Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-10-08
DELAWARE MARKET TRAINS
New Outlet for Products of
PeninSuIar Farms.
GREAT FARM PRODUCE EXCHANGE.
Fer Wholesale and Retail
Transactions.
How 1t Is Proposed to Give DeIawareans
the Benefit of the Comprehensive Pros
ject--Farmers Discuss the Affair.

Ject--Farmers Discuss the Affair.
A delegation of farmers from Della
ware and the Peninsula, representing
the best agricultural districts, and in
cluding the committee appointed by the
Spring Grove farmers meeting, visited
the big establishment of the Philadel-
phia Market Company, at Thirtieth and
Market streets, Philadelphia, Sept .30th.
The mission of the committee and Of the
delegation was TO institute an inquiry
with the view of. opening to Peninsula
farmers new and extensive market for
the disposal Of the product of their
farms, gardens and dairies. Superin-
tendent Holiday of the Delaware rail-
railroad had been petitioned by the
farmers for two market trains per week,
to give their produce quick transporta-
tion to Philadelphia, and disposition
and distribution of the shipments was
the subject of inquiry which took the
farmers to Philadelphia.
The new market house company in
the Quaker City is protege of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and
is an immense and conspicuously
unique affair. 1t is the purpose of its
projectors to make it the direct centre
of supply for all farm produce, dairy
products and fruits consumed in the
Quaker City and suburban towns. With
this end in view the establishment is
constructed and equipped to afford the
most expeditions and economical hand
ling of goods. Being on the line of the
railroad with tracks from and to every
line and branch in tn PENNSYLVANIA
system, the great capaci.J for distriou-
ton is at once and readily understood.
This advantage alone must of necessity
mass the major part of farm products
at this one point, which, being the case,
will attract the buyers, both wholesale
and retail, from all sections of tho city.
The market house is an immense
structure, equipped with every modern
appliance that science has brought to
bear IN the preservation and sale
of the products. There are great
cold storage apartments, capable of con-
tanning hundreds of tons OF meats, but
ter, eggs, fruits, in which usually perish
able goods are practically indestructi-
BILE. Immense storage spaces, tightly
cemented, offer facilities for the bestowal
of enough of unperishable goods addi-
tional to provision Philadelphia for az
week or two. A series of buildings are
devoted to wholesaling, where grocers
and dealers come daily for their sup
plies, and the large market hall offers
stall room for 500 farmers and their
wares. Nothing could be more COM
plete. The place is lighted by cleo
tricity, supplied with steam heat for
excessive cold weather, hot and cold
water-the product of thirteen artesian
wells.
The market house is gigantic ex-
change, where the transactions in pre-
duce must centre. Goods com by rail
and are unloaded from the cars into the
stalls and wholesale departments and
the heavy cost of carriage across town
is saved. For transhipment anywhere
on the Pennsylvania railroads gigantic
system cars can be loaded right there
and another carriage charge saved. The
cold storage system which is within the
reach of every one, avoids the necessity
of rushing off perishable produce on a
flat market and leaves the farmer the
option of holding them for rise in
prices.
Chester, Delaware, Lancaster and,
Berks county farmers with those of,
moro remote counties, have nvailed
themselves Of this opening for the sale
Of their produce and the Peninsul
farmers are now taking a step in til
same direction. The committee will
doubtless make report to the farmers}
they represent enthusiastically COM
intending a general patronizing of this,
new outlet for their products. It is
just such chance as the Peninsular j
agriculturists have needed, but no one
could have contemplated within the
bounds of reasonable expectation that
such big mart would practically b
thrown open TO them. 1t is probabl.
the one solution Of the much mooted
means of bettering their condition.
The Delaware railroad will shortly
inaugurate its market trains. They will
start from Seaford or Delmar on a
schedule that will land them in Phila-,
delphia on Tuesday and Friday after
moons at 2 o'clock. This hour is the
most advantageous because it gives the
farmers the benefit of the wholesale
buyers patronage in the afternoon and
OF the retail trade-to the Consumers
the following mornings. Several farm
ers of the party yesterday announced
that they would avail themselves of this
market as soon as the train service is
and expressed the opinion
that there would shortly be big ship
ments of produce made over the Della
ware road as are now made over all the
lines of the Pcnnsylvania's system.