Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-06-12

nave dtQulIeu Ahcih ipi phipoScS III
subdivision.
Men and women who are capable
and who are not afraid of extremely
hard work, who either own or can
rent Il tract of this vacant land do
SO and go into the business of gar
dening for the Chicago market.
The usual rent charge is 500 per
acre per year. To this must be added
transportation tn and from the
grounds. labor. tools, fertilizer, seeds
mo small added charge-quite $500
per acre more; fell charge" a
Scotchman would say, more than
enough to brighten an ordinary far
-mer out of his boots.
But these unread. untheoretical,
uneducated Polish and German people
tao kle the task off hand and win
success nearly every time,
They work early and late, men, wo-
men and children, rain or shine, every
day, Sunday included as Il general
thing, from the time of late snow in
spring till the last thing is out of the
ground in autumn.
. How do they make any money? An
acre of ground contains close to 49,
600 square feet of surface which may
be used for purposes of cultivation
rather more than that in fact. es-
pecially if the tract is of several
acres, so that the matters of fences,
paths or bitches are reduced to a
minimum,' and you May be sure "a
Chicago market gardener allows no
land to go to waste.
Experienced gardeners commence
in the spring with any suitable va
riety of radish; they drill in the seed
in rows six inches apart. 200 feet long
and 400 rows to the acre.
Each foot of row will average nine
radishes. That makes
72O. 900 radishes to the acre. They
tie these radishes in punches of six
teen each and sell them for an aver
age of one cent per bunch, a very
modest price-and are you not amaz-
ed, the income is $3.50 per acre, and
all that is gained inside of forty days
from the first planting.
But they are not done yet. While
the radishes are growing so Is the let
tuce seed. and by the time the last
cultivation of the radishes is out of
20 set out between the radish rows.
The lettuce is planted ten inches
apart, on the same acre with the
24O heads of lettuce to the
row, making 1900 heads of lettuce.
This is usually put up in boxes and
brings one cent per head. There he
has S576 more off that acre for his let
tuce. But don't think that foreign
man stops at that stage of the game
he don't propose TO pay 500 per
acre for his land and suck his thumbs
more than half the season.
While the radishes are getting out
of the way. roots. leaves and all, and
while the lettuce is coming along, he
is forcing cabbage plants under Il
glass frame not far off. AS soon as
they are ready he sticks them i'm, H.,
BOO of them on that same acre. and
he thinks he is n dreadfully wronged
man if he gets less than two cents Il
head for all he can raise. $40 worth
Of cabbage.
Is he done? Oh. no; is many a
warm day yet before the ground
freezes, and he plants between the
cabbage rows 100, 400 stalks of celery.
The standard bunch of celery at
the gardens is twelve stalks to the
bunch; this at II cents per bunch
will bring him $1,O64 more-and by
that time nothing more will grow.
Now let us see what his acre has
brought him:
From radishes ................S $50.
From lettuce. .................. 80.
From celery ................. l,Oo4-
Total ................-.'. ,4"U'
Don't that take your breath?
| have not put down against this |
he expense, which of course is a
cry large and varying amount. Only |
n rare instances does the grower take
lis produce to market. The commits !
lion men and peddlers stand ready |
% take it off his hands as fast as he
IAN get il into condition to sell, es-
,ecially if he has a an early crop.
The laborers i'm these gardens are |
Mostly women. Polish and German.
They work cheap, they do not strike;
hey are careful and they are indus
rious. Caulifiower is one of the
most profitable of crops. but it is UNI
ertain in its outcome. When NJ does
veil the income will be close to 81 800
Ter acre.
1t can be planted fifteen inches
part each way, that makes $500
reads to the acre, and an early crop
will bring ten cents a head. Carrots
re worth while-see. one can readily
row $4,000 on an acre. Our Chicago
do it right along. Put
hese up in lunches of fourteen each,
he standard size, and sold at one cent
Ter bunch and YOU have S427 per
ere from carrots.
Close to such a market as Chicago,
'otatoes. sweet corn. tomatoes, green
,eas, and string beans are Il profit
BILE crop. even at 800 per acre rent
nut nothing like SO much as the
,thers mentioned