Lower coast gazette., 1909-05-01
SATURDAY MAY l, 1909.
A Gardeners Association,

SATURDAY MAY l, 1905.
\ A Gardeners Association.
The secret Of TIE success of the banana industry from the
tropical gulf ports into New Orleans is based upon the wonderful
facilities now afforded to banana shippers in the way of distribut-
ing the bananas to such markets up the country as may need them
most, or are not overstocked. Ship loads of bananas entering
1 New Orleans are now discharged under sheds and moved across a
few feet and loaded into railway cars as rapidly as discharged, and
these cars are dispatched up the country to certain leading centers,
where orders will be telegraphed for the diversion ofthe cars to
whatever special market it may be desired to send them. A gen.
Grafton ago all Of the coffee coming into the United States from
Brazil, amounting then to some three million bags, was transported
in sailing vessels, carrying from 5000 to 5000 bags of coffee each.
These sailing vessels were generally instructed to call for orders
at St. Thomas, in the Danish West 1ndias. Vessels so calling
would be instructed to proceed to New Orleans, Baltimore, Phna-
delphia, or New York, as the circumstances might indicate. Fifty
carloads of bananas reaching Cairo, Illinois, could readily be d.
verified therefrom to St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha, or to anyone
Of the large up river towns all the way up to St. Paul and Mime
apols or to be sent directly through to Chicago, Cincinnati, Louis
vile or Cleveland, as the demand might indicate.
For many years there has been a Gardners' Association in
New Orleans, and, learning as the gardeners have by bitter ex-
perence, that with any glut Of supplies, their own market went
all to pieces, they have in a manner similar to the banana i'm
porters and the coffee importers, elaborated a system of distribu.
ton very similar to that Of the banana men and even more widely
spread, as New Orleans sends no bananas to New York City as
yet, and still has recently been shipping lettuce by the carload to
that city. This good work done by the Gardeners Association in
dicates what a we'll organized, willing and intelligent body of men
can do when they are disposed to make the effort.
We believe that now is an oppertune time for the gardeners
Of the parish oflPlaquemines to organize an association, perhaps
with one single organization and several branches, one each in the
leading garden centers and, in this way, be able to bring out clear
~ before all of those interested the advantages and disadvantages
of any of the methods or features of the business that may seem
susceptible Of Improvement.
lthas been found for many years that those in any industry
who do their work the best generally find plenty of work to do.
In other words, it our gardeners turn out the best lettuce, the best
cucumbers, the best radishes, the best strawberries, or the best of
any garden product that is available, they will soon build up a de-.
nnand for more than thew c2n firm mt Cnnouuoorc hoconno vorvl
critical and are very appreciative Of good things wherever they
can be found, One difficulty that envrons us in the parish Of
P~laGuepines is the fact that while we have greater advantages in
the way of sunshine, rainfall and semi-tropical weather conditions
generally, still we have but a comparatively narrow strip of avail
able land on each side of the river and our parish extends for
about a hundred miles on each side Of the river throughout this
narrow strip, the river practically dividing the parish into two
somewhat seperate parts, as its great width and depth and it's con.
diton during stormy weather are such as to render it somewhat
difficult to bring close relations between the residents of the two
sides Of the river.
The ninth and tenth wards of our parish constitute quite a
gardening district and are at the same time quite a populous COM
munity and it ought not to be difficult to organize quite an efec-
tive association there. The Jesuits' Bend country is looming up
rapidly as a garden district, the old familiar fields of sugar cane
and rice disappearing under the increasing attractiveness of let
tuce and cucumbers. Jesuis' Bend could furnish the material
for an excellent Gardeners Association. In the second ward we
pride ourselves upon having the most attractive gardening COM
nunity in the parish and it ought to be very possible to organize
an association of gardeners there. Further than this, we have
hopes that with the excellent example set by Sheriff Movers in his
successful gardening ventures, that right at our parish seat there
will devaope a + rapidly increasing business in the production of
garden products.
It goes without saying that it is absolutely essential that the
business must be we'll done to make it profitable and it must be
made profitable, Or our people cannot be induced to 90 into il,
Gardening, apart from it's attractive, scientific side, is very much
= question Of plain, hard work. Those who are intelligent and in
dustrious are the ones that can be depended upon to make garden
Ing a success. Without these two qualities it is practically impos-
sihle. We present these ideas to our readers, hoping that they
will consider them carefully and adopt them if they can see their
way clear to that end. On the West side of the river a monthly
meeting might be held at Home Place, or at Buras, and if a Gar
deners' Association would be started, there would be many people
attracted from the other side of the river to these monthly meet
ings. The experience of one person related at these meetings be-
comes the knowledge and safeguard Of all. Errors made and hon
6stty reported, prevents others from making the same errors, and
good things learned and honestly reported make a way for others
to secure the same good results.
! Associated effort in this way is the very cheapest method Of
securing the best information extant, It was said many years ago
that he who will learn by his own experience only, has a dear
teacher. We cannot afford to make every mistake known to man
1Iind ~ u oic<0E ro Il rrolo - 2Gp ~. j.