Middletown transcript., 1891-05-28

From census bulletin recently is
sued by the Census Bureau we take the
following on truck farming:
For the first time the industry
known as truck farming has been made
subject of census investigation. The
statistics are compiled from returns
which have been received mainly from
truck farmers. Truck farming as con-
sidered in this report is distinct from
market gardening and is carried on in
favored localities at a distance from
market, water and mail transportation
being necessary"
The following statistics will be Of
interest to our readers on this Penin-
sula, and comparison will show that
this subdivision of territory in the
general census makes this section more
highly favored in the truck interests
than either New England, New York,
Philadelphia, Baltimore or Norfolk.
The production of fruits and vegeta-
bles for market has always been prose-
cuted with great success, in earlier
days as branch of general farming
and more recently as specially known
as market gardening. Truck farming
although it also consists in the pro-
duction of green vegetables for market
is distinguished from market garden
ing by the fact that while the market
gardener lives nearer market and de-
liyers his products with his own
teams, the truck farmer lives remote
from the market, is dependent upon
transportation companies and COM
mission men for the delivery and sale
of his products, and usually devotes
himself to such specialties as are best
suited to his soil and climate. Pre-
vious to 1860 truck farming was an |
infant industry, unknown except to a |
very limited extent along the steam
boat and railway lines leading out |
fifty miles or so from a few of the |
larger northern cities. Long Island,
New Jersey, Delaware and Southern |
Illinois appear to have been at that
time the leading truck centres of the
country.
This peninsula with the further
development Of railways, faster trains
and lower freight and express rates
will be in position to compete sharp
ly for much of this trade, for, beside
the natural fertility of soil that will
grow almost every vegetable to perfec-
tion, it has a climate, particularly
where the influences of the salt atmos-
phere reach, where winter vegetables
are not likely occasionally to be cut off
by frost as in the south. Nearly
seventy-fve per cent. of the truck pro-
dueed in the United States comes from
a belt of country along the Atlantic
coast. As more or less truck is pro-
duced in all the states the following
division into districts will serve for
comparisons
First is the New England district,
supplying Boston and other New Eng
land cities. Second, New York and
district, including Long
Island and New Jersey, and which
largely to New York and
Philadelphia markets. Third, PENN
sular district, comprising Delaware
and the Eastern Shore counties Of
Maryland and Virginia, which sup
plies all the Northern and some Of the
central west markets. Fourth, Nor
folk district, comprising eight south
eastern counties of Virginia and eight
north eastern counties of North Caro-
ina which largely supplies north
eastern and central western markets.
Fifth, the Baltimore district, COM
prising Western Maryland, West Vir-
ginia and that part of Virginia not in
The Peninsular, and Norfolk districts,
largely tributary to Baltimore, Wash
ingtnn and northern cities as well as
local canning factories. The total
acreage devoted to truck in the third
Or Peninsular district in which we are
particularly interested, we find to have
been, according to the census, 25,714
acres with total value Of products
from the same of s., ,413, ,648 and which
ne regret to say is less in acreage and
value of products than any of the dis
;ricts we have cited.
First district-6e3S acres-$3, 1884,
.1S, value of product. Second district
-10s, 1881, ,102, ,521, value Of pro-
iucts. Third district-25, ia acres !
q, Ala, ,648, value of products. Fourth
,375 acres-$4 ,692, 1859, val
le of products. Fifth district-37, ,1S1
,7S4, 1886, value Of products. I
In the fourth district a careful esti-
nate by producers and shippers in 7
1873 placed the value Of the vegetable I
md berry crop for that year at 81, 751,- ;
AS, while for the census year, ended /
Tune LIST, 1890, the value of the vege- t
able crop alone, according to reports i
# the truckers, was $5,T3, ,467. 25. g
The season of 1889 was an unfavora BILE
me in nearly all sections of the coun- v
ry for the truck farmers, yet the fol- d
owing vegetables were shipped from
Norfolk II