The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-14
FARMERS MAKING MONEY.
Truck Growing Beats Cotton Planting
All Hollow.

ALI HOLLOW.
| Chatham County's Farmers Better on
Than Those in Any other Part Of the
State-Ten Acres of Truck Land Here
Worth More Than 100 Acres of the
Best Cotton Land in aeorgia-Halfa
Million Dollars of Truck Already
Shipped This Year-over $3.50, 900
of Potatoes Alone.
Mr.. NJ. L. Exley has returned from At
lanta, where he spent a day or two after at
tending the meeting of the State Agricul-
tural Society at Stone Mountain
Mr.. Exley is secretary of the Truck
Growers Association of Chatham county,
and assisted Major Ryals and DR.. r. G.
Norton in presenting to the delegates
present the growth and extent Of the
truck industry of Chatham county. He
says the reports from Chatham were a rev
elation to the farmers from other counties,
especially those from the northern and
middle sections of the state, and he
doubts if some of them believed all that
was told them.
The cotton growers of the interior
could hardly believe that such results, so
far surprising anything they had done,
could be accomplished by the mere rails
ing of garden stuft' for the market.
A good many of them would like to give
up cotton and 90 to growing truck, if they
thought they could do even half as well
as the Chatham farmers.
CHATHAM COUNTY FARMERS WE'LL OFF.
Mr.. Exley said the information he re-
ceiyed at the meeting of the farmers gen
orally throughout the state convinced
him that the farmers of Chatham county
enjoy exceptional opportunities. They
have richer lands and better facilities for
cultivating and improving them than the
farmers elsewhere In the state have and
their position with regard to the markets
is unequaled. He is convinced that the
truck growing industry of Chatham and
adjoining counties has a much greater
future before it than was ever dreamed
of few years ago Mr.. E,xley says he
had rather have ten acres of truck land
in Chatham than 100 acres of the best
cotton land in any county in the state
He furnished the MORNING News some
figues which he used at Stone Mountain
in illustrating the Importance Of the truck
industry at Savannah.
TRUCK SHIPPED THIS YEAR.
They are the totals of the truck ship
ments from Savannah this season, and
are of interest to the truck farmers and
general public. The shipments by the
different routes are as follows:
Crate. Barrels
ocean Steam Ship Company. -. 6i,963 1870
Baltimore Steam ship Company $40 $500
Atlantic Coast Limo. ............ $500 25 900
South Bound railroad. .......... 10000 $500
Central railroad....,.. ......... 5000 5.250
Total. 100 4Ss 5000
Total number of packages. ............ 245, 453
The 5000 barrels were potatoes. for
which prices running from So to 81 per
barrel were received. Mr.. sExley esti-
mated the average price received per bar
rel at S4.25. Allowing l25 for freight
and brokerage he estimated the returns to
the'growers at So per barrel, or a total of
S255, 900 for potatoes. The 100, 433 crates
of vegetables he estimated at an average
return to the grower of 81. so per crate or
a total of $40, 649 for vegetables. This
makes a combined total of 1896, 700 re-
Ceiyed by the truck farmers of Chatham
county this year from northern markets.
Mr.. Exley estimated that the receipts
from the home market are sufficient to
carry the total considerably over the
half million mark Besides the farmers
have their hay crops and the fall crops of
truck, which at a very low calculation
will add 100000 more to their receipts
Altogether truck farming does not seem
to be such bad business in Chatham
county after all.
TO BE PUT In THE REPORTS
Mr.. Exley arranged while at Stone
Mountain with Col Nesbitt, state COM
missioner of agriculture, to have the con-
ditions of Chatham County's truck crops
reported in the monthly agricultural re-
port of the commissioner The blanks
here to be filled out contained only in
quiries about cotton, corn, oats, rice and
other staple crops Commissioner Mes
bitt agreed to add Irish potatoes, cabbages,
beans, peas and hay to the list This
will enable the farmers throughout the
state to see every month what the farm
ers of Chatham are doing.
The truck growers will begin gathering
their hay soon, of which they have a
very fine crop. Rains make the grass
grow, and consequently they have no
complaints to make of the continued
heavy rains. AS soon as the hay is out of
the way they will put in their fall crops
of potatoes, beans, cabbage, peas, beets
and turnips This will be the third crop
for the year upon the same land. The
land which grew potatoes and cabbages
in the spring and corn and hay in the
summer, will grow beans and peas or
other crops this fall. The fall crop is not
as profitable as the spring crop, but if
there is an early fall north it means good
prices for the fall crops of the southern
truck growers.
HE WENT TO CHARLESTON.