The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-03
MOBILES CLAIM AS SOUTRS
 BEST TRUCK FARMING POINT
Carloads of Garden Products. Raised Along Bay Front. Leave the Gulf City for Out
 side Waiting Markets.

hHeo to MoDlie county. Baldwin Coun- | ty. which has done so well with the. Tor that County, new industry, has not yet taken up the growing of caobages. had an interesting talk with $. Mertz. member of leading produce | firm of the city, and who has seen the
 Industry grow from an inconsequen- tial importance to one of the big
 things of the section. MT. Hertz has
 been in the produce business very
 nearly twenty-five years. In that time ne Is convinced the business has. to put 1t at the most conservative estimate, | increased at least ten fold.
 The splendid climate, with it's suf- ncfency of warmth and moisture, Is perhaps more than any other one thing responsible for the notable increase as well for the importance that the in- dustry Is assuming in the affairs of Mopiles business. Here about Mobile spring earliest comes and summer
 longest fingers Tn land is laved by
 the warm waters of the bay and of the
 gulf and from the South the warm
 breezes blow alike in the heated sum-
 mer terms and in the winter the cold
 from the north is tempered there where
 the cold wave encounters the gulf
 zephyrs. The days on which the ther-
 mometer drops to the freezing point in
 the winter are rare enough to be nota-
 oAS' 3SfOh tHo WlnteT there IS
 prenial vegation along the bay front,
 sign that soil and climate are con-
 genial and helpful to all green things
 This marked advantage which the climate in itself gives to Mobile as a trucking point, enables the city to skim the cream of the market in the cities of the North and Middle West Some vegetables are sent out In the early days of the spring from Florida n nd .k YAE .x.-l Frf haps the first in the market, but their shipment is not extensive nor long con- tinued. The first large amount of vegetables from any single point is per- haps sent out from Mobile.
 The city's trucking industry Is great ly favored by the railroads. Its fine railroad facilities have largely con- tributed to the success of the industry, giving the market gardeners ample
 facilities for early shipment in any way
 that they may desire to send them out
 This industry is, also. one that the railroads have taken under their fostering care. They have assisted it
 in every possible way, acting under the policy that the success of the busi- ness would more than any other farm-
 ing operation increase the freight busi- ness. The wisdom of the policy has been definitely established, as may be oCCh LAOHu SiO SLdlCIHCnL lndL LWenLy- five cars of produce are being shipped out each day. The Mobile and Ohio and the Louisville and Nashville ap- pear to vie with each other in render ing assistance to the increase of the industry. Both roads are continually looking for immigrants to bring into the truck farming belt and they have established g. number of colonies large and small.
 An fnlt dimensions has been established at Thedore, a colony whose members by heredity and past experience are ex- pected to make successful truck farm ers
 Railroads Help.
 The sixteen produce merchants of Mobile, moreover, do a considerable im- port business. A vessel from Havana steams into the harbor every Sunday
 moring, loaded down with vegetables Since the American invasion of Cuba
 the business has assumed great propor- tions on the island. These weekly vessels bring in most of all. pineapples, okra, tomatoes, egg plants, potatoes and onions. These Cuban imports signify most in the early spring sea- son, inasmuch as they get into Mobile, coming as they do in the early days of spring.
 hO SuOdH lHlpOL IS arc SHlppcQ uHuSE
 the direction and ownership of Mills
 Brothers of Chicago. In Mobile they
 are handled by Mertz Iberg and Com
 pany, one of the largest produce firms in the city. The Mobile firm takes from the consignment whatever is needed for it's trade in the city and in its ter
 ritory and ships the remainder to
 Chicago, where 1t is sold and distribu-
 ted.
 Tn oIl t~Ia
 quantities of pineapples and tomatoes
 as well as other vegetables are sent
 to the Gulf City from Florida points.
 The majority of these Florida ship
 ments, as well perhaps as a majority
 of the Mobile grown vegetables are
 handled by the United Produce Com
 pany, a company which includes not
 only its own business, but the business
 of Mertz, Ibach and Company and of
 the Comstock Parnel Produce Com pany.
 The trucking business has shown a
 wonderful increase, since I entered 1t twenty-five years ago." said S. Mertz, of the firm of Hertz, Ibach and Com pany. At that time it was small and cut no figure in the total of the city's business. Today I dare say that it brings in more money to Mobile than does the city's cotton business. SHouiu ody lHdl III Ino LlLilS nave DeCn connected with this business 1t has been increased at least ten fold"
 The climate about the city Is espe- cially adapted to 1t. It has the proper amount of heat and the proper amount of dampness. doubt If a better climate could be found anywhere. We have here good soil, a very good soil for market gardening. It is a sandy clay soil and the men who are in the market garden business are doing well.
 Unlike Baldwin County and other places in the State, Mobiles truck farmers are native Alabamians. Those about the city are mainly natives of Mobile and took up the business of their own accord, upon the prospects af mak- ing money out of it. It so happened that the pioneers In the business sue ceeded and each year more and more vegetable raisers went to work at 1t to make money. In Baldwin County. which Is rapidly increasing its yearly output of produce the men who are engaged in 1t are nearly all nothern men who have come to South Alabama principal ly because of its splendid climate"
 Both the Mobile and Ohio and the I ri1