The Opelousas courier., 1893-10-21
M%ARKETINGFARM PRODUCE
LOADED FARM WAGONS CARRIED
TO NEW YORK ON TRAINS.

Morning 1faQe.
Y oNG ISLAND farmers who
i" bring fresh country produce
to town each morning and
~ offer it for sale on the big
west side plaza called Gansevoort Mar
ket do not, as is generally supposed
drive their teams all the way in from
their farms. That used to be the way
in the old days, but now the farm
wagons are placed upon fat cars and
come in by rail.
The only way by which farmers
could reach their early morning u
toners in TIL city q few years ago wal
to drive; but this was very inconvenl'
emit, for the country roads were usually
bad and the distances great. The morn
ing market was an early one, and 1t
was generally necessary to start the
evening before and drive all night IN
order to reach Gansevoort in time.
From 10 to II o'clock every night
the long and dusty roads reaching out
from Long Island City into the great
truck farming country along the North
Shore were travelled by long lines OF
big two-horse wagons loaded with
fresh country produce and driven by
sleepy farm hands. It was an expen-
sive matter for the farmer, too, for it
was necessary to have two complete
outfits of horses and wagons and men.
The round trip, including the market,
required in most cases nearly all Of the
twenty-four hours.
Nowadays the North Shore farmer
loads his truck wagon the evening be-
fore and goes to bed. He gets up be.
fore the sky has yet shown signs OF
dawn, bitches up his horses and drives
to the nearest railroad station. he
finds there an elevated platform the
height of a flat car, built alongside the
track. It is approached by a long in
cline of slight pitch, up which his
horses have no difficulty in dragging
the wagon Then he rolls over on his
seat and goes to sleep, or falls to talk
ing country gossip with his neighbor.
Long before the train comes the plat
form is filed with wagons, and others
are waiting below.
The train at length comes putting
and rumbling along and stops beside
the platform. It consists of a dozer
| or two broad fat cars and a caboose
OF an old and shabby passenger car.
The farm wagons are pushed aboard
the fiat cars, the wheels rolling II
grooves which hold them in position.
They are strapped fast SO they won
roll off, for the wagons are run cross
wav on the cars. Each car carries
four wagons placed side by side.
When the wagon is secured tn
farmer takes his horses into one OF thu
box cars and puts them in stalls which
are built in the car and PLENTIFUL.
strewn with straw. Finally he betake
himself to the caboose or passenge
car and smokes black tobacco in
wood pipe oil the way to Long 1slan'
City while he talks crops and markets t.
his fellow farmers. The chances ar
ninety-nine in a hundred that b
growls the whole distance over tn
bad season and low prices.
Long Island City is reached ant
the farmer bitches up his horses again
drives on a ferryboat and finds him
self in Thirty-fourth street. He the
makes for Gansevoort Market at
round trot so as to get there early an
secure a good place; for at Gansevoor
Market first come is first served Il
matter of position.
By this time it is daylight, but tn
sun is only just out of bed. The bi
plaza is fall of farm wagons from Lon
island and Westchester County an
New Jersey. In a short time th
streets all around are choked wit
Rrocers' and butchers wagons. and
great swarm of retail dealers cell upo
the farmers and buy the vegetable
they require for their days trade.
II the farmer is lucky he is sold OF
by the middle Of the morning. The
he drives on to Long Island Cit
again, puts his horses and wagon on Il
train and comes back to New York,
he has time, to enjoy himself after Il
fashion of farmers when they come
town. until the afternoon hour arr1v
for the market train to go back In
the country. ,,
AT home the farmer finds that b
men have gathered q supply Of trut
for the next days marketing. This
loaded on the wagon at once, and Il
farmer goes indoors to his ham al
fried potatoes, his pipe and hisfeath!
bed.-New York Herald.