Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-04-01
W. xcDONALD LEE. EDITOR.
Friday, April 4, 1904.
SOME SIDE TALK TO FARMERS

y
Neck-well advanced, and progress
sive, in many lines-are so slow in
stalking hold" of crops other than
corn, wheat and grass, that are made
much more remuneratiYe in other
parts less highly favored. Just now
We have in mind the profitable grow
ing of pickles. We can recall when
this section secuted the idea of grow
ing peas, tomatoes and other trucks
Today trucking is next to water pro-
ducts in the scale of big returns tc
this section. Less than twenty years
ago it was we'll nigh impossible tC
get farmer to venture in raising
trucks. Less than fifteen years age
we were sending but small quota OF
truck to Baltimore's market. Today
we are no small consequence in the
commission receipts of that city.
Yet fifteen years ago, and previous,
when we were just getting the "hsng
Off" prices were phenomenslly high.
We got in in time to catch the declln-
ing market, and have been staying
with it ever since. So much for our
aversion to change; too conservative,
let US call it.
Today We hang to peas, tomatoes,
asparagus, and such old lines. They
are profitable yet, but while we are
holding on to the rear coach others
in the van have branched off, trying
their hands on new vegetables and
getting the high prices incident to
hrst trials. As is our wont, by-and-
by we will crawl into the caboose,
and maybe still later ride with the
engineer. But i'll that day prices
will have fallen and we will have to
pay for our tardy learning. 1t was
q long road and a tedious one to
school our people up to raising toma-
toes. The best prices had flown for
ever. Today there is only moderate
competency in the business; yet our
people are loath to try new crops.
What folly to wait until someone
else has skinned the creaml
The pickle industry is compara-
lively new in this section. Other
sections have reaped great harvests
from growing the prolific cucumber.
By-snd'by it will be all the go here.
And then, it is but reasonable to
conclude, the bottom will have nigh
dropped out. Then why should we
not exercise a little judgment in
these matters. One trucker says al
don't know anything about growing
them" Can't you learn? Another
says al had rather stick to my old
crops" And forever stick in the
mire, too. That's not the kind of
stick,at-ive-ness live man should
follow. Sill another says 81 might
fail in my CROP" What does first
failure in small crop cost in COM
parison with the knowledge and ex-
perience gained for future conserva-
ton? 1t is this latter man, if he
would but show a little grit, who
would be ain the swim" the next
year, aud the next, when pickles (or
whatever the new effort might be)
are soaring high and his slow neigh
bors are trying to learn. He lost
when it did not cost so much, maybe;
they are losing when losing means
much.
We are so much imbued with the
bright prospects for future pickle
growing that We want our people to
get abreast Of the times before the
times leave them behind. To this
end we have visited and CORES
pended with one Of the larg-
est pickle houses in the United
States, which operates a number of
sailing houses in various parts of
Underwater Virginia, but which is un-
known in our immediate section. In
one of the Underwater counties this
house has thousand farmers grow
ing cucumbers, and large per cent.
Of them are illiterate, not a5le to
read or write. Since the business
was established there, nearly ten
years ago, every one of these growers
has made money. built houses, en-
riched their farms aud are generally
prosperous. And yet the county in
question cannot "hold a candle" to
any of the counties of this section.
We have gotten concession from this
firm In the way of promise to buy at
market price any and all pickles that
our people will grow and brine here.
But even this is not necessary. We
are in reach of several sailing houses
1t urbanna. and they would gladly
take our output. For those in Ian
caster wishing to make trial the
steamer billiard would convey their
crops daily. This would be good way
Tor getting our hand in. 1t would
be but a short time before we would
have pickle works springing up
around us, on almost every side.
1t would be well for our people to
this matter. In fact. we
yOuId ha Glad IN have apy u,oru. -.