The Fort Worth gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-189?, 1891-04-09
TRICK FARMING FOR TEXAS.

March 10, is devoted 10 truck farming. The
writer. Mr. J II. Hale. defines the term as
meaning something different from market
gardening. The character Of production in
both cases may be about the same but the
lnarset gardener is one who lives near
!aarke: and delivers his products with his
own teams. while the truck farmer lives
remote from the market for which he pro
auces and is dependent upon tansporta-
lion companies and commission men for the
delivery and sale Of his goods
Truck farming proper IS comparatively
new industry for this country. Up to 1860
il was scarcely 50 much as in is infancy.
Railroads seem TO have been the main fac
tors in bringing it into prominence, As they
enabled the producer to ship his goods from
800 TO 1900 miles 10 distant cities, and place
them uDou the markets there in frst-cass
condition Within the short space Of time
Intervening since 1860 the industry has
crown INTO Gigantic proportions-the total
gross income from it ior this country WAS
not less than ,a5.OO0.UO0 last year. And
yet. considering the comparatively small
areas II which it is confined ana the i'm
Iuense area, with equal or superio" capa-
h-Lities now uuworkod, il may still be put
down as in lis infancy.
From This il might he Inferred that ;he
business OF truck farming VIII eventually
be ovcrdonc. but not so, Great cities are
spriuging up with rapid strides. and their
people must be fed The products of the
truck farmer Offer The cheapest and most
wholesome foods 10 BE- obtained, 50 j. looks
lis Il tnc one would ever keep pace with the
other regardless Of any amount Of increase
i'll irucI. farming. But this amazing growth
Of cities T.; not all The use of vegetables
j. rapidly on The advance in our country.
More Than double The quantity of such food
is aow used per capita than was used ten
years ago. ant II i, hjghly probable that ten
.aars hence will see the quantity more than
lgan doubled.
y large proportion Of this truck farming
business is carried on in the Southern
STATES, mainly 10 supply Northern markets
with early fruits and vegetables. This last
pIor5 the South great advantages oyer the
North, for their products come upon the
markets without local or other competition.
The Northern trackster has the market
tttNtutt@ 10 tDNlt'Ili lSGdlilNl lOE Ills
rru market gardener can nave his products
before The people Is early as the Northern
truck farmer can but when the products of
the Southern truck farmer begin 10 appear
upon the Northern market. neither the
Northern market gardener on the Northern
truck farmer have yet planted their crops.
Most Of our Southern truck farming is
located At a few points mear the sea coast,
as Mobile. Ala, Jacksonville. Fla. Sayan-
nah, Ga, Charleston, :. {. and Norfolk,
Va A. ye; he general business has not
much extended to the interior Of any OF the
Southern states, bat there is no good re;-
son Tor this fJct-the people have not Vet
got IL IT. is the only explanation that can
ba offered. or course the coast products
might be put upon the market little ear
lier than those Of the interior still there
would be An opening for all as success
sion. 10 get in on ample time 10 be ahead Of
The regular Northern products. Water
melons are quite largely raised in the iute-
lior. but when this has been said about all
las been said
The bulletin before US enumelates the
r-c0"nizcd products OF the truck farmer as
follows: Melons, cabbage, peas, asparagus,
Irish potatoes. sweet potatoes. tomatoes.
spinach. celery. string on snap beans, ocets,
rgsumOrls c:u.ifowers, carrots, eggplant
ta.e. lettuce. lima or butter beans. rldishes,
luuba,b. squa$hc>, sweet corn ana tumips
uur nupurt.ut product appears 10 have
u,..u left out of the list: Strawberries Our
Southern truck farmers invariably do
heavy business in Strawberries for the
carlg Northern market
Texas las done a good deal in truck farm
.ug. especially in melons, but not enough,
$50 considered, 10 entitle any point in the
State 10 special mention in this bulletin.
she ought 10 be doing it all, 50 10 speak
~ east she ought TO be supplying every
rty of the Mississippi valley ABOVE her,
with many Of the upper cities further east.
Her soils are the very best for the purpose
known, and her great length north and
south would enable her 10 run regular
succession th1opghou, the spring and early
simmer season. up 10 the income Of North
zen products. The southern point of Texas
is almost three degrees nearer the equator
;Hau any point in Inc United States
II, which truck farming is carried
ou-al line trucking lands This
would enable her to get in al the North en-
1irely ahead OF everything in the truck
me. When these almost tropical products
rad been exhausted, ,hc region next above
would be ready 10 send ont fresh supply
and so ON. succession after succession.
until the uppeunost limits of the state had
been reached, and it was time for the
Northern producers to oil up their wagons
and get ready to haul in their frstlings of
the season. Her shipping facilities, by
railroads. are getting 10 be so good as 10
enable her 10 nave il all her own way
should she desire to do so. After consid-
eriug all The circumstances every thinking
man must see that Texas has II entirely
within her power 10 completely monopo-
lie the early trucking business in all the
cities just referred 10. While it is not, to
rs, 4 subject of pleasant thought, on &c
count of cur past relations with some of
them, We are honest enough 10 admit that a
move all along this line in Tnxac would
speedily run out the trucking industries
now fourishing at points on the coast east