The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-01-19
A MAURY FARMER
ON TRUCK GROWING
At THE INSTITUTE
THE ADVANTAGES, ADAPTABLE
TY AND POSSIBLE RESULTS
ARE DISCUSSED.
TRUCK FARMING AS A BUSINESS

The following address delivered at
the Middle Tennessee Farmers Insti,
tute in December by ]. N. Meroney, is
we'll worth reading by all people in
terested in truck growing in Ten
nessee:
my subject today is Truck Grow
ing in Middle Tennessee. will first
call your attention to the natural ad-
vantages of our section for this kind
of farming-its adaptability to this
special line of work. We have here all
varieties of soil, from the heavy, deep
alluvial soils of cur river bottoms to
the light freestone soil of the high
land rim and the mountain plateau.
Soil can be selected suitable for any
vegetable, fruits or berries that can
be grown in the temprat zone. Our
climate is mild, allowing out door
work nearly the whole year, with long
growing seasons, early springs and
late falls, enabling us to grow two
crops year Of many vegetables.
We are favorably situated, midway
between the large cities of the north
and south Of us, with direct and quick
ro;lrood ,ncportot;op IN Tho cplop
did markets those cities furnish.
What crop shall we grow? Potatoes,
tomatoes and cantaloupes have been
our best shipping crops, but we can
profitably grow early apples, Keifer
pears, strawberries, raspberries, wa
termelons, onions, celery, asparagus
and early green beans for shipment,
and many other vegetables to sell in
our home city and town markets. And
for our home gardens we can put out
early tomatoes, potatoes, early apples
and strawberries in the markets OF
the large northern cities some weeks
before their home products are avail
able and when the prices are best
We have some soils that will grow as
fine cantaloupes as the famous Rocky
ford region of Colorado, and we can
put them on sale in the northern cit
les two weeks before the northern
crop. We can grow as fine strawher-
ries as any in the world Our early
apples are always eagerly taken in
the northern cities. OF course these
crops for distant shipments must be
grown in communities so as to get
cheapest car load freight rates.
Let US notice some of the advan-
tages of the business of truck grow
ing over general farming in a com
Less land is needed for cul-
so that more acres can be
sown to grass and clover and rested
up and imp owed. More labor is re
CURED; more fertilizers are needed;
better and more thorough cultivation
is needed AS the favorable results
of manure are noticed, more extra
care will be taken in saving and US
ing it, thus building up and sustain
ing farm fertility and encouraging
more intelligent cultivation. In gen
eral farming, as wheat, corn and cot
ton, it is almost impossible to i'm
prove or even sustain the fertility of
the farm. While truck growing is
sure to make the land more produc
tive, less of the natural fertility is
sold off and more of the fertilizing
elements are yearly added. Natures
law of rotation has to be more close
y studied AND followed because of tie
Increase of insect pests and fungus
diseases peculiar to the many differ
ent crops. Grain and cotton growing
bring in the farmer cash returns cnce
a year, so that many farmers nave
to buy their farm implements and
family supplies on credit, while the
truck grower, getting his money often
is able to buy his supplies much
cheaper for cash. A truck-growing
requires smaller farms;
this increases the population in a
and gives more pleasant
social surroundings, builds up better
schools. better churches and better
county roads. Truck growing bene-
its all other business enterprises be-
cause 1t produces more per acre, and
hose products when sold in distant
bring foreign money into
home circulation. 1t does not re-
luire such heavy expenditure for land
so that men of moderate
means may become home owners and
make better and more contented and
Useful citizens.