Custom House square, Commerce and Clin-
ton streets and there may be three times as
many teams then as now.
Seldom is there any quarrel or disagree
ment between buyer and seller. A bar
gain once made is usually strictly kept, no
matter what the chances may be to do bet
ter before the goods are delivered. Still
less frequent are quarrels among the farm
ers themselves. Any one thinking him
self wronged or ill-used can make COM
plant to Supt. Mckay, who usually decides
it without appeal to the courts, and gener-
ally more to the satisfaction of both par
ties than the court would
A few of the loads are sold out and the
horses are sent for and wagons driven away
before 6 O'clock and perhaps few others
may come in after daylight, but they are
well thinned out by 8 o'clock, and at II
the last is supposed to get away. The best
of feeling seems to prevail between the
farmers and the produce dealers in the
market, though it might seem as if the for