Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-01
Bull DING UP ALABAMA
Effect of the Increase of Truck
Farming.
FRUITS SENT N ORTIZ
STATE AUTHORITIES INDIFFER-
EMIT TO FOREIGN IMMIGRATION.
Credit Due to the Railway Officials
Beneficial Results of the Good
Roads Movement.
FRUITS SENT NORTH
BY WIN. e. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
the Chicago Record Herald

farmers mostly northern men. for truck
gardening because that has proved to be a
most profitable occupation in the south
more profitable and more certain than rails
ing cotton. although the latter is much less
trouble and can be done by negroes. The
southern farmer does not take kindly to
truck gardening, and the negro is not quail
fled for it. But northerners and foreigners.
particularly Germans and Italians, do re-
markedly we'll About 1900 people have
been brought into southern Alabama by
the Louisville and Nashville alone during
the last two years. The Southern Railway
Company. which also operates the Mobile
and Ohio. has brought quite as many. and
there are now in this city and vicinity quite
a number of homeseekers. looking for loca-
tons TO start truck farms. The state IS
doing nothing to attract immigrants; it
leaves II all TO the railroads.
About 90 per cent of the newcomers are
American born, the remainder fore gn
born, with about 200 families from foreign
countries direct.
Indifferent to immigration.
There has been some talk of establishing
state agencies at the immigrant station at
Ellis Island n. Y, to divert the army of
foreigners that is now coming into this
country from the cities to the southern
states, where they are needed so badly
Commissioner Sargent of the immigration
bureau at Washington has been urging
such an arrangement. but the Alabama au-
thoritcs do not seem to take any interest
in Il, and are indifferent about advertising
the attractions and resources of their state,
of which the arriving foreigners have no
knowledge. 1t would be easy to attract
thousands of industrious Italians, Poles,
Hungarians and others down this way ana
settle them on farms, where they would
make useful citizens and contribute to the
development of the country, instead of ac-
Cumuldttng in the SlumS of our large cites,
where they are always dangerous eie-
ment. The demand for labor on the farms
of the south, and particularly in the truck
districts is great and growing greater
every month as the development extends.
Few negroes will stay on truck farms; thay
are not accustomed to give such careful at
tCntion to their work as is necessary. They
can pillow and hoe pick cotton and chop
wood. but few of them can do anything
about a garden. while the Europeans are
especially adapted to it and are accus-
toned to intensified farming.
The large majority of the Americans come
from the northwest. Nearly every state in
the Union is represented by them They can
buy lsAd all the way from $50 to SO an
acre. according to improvements. location
and other considerations by making
small cash payment and giving their notes,
secured ~ mortgages. for one, two, three
or more years. They raise all kinds of
fruits, berries and vegetables: peaches are
particularly profitable, and large orchards
are being planted every year. Strawberries
are even more profitable, and early vegeta-
bles. like radishes. lettuce tomatoes and
potatoes beets and other plants pay well.
Some of the newcomers are going in for
live stock. which must be "immuned"-that
Is, cattle brought from the north must be
nOculated for the tick fever. When full
grown the imported animal is crossed with
the native, which produces superior
grade. so that a twelvemonth yeariing
calf will weigh as much as a ten-year-old
native COW. From this crossing the cattle
growers expect TO breed beef for the north
ern and eastern markets.
The Trade in Fruit.
Ninety-fve per cent of the fruit and veg
etables are shipped to points north and east
OF the Ohio river-as far east as Boston
and as far west as Minneapolis. Live stock
is not yet a factor in trade. Small growers
form themselves into associations and ap-
point manager from their own number,
who receives all of their output and ships
1t In one name in order to obtain car load
rates and refrigeration. Otherwise each
farmer would have to pay express rates
without refrigeration, which would force
them to sell In the first available market
The railroad companies have refrigerator
cars manufactured expressly for the pur-
pose. which, during the season, are drop
ped on side tracks IN the morning, loaded
during the day by the farmers, and picked
up at night by northbound trains which
run on regular SCneuuleS ana make dlHlOSt
as good time as passenger trains.
The fruit is consigned TO commission
houses in Louisville Cincinnati, st. Louis,
Chicago, New York and other cities, which
sell 1t at the ruling prices and give re-
port in detail as to what was realized upon
each estate in the consignment. This re-
port is sent to the local manager, who set
ties with the individual shippers on that
basis. Peaches bring as high as 81 per
crate in the early part Of the season, but
prices go downward when northern fruit be-
gins to come into the market. The same
IS true Of all fruits berries and vegetables.
Last season peach growers throughout this
section realized an average of $1.41 per
crate. and strawberry growers $3.50 per
crate, which, l am told, are very good
prices
Last season was the second of any large
shipments of fruit or vegetables from this
section, but the business has been so profit
able that the area planted has increased
rapidly and this year there will be a very
much larger movement than ever before.
There are now between 1900 and 10000
acres in southern Alabama planted in ber-
ries and fruits. and it will require at least
n thousand cars to carry the crops to mar
ket 1t requires three four years for a
peach tree TO bear fruit. About 100000
trees are being planted annually, in this
section. The berries are picked by both
colored and white children-mostly girls be-
tween the ages of ten and twenty Colored
men and women can PICK peaches. but IL
usually requires a white man or woman
TO do the asserting and packing.
Two Crops a Year.
The truck growers usually grow two
crops a year, which can be done without
difficulty year after year, and the labor is
much less severe than would be required for
the same crops IN the north, because the
weather Is milder and the season Is so
much longer. great deal of work can be
done in the winter time, although February
IS the usual planting season. In the north
ern states a farmer cannot touch his land
from November to April. but down here
there Is seldom cold enough 10 interfere
with outdoor work.
The past winter. however, was exception
al. II was the worst record for cold
and snow and storms, and, while no per-
manent damage was done, everything has
been set back. Many truck farms had to
be replanted. On others the soil was
so water-soaked thatuit was impossible to
plow until much later than usual; hence
the crops will be delayed two or three
weeks beyond the regular date. They tell
us here that we ought to be eating native
strawberries today. but none have ripened.
Absenteeism is one OF the drawbacks to
Alabama prosperity. 1t is not felt so much
among the truck farmers as it Is among