Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-28
PROFIT IN TRUCKING
Sandy Loan Along the Gulf
Adapted for Vegetables.
BIG PROFITS IN RADISHES
Lettuce, Pecan Nuts, Oranges and
Figs Pay Well.
INCREASE IN LAND VALUES
Wasted Opportunities Discovered by
Richard Inglis of Youngstown,
Ohio, Five Years Ago.
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.


Special Correspondence of The star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
LONG BEACH. Miss, March &c, 1909.
In numerous Sunday supplements and
agricultural magazines / have seen no
tees of THE Radish King" who is said
to live and reign in these parts. 1t is
distinction to be a king anywhere
and there are all kinds of monarchs
but a radish king has certain attrac-
tions which other sovereigns lack. He
produces something and contributes to
the public pleasure. The good people
of whom 1 made inquiry were a little
doubtful as to the identity of this par
ticular monarch. although everybody was
willing to admit that he is here. 1t is
the custom not to deny anything that
may be to the credit of the town or
county Some "reckoned" that 1 referred
to Richard Inglis. others were confident
that Joe Smith was the man, for both
of them are raising right smart of
radiSheS." Finally it was decided to
run the radish monarch down. and young
Mr.. Jones of Buffalo. son of the railway
magnate and lumber king at Gulfport.
brought me here in his automobile to
make a personal investigation.
Long Beach. like all the places on the
gulf coast. has been settled for many
generations. and is a little village three
and one-half miles west of Gulfport.
The land was formerly covered by two
ancient Spanish grants given by the gov
eminent to widow named Ladnier, and
her son Claude Ladnier. each OF whom
had a mile or more running along the
beach and tract which stretched back
into the interior as far as they cared
to go, because land was cheap in those
days and little account was taken of
measurements. The Ladnier family
lived here quietly for century or more.
and gradually were surrounded by a
community Of their own kind. who had
very little to do. which was fortunate.
because of their Incidence and lack of
ambition. and Lived on hope and null
let" as the local wiseacres say.
Long before the war people from New
Orleans discovered the advantages Of
Long Beach for sea bathing, several
large boarding houses were built. and
summer visitors came here in small
numbers because they could get maxi
mum of enjoyment for a minimum price.
brothers of the st. Vincent de Paul edu-
cational order came down. from ST. Louis
and established resthouse, where they
could spend their vacation. 1t proved
to be a most delightful and beneficial
place for them, and they built fine.
large church. one of the best on the
coast, which is now in charge of Father
O'Connell of Omaha. The resthouse is
leased for the winter to a boarding house
keeper.
Five years ago man named Richard
Inglis from Youngstown, Ohio, came
down here with an excursion. He look
ed around and perceived the wasted OPP
portunities which appealed to his practi-
cal mind. and paid So an acre for twenty
acres of land, a sandy loan, which his
experience in dealing with soil taught
since purchased 200 acres more adjoining
his original location. but had to pay $50
an acre as penalty for demonstrating
to the native "gee-gees'' what can be ac-
complished by applying earnest labor and
intelligence.
Inglis was the pioneer in the garden
truck business, and his success brought
a small colony of Youngstown farmers to
this place. The next conner was Joseph
Smith from that city. He had two sons
working as civil engineers on the Gulf
Ship Island railroad and came down
three years ago this winter to see the
boys. He stopped with Ingis. and caught
the truck garden fever. He bought TWEEN
t. acres of land for $50 an acre. and
went back home to pack up things for
permanent removal He has since bought
about $50 acres of additional land, and is
now the largest truck gardener in this
part of the country. He was followed by
Joseph Taylor and several other Youngs-
town people, and w. +. Giffords and f..
III. Adams of Toledo.
This little colony, who are neighbOrs,
will ship 80 cars of radishes. lettuce,
onions. cabbage, beets. carrots. potatoes
and cantaloupes to Cleveland and Pitts
burg this winter. They are shipping and
selling together. through commission men
at those points. They began shipments
in November and will continue to send
middle of May, when the cantaloupe sea-
son will begin. 1t takes three days for
car TO reach Cleveland or Pittsburg
and each car holds from 100 to 100 barrels
of fresh vegeta bles.
Profits Of Gardening.
Radishes and lettuce constitute three
fourths of the shipment. and are the
most profitable crops. Mr.. Smith tells
me that he will make $500 from his
radishes this year and 5000 from his
lettuce. There is more money in radishes
than in anything else. because they ma
rure from twenty TO fifty days after
planting. according to the weather and
the amount of fertilizer used, and four
crops can be raised on the same ground
during the winter. Mr.. Smith and MIR.
Inglis have raised SIS high as 100 barrels
of radshes to the acre, counting 600
punches of five radishes each 10 the
barrel.
They have made as high as 500 an acre
an acre from early potatoes, $3.50 to $500
from asparagus. and corresponding
amount for early tomatoes and other
vegetables all of which are raised in the
open air. They begin to plant in Oc-
tober, and get their first crop In the
after part of November or the first of
December Work continues until the mid
die OF May. when they give the faithful
soil a vacation and go north and spend
the summer at their former homes in
Ohio. They have planted fruit and ber-
ries. which are doing well but haven't
yet begun to bear.
All this region was formerly covered
with yellow pine forest, which has been
sawmills are moving slowly backward
into the interior of Mississippi follow
ing the trail of their own devastation.
but are still cutting millions of feet a
day which are shipped from Gulfport TO
foreign markets. Hundreds of thousands
of acres OF stumpage land remain. with
"A sol of sandy loan, admirably adapted
TO vegetables, which can be purchased
according to location all the way from
So to 500 acre. The Youngs-
town colony has caused the price
Of farm land to advance very rap
| idly, although few of the native owners
are willing to cultivate it. Mr. Smith
might have bought a tract of land oppo-
site his farm for Sc an acre three years
ago. but the man WHO owns 1t wants
SO an acre for 1t now. There are no
| improvements. and the land is exactly
what ii was when Mr.. Smith came here
except that he has shown the owner
what it is good for, and the latter has
put up his price.
Advance in Land Values