The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-28
A WILMINGTON KLONDYKB
$4,000 TO $4,000 WORTH OF
LETTUCE In SIGHT

The Model SoDeOuct Truck Farm Of Measrs.
j. f. Carroll & Co.-Their Fertilizer Mill
aad Other Bustn~,s-A Concern That Did
012O o Worth Of Business Last Year-A
Larger Business in Prospect for This
Season
In company with Mr.. e. c. Stevens,
the clever representative OF Messrs, E.
B. Redfield & Co., OF Philadelphia, Mr..
w. F. English, of Mt. Olive. and the
Rev. ]. L. Egbert, OF Springfield, Mass,
a representative OF The Messenger
took a drive yesterday afternoon to
h fine Sansouci truck form OF Messrs.
j. F. Carroll & Co, two miles from
he city, IN the Holly Shelter road.
The plantation consists OF $50 acres
OF LAND situated on Smiths Creek, and
it has water communication with the
city by way OF the creek and the North
East river. The creek flows ON the
southwest side Of the plantation, and
there is a wharf that can be reached
by drawing from ten to
twelve feet of water. Large quantities
Of material for the plantation, and the
OAN> ~ %HN PA0SN NAS ~ Y
on steamers and flats, and to the Wis
itor it is quite apparent that the plan
tation is most happily and advantage
eOusly situated.
The and on The place is a sandy
loam with a fine clay subsoil, and it
is capable OF very high cultivation. It
is peculiarly adapted to truck grow
ing, and Messrs. Garrell & Co. have
here what is one of the largest and
most successful truck farms in The
state. We saw under yester-
day seven acres of lettuce beds and it
was a sight worth seeing. In all there
are SIS beds, from 100 to $50 yards long,
and they are a perfect picture with
the lettuce plants covering every inch
Of space between the frames of the
beds. The plants are looking fine and
are in all sizes to meet the require
ments OF the markets at different
times, running through the season,
which ends about the 18th OF April or
the LIST Of May. The lettuce in num-
hers OF the beds are now heading, and
Nessrs. Garrell & Co.. nave been Ship
ping daily for several weeks. Next
week they expect to commence moving
lettucettO the northern markets by the
carload, and numerous brokers have
their eyes on the crop, with a view to
handling it. Philadelphia is a large
market for it, n the popular house of
Messrs. Redfield & Co. handle large
shipments from one end OF the season
to. the other. The lettuce grown by
Messrs. Garrell & Co. is celebrated in
the northern markets, and they have
the reputation of being the mast sue
cessful growers in the south.
Besides the lettuce crop, MeSsrS.
Garrell & Co. nave already set out
and are planting thousands Of cabbage
plants that are now i'm very fine con
ditiOn. They also have some magnif-
cant beds OF beets and will set the
plants out O the 1St of February,
so that they will come into market
about the LIST of May. In addition to
the crops already mentioned, Messrs.
Carroll & Co. make a specially OF Irish
potatoes, and they have also scored a
fine success in this line.
Last season Messrs. Garrell & Co.
marketed $40, 900 worth of truck, and
with fair prices, the crop this yea will
nearly double in value. If the prices
hold UP there will be a mint OF money
in the lettuce crop alone. To give some
idea of the value Of this crop, Messrs.
Carroll & Co last year netted 81, 100 on
one acre of lettuce, SO that we see we
have a veritaIble KlOndyke right here
in the suburbs Of Wilmington, with it's
most delightful climate instead of the
frozen regions Of the golden fleece.
We should not forget to mention
that a magnificent crop of crab grass
m vi all over the cultivated area
from which the crops have been taken,
and Messrs. Carroll & Co. turn it to
valuable account in the shape OF hay.
We saw them this fall moving their
hay with a tWO-hOrse moving machine,
and we learn from Mr.. Carroll that
their crop of hay this season amounted
to 5000 bales at the lowest estimate.
Enough hay is made to supply all the
stock on the place, including a hum
dred or more of cattle from one year
to another, and there is hay to sell.
Last year, after supplying his own
needs, Mr.. Carroll sold 1000 bales Of
hay, readily getting SIG "a ton for it.
There are about twenty bales to the
ton, so that the surplus crop brought
$500, MOI kin account of the value Of
that used on the place. The 5000 bales
Of this seasons crop is valued at
81, 600.
Mr.. W. NJ. Collins, a clever young
man about % ears of age, is Messrs.
Garrell & Co.'S superintendent, and he
is not only a most efficient and wide
awake man, but he takes a pride in
liz Slop. II CccH years ago. dl the age
of IL years., he came to this country
from England, but all that he knows of
market gardening was learned ever
here. He has been with his present
employers for o years and was with
the late Captain T. J. Switzerland for
seven years. He has had years of ex-
perience in the business, and TO his
care and knowledge is largely due the
success OF the farm. He works about
ten hands, men n women, but in all
twenty-five to thirty hands are en-
plOyed On the place.
THE FERTILIZER FACTORY.
Besides their large trucking interests
NeSsrs. Carroll & Co. conduct a sue
cessful fertilizer factory on their place.
1t was started on a small scale to man.
ufacture fertilizers for the place and
utilize the refuse OF the slaughter
lou OF the firms fresh meat business.
but it has proven a phenomenal sue
cess. Besides manufacturing all the