Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-02-25
n. A. DeHART
MARKET GARDENING.
The Perfect System Practiced by Garden
ers on Long Island.


The Perfect System Practiced by Garden
ers ON Long Island.
Nowhere in our country is there a
more perfect system of market garden
ing practiced than ON Long Island, and
within an hours drive of one of the
best markets in the world, New York
city. This is not because here are to be
found more intelligent gardeners than
near other large cities, but because of the
close proximity to market and limited
acreage suitable for this purpose and
this in small, detached lots. A perfect
system is essential in order to get the
greatest possible return from the soil
and to make the industry profitable
one, which is almost invariably done.
There are many men that not only sup
port their families from the products of
three to five acre farm, but annually
lay aside something for the proverbial
rainy day. In this connection writer
in The American Agriculturist has the
following to say:
To produce such abundant returns,
the soil is kept in the highest state of
fertility and this without any expense
for fertilizers. When one of these small
farmers takes load usually with one
horse-to market, be returns with afull
load of manure. This costs him moth
ing; in fact, the owners Of small stables
consider it favor to have the manure
carted away. By this means the farmer
can enrich his soil to the highest limit,
which will enable him to raise on every
foot of his soil from three to four crops
in a season. By systematic rotation of
crops the land never seems to need rest,
and it is kept in constant use.
After the land is plowed in spring
there is no further use for the horse, as
all the cultivation is done by hand.
This permits very close planting, which
in many instances gives more than
double the plants from an acre. Take,
as an example, first, the cabbage and
lettuce crops, which are usually grown
together. For these the plants are raised
in the hotbed, which is usually started
about the middle of February. AS soon
as it will be safe TO commence work in
the field, we'll rotted manure to the
depth of from two to three inches is
spread over the land and plowed under.
The field is finely narrowed and marked
off in rows 80 inches apart. The plants
are set 10 inches apart in the row,
which gives 10, 455 plants to the acre.
Between the rows Of cabbage, and be-
tween the cabbage plants in each row.
lettuce plants are set about eight inches
apart, or about 38, 900 to the acre. The
lettuce will be cut for market before
the space it occupies will be required
for the cabbage. This will be nearly
equal to four crops as ordinarily plant
ed. In addition to this, after the lettuce
is taken off, it is succeeded, between
the rows of cabbage, by crop of rad
ishes. which, though not large, brings
an additional profit.
The cabbage Early Jersey Wakefield)
crop is cut and marketed in June or
not later than the first week in July.
The land is again plowed and crop
for string beans put in. This in turn
will be harvested early in September, a
slight coating of we'll rotted manure
again plowed in and spinach seed sown
for late fall or winter crop, which
keeps the soil fully occupied the entire
season. Other vegetables are also grown
as second crop. Prominent among
them is kale, the seed of which is sown
where the plants are to remain, or
plants are set out from seed sown in a
seeded, the same as cabbage.