New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-01
MARKET GARDENING NEAR NEW-Y0RK
THE EARTH n MADE TO YIELD RICHEST CROPS
BY THE SYSTEM or INTENSIVE FARMING.

THE EARTH H. MADE To YIELD RICHEST CROPS
BY THE SYSTEM or INTENSIVE FARMING.
Every morning before the early riser in the city 10
up and dressed double lines Of market wagons
loaded down with fresh vegetables and fruits are In
position in Washington Fulton. Ganscvoor'. Har-
lem and other city markets. ready to sell their
green stuff the retail grocsrs and butchers over
five hundred wagons come into the city daily from
the suburbs supply the regular demand for green
vegetables and each market wagon VIII carry from
% 10 20 barrels or 70 to 80 bags Of such
vegetables as peas. beans lettuce. cucumDers OF
tomatoes The season for thes' eni"rprisns mar
ket gardeners begins early in spring and extends
through the summer 70 LATE fall and their supply
seems to be lnexhaustble. even as the ctys demsnd
seems to be withou; limit.
The market gardens are chiefly on Long ISLAND
and in New-Jersey \ circle drawn around the
civ wide enough 70 include Jamaica and Newark
would cover most Of the territory where the sup
ply OF green vegetables for the New-forA anu
Brooklyn ma rkets comes from in wagons. There arc
plenty OF We zetables that In from more GIN
tant points by boat and rail. nut the growers are
not distinctly market gardeners. The true market
gardeners. as originally understood. are the farm
who raise their produce. and then cart IL 10 inc
city markets TO sell or this class there are nun
dreds who to-day make more money at farming
than any other similar body OF agricuturists
While the big and small farmers % the West ana
South have been complaining OF hard times. the
city market gardeners have been making their
usual profits
About one-third OF the market gardeners near
New-York are Germans. and another third swedes.
while the rest made up OF Irish. Americans. Eng
gllsh and other nationalities As rule. the gar
deners are hard-worklng. thrifty class. They are
invariably well to-do. although outward circum-
stances would rot seem 10 indicate H. The women
az well as the turn into the fields 20 help
planting and harvesting At this time OF the year
~ t.strl- Ind r.nY
women and children IN the fields picking beans.
peas tomatoes and such products than men The men
are frequently spending their lime In selling inc
articles The green vegetables are picked in the
morning and the market wagons loaded In the
afternoon The drivers 90 to the city on the late
boats and wait until dawn sell their produce.
BY 10 o'clock they have disposed OF their loads.
end return for another cargo. the workers at homo
having in the mean time picked barrels and crates
OF all imaginable vegetables on the larger truck
farms Italian women are employed TO do me PICK
ing For 10 cents a bag they VIII pick beans ana
peas or a barrel OF squash cucumoers II Is
not uncommon to twenty pickers IN one field.
piIing up barrels. crates and bags oy tie wagon
load.
Nearly all OF the market gardens compara-
lively small in extent. averaging from five - ten
acres with here and there one that will be twenty
and thirty acres. Land Is generally valuable.
some OF II being worth 500 and 40 an
acre Eventually IT will be- taken up for building
plots but until needed the gardeners work II. pay
ing in many instances Just enough rent 20 pay
FOR the taxes. The owners willing rent II In
this way for the value is rising the cities grow,
and they lose nothing in the way OF taxes mo
few gardeners who their own fields ind them
selves getting rich IN Two ways Their crops pay
them a good income. and the land Increases IN
value under their MANAGEMENT The suburbs OF Jew
York and Brooklyn are heral iiIi o. thesS lis
and the parts Of he two cities are Dull.
upon what were me market sarGsnS ,he ,scai
Wy
Fifty and Eighteth SITS. fifteen or tweny
gardens than houses. The same is true OF YORK;
VILE Mamma e., ong III, ID ,he dnest mar.
ket gardens found in the ne.sno9rhooa OF iS
lege point and Jamaica. Land all Of these places
is worth $3.50 and upward FOR building lots
The land is made more valuable IN other ways.
The methods OF culture represent the highest stage
OF intensive farming The farmers get heayy ana
ann in turn they have to give good culture and
fertlzng Il Is not Sr on 5" an acre OF
land each season. TIE soil is literally overiiowinS
with fertility and as result dry weather affects
their gardens much less than the fields OF the
average farmer The soil Is stirred over contlh hl
ally so that the plant food Is ever IN an aVaiaoie
The season begins long before cold. weather has
ended in spring. The seeds OF Early. hardy plants
are put in hotbeds for early transplanuns. by the
latter March rsdishes and lettuce are planted
out in the gardens. These are cropped IN May Inc
land is Immediately poughed up again. ana painted
with beans or squash or corn ana onss5 are pu,
In Usually the gardener expects 70 ger a, east
three from MS lant DeIOFe lHr SEASON c.ue,
and then he will carry some hardy vegetable hait
through the winter. From such a system ne gets
results that would astonish many old-iasnloned
t.llers OF the soil Each crop harvested Is enor>
nous. and the quality OF the vegetables sooa'
The market gardeners sell for cash. They see
their money each day In the selling season, and this
enables them 10 pay cash for their fertilizers and
hired help. They never trade out their produce
az the stores. There times when the prices
are low for their goods. but az they nave no
Transportation rates 70 pay they can aord 10 sen
when shippers would lose money. 49,,
The market gardeners near me city ger tHe hlBn-
est prces because their vegetables and fruits are
ali fresh Consumers willing TO pay NIUE
extra FOR corn peas. and tomatoes tnat
have been picked fresh from the vines the day
before and Long Island and Jersey vegetables a.e
always desirable. When they begin 70 come ln,o
market the Southern shipments slowly dWindIe
down 10 nothing. and finally cease eltoEether Inc
Southern season FOR all fresh vegetables is now
about over and the gardeners near the city are IN
the height % heirs. Each market wagon carries
hack 10 the suburbs from 81 20 so, which me
owner receives for his daily load. The returns are
coming in rapidly now and as a rule TINS thirty
class OF agricuturists knows enough 20 save US
money Scores OF them have become rich IN tho
business and plenty OF others are making CON-
Portable incomes in supplying the tables o, New
Workers with fresh vegetables