Evening star., 1909-06-25
SUPPLYING THE TABLE
Prices of Food in the City
Markets.
FIRST BRANCH TOMATOES
Large Variety of Vegetables to Be
Found Cheap.
AN ABUNDANT FRUIT DISPLAY
Meats Are High, But Not So High as
a Year Ago-Complaints of
the Consumers.

Andrew ]. Boyer, who conducts Truck
garden at Bell View, short distance
beyond Congress Heights, enjoys the
distinction of being the first trucker IN
this section to bring Branch tomatoes to
market this season.
But that is nothing new for him., re-
marked one of his near neighbors, for
he is seldom found behind any of the
truckers in making his appearance with
early vegetables Last year he did the
same thing
Mr. Boyer found ready sale for the
first bushel he gathered this week, and
received So for them. He says that with
care it's an easy thing TO have early
vegetables. Why SO many OF the truck
ers are late with their crops he cannot
understand. 1t is the early vegetables
that pay, and he always makes an
effort to have them in market before
they are sold at less than the cost of
the price of raising them.
Consumers who have been using toma-
toes from the south during the past
three months do not mind the cost OF
the article that is grown in this section
In d few days, however, tomatoes Will
be much cheaper, and Will then be sold
by measure, instead of by the pound.
String beans and peas are also being
gathered for market by local growers, and
prices are considered reasonable for this
season of the year, although a further
decrease is expected before the middle OF
next week. Beans are quoted at ~ cents
a peck and peas at ~ cents.
Cabbages Almost Given Away.
"Cabbases are almost given away re-
marked dealer to a Star reporter
when they are selling at from 80 to 60
cents a barrel you might know the retail
price is cheap, and consumers are in
position to have all they want of it.
And" he added. its a good thing
sonnet hing is cheap. Cabba geS are 50
cheap that they are in demand. their use
largely decreasing the quantity of meat
consumed.
Vegetables of almost every variety are
to be found in the local markets this
week, and prices charged for most of
them are considered cheap. Ear corn
from the south is bringing from 40 to 60
cents Dozen and is in demand; beets
peck; other vegetables are correspond
ingly reasonable. Dealers are getting
celery from Bermuda. and are selling it
at frcm II to 20 cents Egg plant is in
demand al from 10 to 20 cents. and spring
onions. radishes and lettuce are plentiful
and cheap.
Abundance of Fruit.
Fruits are being received In great guam
titles, and there is SO great a selection of
them that dealers able to make at
tractive displays on their benches. There
are waternelons. canta1oupes. apples,
peaches, apricots. berries of all kinds,
cherries, pineapples bananas and oranges
Melons fine as We're ever offered
! in the local markets, and are selling at
| from 40 to IS cents, while cantaloupes
| are selling at from ) to ID cents each
1 loo. y,aIlx
year.
The strawberry season is fast drawing
| to q close, the berries being received now
/ being of inferior quality and bringing
| brought few days ago. Blackberries
/ are getting more plentiful as the season
| advances and are selling at 10 cents
quart, while raspberries are bringing 90