The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-10-31
RAISING CHINESE VEGETABLES.
9
Quong Now Has Unique Farm in
Hartford

&oOnSs haS
| Hartford
Hon toy, gui lung and lot ju are be-
ing raised up In Hartford, Conn. No,
they are not new brands Of trouble
and many delicacies dear to the hearts
and palates of the celestials are there
cared for by Quong Now and his Amer
lean wife. The place covers about two
acres AID every corner is ablaze with
bright flowers. the blossoms being sand
WICKED in between rows OF hon toy,
gui lung, lot ju and other vegetables of
curious name and appearance.
In China, says the Hartford Courant
| 1t will be remembered. the farmers are
the aristocrats of the land, so the
Quong Now, far from regretting his
change of occupation, feels very much
elevated In his position.
Quong took great pleasure in showing
visitor about his place and he ex-
planned the uses of the different vege-
| tables with great care. The word TOY"
in Chinese means green's OF any, kind
| and, in fact, has much the same mean
| ing as our word vegetable" = con-
| siderable space near the house is taken
up with gui toy, which has a yellow
blossom and a leaf about the color OF
the cabbage. The plant Is used to fry
with meat and also as kind of gar
nish. One large bed is filled with gui
hung, which is practically the same as
our spinach. Wok toy is green which
is used earlier in the spring, but which
is now being allowed to grow to the
height of three or four feet for the
seed, which will soon ripen. The bios
som is white and the leaves are of a
peculiar shade of green and have dis
tinct taste of mustard.
Quong pointed with pride to row Of
squash vines, which were trained after
the manner Of pea vines upon bushes
stuck into the ground. The fruit has
just begun to form and Quong says that
before frost comes there will be an
abundance of squashes about the size of
oranges.
lit lIQll, lOL Ju, W lIn tue OuiItSe
cooks seem to use in nearly all their
dishes, is represented among the pro-
ducts of the truck farm. In spite of its
somewhat formidable name lot ju Is
nothing but an ordinary green pepper,
| In the Chinese restaurants il is boiled.
baked. broiled and fried, usually the
latter and no meal is complete without
| il. served in several forms. Several
Strengthening shrubs bearing spikes
of red flowers, are being raised for
| their seeds, and numerous beds Of choo-
ing taw, or onions are to be seen.
While Quong takes great delight and
pride in his farming, he has a flock
Of over 100 hens of all shapes and sizes
and also sixty ducks. Looking medi-
tatively at ''gai," that is, a chicken,
yesterday. Quong said to a newspaper
man: write bout beautiful flowers
and fine living l make, but nothing
bout chicks" Now the flock of chick
| ems was one which would make the
heart of any householder beat with
| pride and so Quong's Discrimination to
have mention made of it brought forth
many questions, which resulted In the
| Information that he was member of
the Pennington Avenue Congregational
church and that he was afraid that the
minister wouldn't like it If it was made
| public that he kept chickens, which had
to be fed on Sunday. The chickens
seemed TO be burden on Quong's mind
and yet are a source Of pride and in
come as we'll, for many a fat "gai" goes
to appease the appetite Of Quong's fell
low countrymen.
Quong, who is in the early forties,
came to this country twenty years ago
and has lived in Hartford for the last
fourteen years. Although he now owns
no part of the store in State street, he
still works there part Of the time, so
that between the store and the farm he
is very busy man.
Besides supplying the Chinese restau-
rants and two Chinese stores with vege-
tables, Quong sells considerable produce
| TO individual Cinnamon about the city
His is the only place in this part Of the
State where Celestials can get fresh
vegetables like those of their native
land, except for a small truck garden
| in Bristol.
When Quong was asked yesterday to
step out In front of the arbor and have
his picture taken he had just come
from working in the garden, and looked
every inch an oriental He was wear
Ing a broad-brimed hat and straw san
dals. and was carrying a large mating
covered box. Before he would stand be-
fore the camera, however, he insisted
upon going into the house and DOMINIC