The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-01
TRUCK GARDENING
 P SUCCESS AROUND MOBILE

Mobile County. and gives 1t pre-emi- hence In truck farming. Baldwin County of course, has a similar cli-/ mate, but truck farming is not so we'll developed there as in Mobile County. But 1t Is making phenomenal strides in Baldwin County. Hundreds and Hundreds of people are coming into Baldwin County each year to engage in vegetable raising
 southern Men Pioneers.
 Southern men were the pioneers in truck farming about Mobile. They first discovered its pregnant possibil- tiles and they were first to engage ex- tensively in the industry. They out- number now by far the Northern men who have come to the coast to engage in promising industry.
 Why vegetable raising on a large scale has only been a thing of recent years in this section Is hard to under stand. In ante-bellum days the gar- dens about the picturesque old South ern homes were most fruitful and pro- ductive. And the small farmer who raised Q few vegetables for the Mobile market found 1t most remunerative. But 1t was but little thought of 1t as an industry until recent years. The wealthy farmer or planter had his plantation up the river although he
 
 The lands lying about the city of Mo- bile were lightly thought of. Only e part of them were titled and hundreds of acres from which fortunes are be- ing taken in the aggregate were al- lowed to remain in grass and woods. But, all this is changed now. The upstate man hardly realizes tho pro- portions the industry assumes until he Is brought face to face with some of the figures that pertain to 1t. Take for instance the figures of the Mobile and Ohio, which relate to the movement of vegetables. This road alone, during the past season hauled i,242 car loads of farm products. These are impressive figures. If the figures Of the business done by the other roads leading out of Mobile were at hand as they. are not perhaps a showing equal- ly as good might be made by other lines from Mobile.
 There arc other figures that send home the big importance of truck farm ing in and around Mobile. There is for instance, the conservative estimate placed upon the value of the vege- table crops about Mobile. At the mimi- nun cost it is figured that this crop is worth $500.o00. The principle part of this amount is made up of the value of the cabbage, potatoes and beans. Other vegetables are raised and both sold in Mobile, and shipped, but the principal shipments are in these three vegetables. Vegetables Shipping Season. The main shipping season is between the first part of April and the latter part of June. The vegetables sent out from Mobile go to St. Louis, Chicago, Burlington, Minneapolis, Louisville, Cincinnati. Indianapolis and Columbus. Paducah. Detroit. Sioux Falls and Des Moines,. Some cabbage are shipped out of Mobile as late as December.
 In some instances the Mobile County produce raisers sell direct to the mer- chants in these cities or they dispose of their produce through commission men in Mobile and other cities. Mobile Is itself large consumer of vegeta- bles. It Is fortunately situated. Fresh and inviting vegetables can be bought cheaper. in greater quantities and in more months of the year there than perhaps in any other Southern State.
 The railroad officials are doing every thing in their power to encourage and build up the industry in Mobile and other South Alabama counties The unprecedented increase in the amount of shipments to the north has meant much for the railroads and with their customary foresight the officials ara
 
 business.
 Now. word or two as to their in- crease in truck farming in the country about Mobile. The figures from the books of the railroads show that the vegetable shipments during the sea- son of 1904 was twice as large as the shipments during the preceding year.
 The railroads are, in accordance with their fostering policy, sending out ad- vertising matter. distributing informa- ton among the truck raisers who may be new to the business and endeavoring to secure migrants to engage in the industry.
 Bringing in CoIonists.
 In the past few months several hundred colonists have been brought to the Southern part of the State to engage in vegetable and fruit grow ing. The most of these colonists have been carried across the bay to Bald win, County where land can be had more cheaply than in Mobile County and where there is not so much com petitition and more room for develop ment. A new line Is now in the pro- cess of grading from Bay Minette through Baldwin County along the east side of the bay. The possibilities of vegetable raising had much to do in inducing the promoters and builders of the road to undertake this develop ment. The soil in Baldwin County is similar to that of Mobile County and 1t gives great promise to the trucking industry.
 In the meanwhile Mobile does not have to look to the future. The indus