The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-12-28
Agricultural Department
CONDUCTED BY FULTON S. WHITE.
Truck Farming In tn South.

TUCK Farming III III Soulis
In my last 1 made mention of few
crops which are being grown at a profit
In various parts of the south. My OBJ
servatlons, or rather the mention Of
those crops, were taken from what saw
during my travel in Florida. The crops
of which I now wish to write are not
only being grown in Florida, but also in
many other sections of the south, and 1t
has been my pleasure recently to have
visited number of locations where veg
etables are being grown not only for
home markets, but also for shipment to
northern markets. But before 1 COM
L nee to make mention of any particular
crops l wish to answer briefly for the
present a question which 1 am asked al
most daily.
I have been circulating our papers
quite extensively through the north, ana
the result is 1 receive many letters ask
ing what I think of northern man COM
ing south to engage in truck farming.
This same question is asked also by our
home people-only they ask about some
special point generally. Now l cannot
take the time and space here to fully an
swer this question as I should like to do,
but will give a few outlines now and
make this a special subject q little later
on. The matter of making q success OF
truck farming in the south is one that
depends largely on conditions. Some OF
these conditions the grower can control
and others he can have but little control
over The grower can control the mat
ter of selecting and preparing his soil
for producing crops of fruits and vege-
tables and he can also have control OF
the matter of selecting and preparing his
crops for market but as to the market
and the market price for his crops, this
is a matter over which he can have but
little control At least this has been
largely the case in the past. But l am
glad to say that this question of markets
is gradually improving in favor OF the
grower. Growers are learning that they
have some rights in common with other
people and are learning to demand that
their rights be respected. Now in en-
gaging In growing vegetables for ship
ment north the first thing for the grower
to consider is the condition of the people
where he expects to ship; whether there
Is any demand for vegetables, and II so
what varieties will be In greatest de-
mand. Then again the laboring people
in the cities of the north are generally
consumers of large quantities of fruits
and vegetables, and will buy these things
good wages. So in selecting market
one should keep this idea in view, for it
would be useless to ship to points where
people had no employment or were all
out on a big strike. But one big adj
vantage which the southern grower has
and will always have, is that he can grow
and place his crops on the markets of the
north for months before they can plant
their crops.
III.
advantage to commence with. But some
of the things for him to look out for and
guard against is dishonest scamps, who
make their living by getting through
Misrepresentation farmers to consign to
them their crops. Then the grower
must look out for freights, for this some
times eats up the profits of a crop. Then
again comes in the question of labor,
which has to be well looked after. Then
there are many other things to be con-
sidered all of which l shall notice at
more length when time will permit. l
shall try and treat the subject fairly
and honestly, for 1 have been simply dis
gusted with lots of the stuff which has
been printed on this subject-written,
much of it, by men who have never had
any experience in growing crops but
simply have good art of writing up and
stuffing their subjects with wind. During
my recent trip south l have heard so
much of these fellows who can write big
stories that 1 just lost all patience with
them. So when 1 get at the matter fully
I shall try and treat the matter hon
estly. l shall drop this part of the SUBJ
ject for the present and give the reader
some facts and figures on a few crops
that are being grown or were grown the
past season for shipment. l visited the
sections and crops Of which I shall write
and gathered from the growers the facts
which I shall present, and these figures
on what others are doing will help to an
swer the question-wil truck farming in
the south pay? 1t Is quite a job to get
growers to give an accurate account of
what they have made out of their crops
and the statements of growers vary very
greatly, so that we have to average up
the matter the best we can. Then again
some growers get twice as much from an
acre of vegetables as their neighbor on
adjoining farm.
Beans.
I will first notice this crop as grown
the past season over a great scope of
country for shipment north. The figures
given me for an average crop of green
beans per acre in point in Florida, Mo-
bile, Grand Bay, Cuba and York range
from sixty to $50 bushels. The range in
price per bushel was from SOC to Sl.25.
This is the net price to the grower. With
this range of yield and prices, taken with
my own experience in growing this crop
leads me to conclude that 100 bushels per
acre and a net price of 60 cents per bushei
would be about the average obtained for
this crop. This would leave the grower
on this crop $50 per acre at least, clear
of all expenses. If the grower cannot
make at least this much out of a crop of
beans he had better not plant them
Some of the best growers of course,
make double this amount. But there Is
another consideration about the bean
crop. They can be harvested and sold in
time to produce some other crop on the
land. Last June when visiting the bean
fields in the vicinity of Mobile 1 noticed
that corn and potatoes, both Irish and
sweet had been planted between the rows
of BEANS so that as soon as the beans
were sold these crops were pushed. A few
weeks ago on visiting this same section
/ learned that these potato crops follow
ing the bean crops had produced 100 BUSH
els of marketable potatoes per acre-that
is the Irish-whie the sweets were yield
ing $50 bushels per acre, each selling at
65 cents per bushel at the time of my
visit. Several very intelligent growers
said that the best they could do 1t would
cost them $40 per acre to grow, harvest
and put these potatoes on the market
Add to this for the Irish potatoes $40 per