The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-01
Climate and Soil Favor the Industry. Two Crops of Vegetables Grown, o. the Same Land the ssse Year. Fresh Potatoes, cabbages and
 Other Things at Thanks-
 swing.
By Will T. sheehan.


 Mobile, Nov .a3o. .--tstsff Correspond ence)-Accordfng to the calendar 1t was November, late in November. the day before Thanksgiving.
 A skirt of woods back from the bay and in the distance, all bedecked with bun, red and yellow glory confirmed the calendar.
 The word of the calendar needed confirmation along the old Shell Road {. It might have been April. May or Au- gust but not November. The sunlight danced upon countless waves. the smell of the salt sea was in the balmy breeze that blew up from the Gulf, the road was lined with myrtles, magno- Has and evergreens. It was spring along the Bay Shore road. spring with gentle breezes and soft luxuriant sum shine.
 Over in his field few feet from the road, gardener in his shirt sleeves was industriously digging his Irish potatoes. He was turning the rounded potatoes. with projecting eyes, from the ground in great patches with a hoe. An assistant in battered derby hat and smoking short stemmed pipe was running a wheel barrow up and down the rows, now filled with pota- toes and now empty.
 And this in the latter part of No- vember. was told that it was his second crop. the man was gathering, 8 former crop having been made and earlier in the year.
 As we drove out of the city re- called that we had passed three car loads of cabbaEes, green and succu- lent. The cabbages had been piled in immense crated cars through which their verdant and inviting beauty could be seen. They were for the Northern markets for the Christmas season, ] was told, too, that 1t was the second crop of cabbages for Mobile for the year. The first crop had been gather ed in the late spring and early sum- mer. at Frederic's road house. Succulent spring vegetables were on the bill of fare and Frederic. proud of his ability as gardner. exhibited the fine pota- toes. cabbages and other things that he had grown in the fall, upon the same land upon which he raised and gathered vegetables in the earlier months of the year. Tomatoes and tur- nfps grow on the same land twice in the same year.
 The Climates Advantages.
 That drive showed why Mobile Coun- ty is 4ne of the best truck gardening counties in the United States, one of the very best. It emphasized the fact that two crops of vegetables could be grown in Mobile County. It explained why truck farming in Mobile County had gone forward with strides and bounds. It showed why the railroads were fostering the industry In every possible way and spending great sums in building it up and inducing other people to enter into 1t. The afternoon was explanation of why the gulf coast of Alabama Is now the garden of the State.
 It is the climate.
 The soil Is good. very good. But there Is much better soil even for raising vegetables in some other por- tions of Alabama. Still this soil is peculiarly adapted to that purpose.
 s. H. Comstock. a truck gardener and a produce merchant put it this way: There Is something about the soil around Mobile which Just seems to suit vegetables"
 Still there is as good soil and per haps better soil in other portions of the State, but the other portions of the State may not possibly raise two crops of vegetables in one year. The climate makes this possible around Mobile. The truck farmer here is enthusiastic
 out the climate. It Is a many sided climate full of good points.
 You see," you are told, the climate here is even and well tempered. It is horizontal. very near the same Throughout the year. There are no sharp contrasts in 1t. The vegetables are not scorched In the summer as they are further north fin the State. The sun never gets hot enough for that. The heat is tempered by the sea breezes and even in hot. dry weather the vegetables preserve their green ness and virility. The winters are short and inconsequential. We have no real cold weather"
 It is the climate which differentiates