The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1910-03-11
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
ON TRUCK FARMING
II. c. Milllgan Writes lnstruetlvely Of
Profits TO Be Cleaned From
Small Farm.

AS tnese warm days bring on
minds back to the fact that the cart
is the source from which we all mus
look for sustinance, and that she /
now getting ready to blossom AM
bring forth fruit for our needs, W,
naturally think In what way we cal
best utilize a portion of It that W;
may be able to own, or secure the us,
OF from some Of our fellows. tha
have more than they can, or care, L
make use Of, themselves, so that W.
may be able to supply our needs fol
the present, and lay up something fol
old age or the proverbal rainy day.
In this mood, our Thoughts instinc
lively turn to the topic that is being
talked of everywhere, truck farming
And why not? About eighty per cent
of us of small means, or moderate
circumstances, and have to depend
on our labor for our income, and not
upon the investment Of our cash, and
this leads us to make some casual
calculations, which we believe might
be Of profit to many people in this
community. We have taken for our
principal calculation, tomatoes, on a
basis Of one acre, and we find the fol-
lowing:
The plants should be set about two
feet apart in the row and the rows
three feet apart, and so planted would
give 1850 plants to the acre. Now
as It does not take very many toma.
toes to weight one pound, and that the
usual can holds two pounds, we be-
lieve that a well tended plant will not
yield less than two pounds or one can
OF good tomatoes in season, while
we positively know that they will Of
ten yield six to eight pounds and even
more.) Now for good tomatoes we
have 10 pay fifteen and twenty cents
per can, retail. Allowing the merchant
his usual forty per cent margin, and
the cost of the cans etc. it will leave
In the nelghboahood OF rs cents per
can, or as follows: 1850 plants to the
acre; one can to the plant, 1850 cans.
1880 cans at rs cents a can is s544.50,
which Is our pay for our work on one
acre OF land. Now we have verified
these figures from other sources than
simply our own knowledge. and we be-
lieye we are not in the least over es
timating the outcome for one acre OF
tomatoes properly taken care of. But
on the other hand the odds are in favor
OF even larger profit. However. toma-
toes are not all that can be grown al
a profit in the way of truck, especial
ly in this favorable climate As po
totoes do we'll here we are told. and
they can be taken off the ground in
time to raise crop of pumpkins or
turnips and we have known pumpkins
to yield 200 an acre at s400 a ton,
the price the eanneries pay Tor them
Then garden beans, peas, and lettuce
are all profitable to raise for the mar
ket
Then one should not forget the on.
ion, which yields at the rate of from
200 TO 500 bushels per acre and even
more where they make a specially of
them, the profit on wi ch any one can
figure for themselves And for the
man that owns his truck farm of from
one to ten acres. he should not neglect
the lucious red strawberry for one acre
OF them we'll taken care OF will pro.
duce enough to support an ordinary
family for one year, and they can eat
short cake at that Also
an assortment Of other fruits such as
raspberries, cherries,
peaches and etc. Then with the Jer.
sey COW, and a flock Of hens who |
could ask for a better or surer in
come, or more independent life
Il has been demonstrated time and |
again that the truck farmer is max
Ing more clear money and doing it
easier off Of five acres of land than
The average farmer is making of Of
30 to 100 acres in the ordinary way
There is a reason, and we predict that
Il the people will convert the land for
two miles each way around Vinita, In.
10 truck farms this spring they will
produce the neat sum of one million
dollars more than the same area has
N any one year for the past ten years.
Would 100000 help the city of Vim.
ia, and her good citizens. II you think
80 why not help produce that million,
md reap the cream OF II for your self.
Yours truly.
II. g. MILLIGAN.