The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-08-17
Letter from Tennessee.
CHATTANOOGA, Aug. II, 1893.

In my last communication | re-
ferred to the fruit growing sections
of Tennessee, and especially in and
around Chattanooga, where milder
climate exists on account Of its ex-
treme southern location on the
Georgia state line, and also by not
having manyior high mountain rang.
os in close proximity to chill us with
their icy breath in the spring time.
Our main or staple crops that bring
the most money to the truck farm
cr is none othor than the luscious
strawberry. In order to satisfy my
self, and not wishing to make false
statements or exaggerated figures,
| called upon several of our promi-
ncnt growers for statistics and find
that sixteen thousand crates of
strawberries were shipped from
ChattanoorG this spring. The prices
were firm throughout the entire
season. The farmers averaged two
dollars aud fifty cents net per crate
which would mako 20 total income
on this fruit off forty thousand dol
dollars. They arc shipped in crates,
twenty basket quarts to the
crate, weighing about thirty pounds
per crate. The empty crate is sold
to farmers for twenty-one cents.
Our principle market is Cincinnati,
o., which is three hundred and
thirty-fve miles north of Chatta-
nooga. The fruit is shipped in ven
tilated cars supplied by the Hemil-
ton county Fruit Growers Associa-
ton, of which nearly all the farmers
are members. The rate of freight
from Chattanooga to Cincinnati is
H .u... o4s -r"'hcd - de-. '
pounds, not quite eight cents per
crate The time required to reach
Cincinnati is thirty-four hours or
car leaving hero say Thursday eve
ming would reach Cincinnati for Sat
urday morning delivery. The land
most suitable for the above fruit is
the eastern slope of the famous
Missionary ridge, which no doubt is
well remembered by all veterans of
the late war who participated in
that battle November 25th, 1868.
The ridge runs north and south and
ends at the old Chickamauga battle
field Land can be purchased from
twenty-five to fifty dollars per acre
according to the locations and dis
tance from the city. The average
crop per acre depends upon the care
and intellectual attention given it
by the owner. | am informed that
one owner cleared eight hundred
dollars from the pickings of two
acres. The fruit ripens about the
10th of April and lasts until June 1st
or 18th. Growing tomatoes appears
to be another profitable vegetable to
the truck farmer and delicious
article to the housekeeper. The
seed is sown in hot beds about
February 18th, transplanted April
10th and ready for shipment May
18th to 10th. Ten thousand bushels
were shipped this season, netting
the farmers eighteen thousand dol
lars. Shipments are made in peck
boxes which are sold by factory
here at two and one-half cents each.
The plants are put in drills similar
to corn, only closer and then worked
with cultiyator or plow, so you can
form an idea as to length of time re-
quired TO run through an acre. The
average yield per acre is one hun
dred bushels. Large shipments of
beans, cabbage, cucumbers, onions,
squash, cantaloupes, apples, plums,
and pears are daily forwarded 10
the Queen City. Considerable mon
ey can be made in this business and
the men wanted here are experience
ed farmers, such as the Hassingers,
Walters, Beavers, ATiddleswarth,
kerns and Aurand. Speaking of
; the name Kern reminds me of my
venerable friend Daniel Kern, who
told me he was offered all the land
where the present town of Tracy
city, Tenn, now stands for the sum
of five hundred dollars This was
before the days of our booms.
have often wondered after seeing
the tons and tons of bituminous
coal that are taken from that section
by convict labor, whether his de-
clining years could have been more
comfortable in this locality with all
his wealth which these mines would
certainly have given him than in
that queit, systematic, old fashioned
farm m-house in the valley of the Mid
dlecreek. / will let the reader be
the Judge. Yours trnly.
j. S. RHAMsTINE.