The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1895-05-16
PROFITABLE
THEY ARE RATED AT $500 O FOR
EACH RI
The Greatest Drawback In This Country Is
Strong Winds Always Bring a Dollar a
BGshel. Generally More.

Horticultural meeting at Vermillion.
From Dakota armer.
In recent years market gardening
has become a prominent and paying in.
| lustry for a considerable percenta e of
our rural population, and in this in
iustry there are few plants that de-
serve a higher rank of rating than does
the tomato. Ia the census year 1890,
we find that there were %, 500 acres of
tomatoes grown IN the United States,
and hat the net income per " lie was
more for his ia4. &r an oiner crop
grown b. the I.s.,. bio gardener.
Census Bulletin No. Vi. give, she net
income for tomatoes as S3vS 90 per acre
II New England, while celery, which
is considered one of the best paying
crops of this class, is only rated $500. 66
for the same district. The cost of Ia
Dor is only $500 per acre more or
tomatoes than for celery in the above
mentioned district.
The cultivation of the tomato, it
u w w. ~ NV
to the truck-patch alone, but it is m
Of the leading winter products of the
growers near large cities of the East.
Although there are many difficulties to
be overcome in growing a successful
crop of winter tomatoes, yet when well
grown they are very profitable. as the
prices range from 50. 80 TO SO.75 and
even as high as g. per pound. The
nliAf nynHt frnnn tla tomato hnyCnrar
arises from growing it in the open
ground and on a commercial scale.
And, although the canning factories
use immense quantities of the fruit,
putting up 3.4O5, 3G5 cases Of l dozen
cans each in 1891. yet the prices paid at
these factories do not average much
above 1920 or SO.25 per bushel. even
at these figures tomatoes can be grown,
under favorable conditions, at a profit.
1t is the production of early fresh
fruits that 60 to supply the demand of
the city and local markets, that brings
to the grower his just reward. This is
the character of the work the South
Dakota tomato-growe" finds before
him. good local and city markets that
will consume a larger quantity of first
quality homegrown tomatoes. What
we want is a local grower for each
town Of 1900 inha oitants or more, to
supply it's demand. Why not retain
within the State the money which an
nually goes to tomato growers of the
states south and east of us? People
are not satisfied with the prices of
cereal crops and rightfully so, but why
will not some one avail himself of the
opportunity that is opened before hin.
Tomatoes yield many times as much
per acre as do the grains, and instead
of SO.45 per bushel they never, in this
State, bring less than 81
A local grower in bryant sold his
crop in 1898 at the rate of SO.7 0 per pix.
One who purchased fruit of him told
me that she paid hat price for thir-
teen years. 1t is not necessary hat
these prices be realized, however, to
insure a financial success. For if the
results at the Experiment Station are
to be accepted as an index, it appears
hat if the seasons never keep open la
ter than August %, that the crop will
be such as to warrant the cultivation
of the fruit. There is no reason why
we may not obtain IS to 60 bushels of
fruit Of first quality per acre, and at
81 per bushel this is much better than
any other crop grown in the State on
an equal area.
l am aware that this is not Dakota
style of farming, it is intensive rather
than extensive, but extensive farming
in South Dakota has not always paid,
and we may as well accept the lessons
Of the Older states, namely--that in
tensive rather than extensive indus
tries are returning the greatest profit.
People of the southern part rave long
since learned the lesson, M instead of
freighting away the raw produce of
their farms they now send only the
concentrated products in the form of
beef and hogs. This is intensive farm
ing.
One remark is true of both, however,
and hat is, that only a few can enter
any one industry unless there is an in
creasiug demand for the product of
that industry. There is a demand for
homegrown garden products, and this
will grow as soon as there is a supply
for its encouragement.
So far l have spoken only to market
gardeners near h towns, but the
farmer who lives some distance should
by no means be discouraged, for he can
create a local demand among his
neighbors and besides supplying his
own family with an abundance of one
of the best fruits that grows, he can
sell enough to more than defray his
expenses. This is not guess-work or
conjecture, but the deductions from
actual. experience and observation.
One of the discouraging features to
gardening is that it requires prepare
ton and 1T also requires attention, but
neither of these should discourage any
one. The preparation needed is to
know what to do, and what is needed,
then go ahead, and with the neces-
sary amount of determination success
is certain.
WHAT YOU NEEl
Is good clean seed sown ,. season to