Norwich bulletin., 1912-07-20

Written Specially for The Bulletin)
 An occasional reader of these Talks sends me a page. torn from Farm ana Preside, giving a detailed account ol ''The Long Island Home Hamper,
 This is a plan, in practice for about siy years in one Long Island market garden, to bring the producer Of gar den sass" and the consumer ot the same into ctose touch. Lts ldea IS to send fresh vegetables dlrect rom the garden of the grower to the kltch- on of tbe eater. without any interven- tion and with no added charge except that of transportation.
 Every intelligent purveyor to family knows that, where this can be done. it secures him fresh vegetables instead of stale "keptovers' and at reduced cost Every truck-grower whether intelligent or not knows that he can't get back the cost of raising vegetables with any living profit un- less he can deal directly with the consumer.
 We all know that it is the service and inc profit of the middlemen which causes most of the present high prices. We've talked that over, lots of times Wherever the producer can Rel1 direct to the consumer he can af- ford to cut the middlemen's eXactions sQuarely in two keep half Of them himself give half of them to the buy CT: make a decent profit himself and save the consumer good many dol lars while doing it. The only ques- tion is how to effect this desirable end in practice.
 The Long Island Home Hamper is one method adopted in one locality. It might very likely work in some others. Anyway it's an interesting thing to see how one set of market Eardners have met their problem,- and solved it.
 Their "hamper" consists of nest inc crate" holding six four-quart baskets in two tiers It measures ten inches high, fourteen inches wide and two feet long and weighs, when filled, about thirty three pounds. Each basket is lined with a good shade of light green paraffin paper which not only keeps the vegetables in fine con ditiOn,-fresh, crisp, unwilted,-but al- % makes the package attractive to the eye Those who deal with city house. wives know that looks often count for more with them than either quan- titv or quality, more's the pity!) The price of each hamper remains con stant, the year round.-s1 s1.50,-but the contents vary as the season pro- gresses. The price includes ex- pressage within the limits of the To- cal company. The aim of the truck CTS is to include always six and oft en ten or a dozen varieties of fresh vegetables, in quantity sufficient for four persons, which they find to be the average family.
 In early summer a hamper will in- clude beets, new potatoes, early cab bage, peas lettuce, cucumbers, car rots. and onions.
 In midsummer. tomatoes, caulifow- CT. egg plant, corn. melons, etc., take their first hamper.
 During the winter cellared vege- tables and such green stuff as can be cheaply grown under glass are sub stituted. typical January hamper would consist of potatoes, squash, turnips, cabbage. parsnips, onions, celery, lettuce, parsley, radishes, young beets, etc.
 As various fruits and berries come into bearing they are added to the hampers. The list now includes Strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries. entrants, peaches, plums, pears and quinces.
 The idea started out in very modest and tentative way. The first ex- pertinent was in putting up just three hampers. sending them to three city friends, with a letter in each saying: "lf the hamper is worth S150 we would be glad to have 1t; if not, no harm is done; but please let US know in what condition the vegetables reach you" Each recipient promptly re- turned the dollar and a half and an order for more. One wrote: They were almost too beautiful to eat; we didn't know such food could be had" Now these gardeners are sending out about seventy hampers a week, with out any attempt to work up" a trade. The trade has worked itself up. They snip twice week. Some customers take a hamper every third shipment: