Lower coast gazette., 1913-02-01
nun lower COAST GAZETTE. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY |, 1912.

parish horticultural products, or else our pro-
ducts are too fugitive in their quality and so en-
tirely unlike bananas in that respect that we
cannot hope to secure equally successful dis
tribution of them among the actual consumers.
The fact that SO much Of our horticultural
production has been Improbable for several
wears leads tc the frequent accusation OF the
western consignees Of swindling the c%onsignors.
This may or may not be true, and certainly is
not true in all cases. Within our own exper-
fence we have shipped oranges that were worth
several dollars a barrel in New Orleans, send
ing them by steamboat or railroad to Cincinnati
where their proceeds scarcely covered freight
charges. All this has become rather an old
story and it would seem that if our truck grow
ers would get together and discuss these mat
tiers openly with each other that a certain de-
gree Of improvement in methods Of shipping
and selling might be brought about that will
give more satisfaction than the present unset
tied state of things. Il enough of our truck
growers could get together for concerted action
they might send one of their own number TO
Chicago for instance, and there have him take
charge of the distribution of all the truck gar
den products, the shippers all accepting the
final results, whether good or bad, and it dis
content arose they could then change their
Chicago agent.
1t is frequently said among our truck grow
ers that they ought to force western buyers to
o here to New Orleans and to Plaquemines
Parish and to the other truck garden parishes
and buy directly from the growers. Those who
utter these conclusions ought to know that we
are not the only persons who are shipping truck
garden products to Chicago and that the various
other Gulf states are doing the same thing and
that disappointment is bound to come to most
of our shippers excepting under unusual condit-
ions of short supply from some OF the other
markets. Of course we may preach over and
over again the old story that there should be a
Investigation Of crops and that all Of our eggs
should not be put in one basket. Those decla-
rations are as true as ever, but our people are
tempted always to throw their efforts into the
production of some article on which they have
done extremely we'll at some particular time,
our people ignoring the fact that high prices
iUl IIIt pIOuuCS are YcIy dpC w NJ lIS Out thl
unusually large supply.
The success Of the banana men led us to an
ticipate equal success in many other directions.
Have we the right to expect satisfactory re-
turns, have good prices for vegetables been re-
allied sufficiently often as to justify us in going
ahead month after month and year after year
in these great industries? If they will average
a profit then it would seem that our producers
should take the chances and do the best they
can, but always endeayor never to have too
many eggs in one basket. We believe it is a
problem Of the hour and if it can be satisfactor-
lily solved it will be worth finally millions Of dol
lars to the parish of Plaquemines, which with
it's exceptionally fine location for the production
of early garden crops has an arealof, land COM
petent to feed nearly the entire Mississippi Val
ley. If our truck gardeners could sorganize so
as to control a considerable quantity of produce
shich g limited tax would sbring gu" more
a:.t";hn+;os the whole industrys..and a .better
ha vapv wise 70 afaeccqQducss, itswould Certainly
as possible. % 0oon