Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1922-02-24
OBTAINING AND HOLDING THE HOME MARKET.
written Specially for The Bulletin }

written Specially for The Bulletin)
Let's sippse a s'posin," as Uncle Ike
used 10 say, sometimes. when. he was
afraid a straight-out statement would
seem little raw to his cronies.
Let's suppose that an unscalafole, IN
tunnel-Ssole, ursbreakable wall were erect
ed around New London county, a wall
nobody could get over or through, either
20 come in or go out.
The afr would still blow over the tcio
~ It, 50 we shouldn't smother for lack of
breath. The rains would stiu fall, the
springs still gush forth, the rivers still
run, 50 We shouldn't die of thirst.
But what would we eat, after the sur
Plus stocks in ? few stores and warehous-
Is had been exhausted?
Prod. Estenss "Independene Fertility
FIELD is way Up at Storrs,
far outside the supposed wall.
Besides, there are only three or
four acres Of it, all told, and. even at his
estimate of its being able to feed eight
persons 10 the acre, it wouldn't go far
toward filing up Norwich and New Lon
con and other cities and boroug1ls.
In that case, the soil of the county would
have to feed the PEOPLE of the county
wouldn't it?
think the facts and figures cited last
week are ample proof that, so far as the
sod itself is concerned, there needn't be
my worry about its capacity to do that
much and do It twice or three times over.
T can. however, add to them one bit of con-
frynztion, such as It is, from my own ex-
perience as a truck-grower
while was active in that field, used
70 keep rather careful account with
various crops and various expenses and re-
sultant income 1 could tell pretty close
ly what 1t cost me to raise a thousand
cabbaxes or a thousand ears of sweet
corn or hundred bushel Of green peas
or hundred punches of asparagus I'm
fortunately for my present PURPOSES, /
DIDN'T keep as close tab on production per
acre. You see, I wanted to know which
crops, If any, paid a profit over and
above their cost and which made a loss
sailing for less than their cost. That
was business" The other would have
been Just curiosity. And I thought
didn't have time to indulge in that
Only in two or three sporadic cases did
work out anything definite about the
amount and value of garden-trrlck
could produce, per acre. One Of these
cases Is still fairly fresh in my memory
That year 1 put on a certain patch, a.
early in the spring as the soil could b.
worked, lettuce. spinach, onion-sets, ant
beets, sowing them all in rows five fee
Epart. A little later, when the dirt hat
got warmer, J sowed green peas midway
between the rows of lettuce, spinach ant
onions. Still later, about mid-May,
planted mus1melons in hills between tn,
rows OF beets- When the lettuce, spin
Rch and onions were taken off and sold
which would have been before the end o
June, caulihower and cabbage were Sc
In their places When the green peas wer
cleaned UP, about the middle of July, cele
~ was set in the rows they vacated. TIL
beetS Ff1lled when small and sold by tn
bunch only, were mostly out of the wa,
about the same time, and that side of tn
paoch given up to the spreading melol
vines.
Vow let me say, right here, that do no
rshezrss that list Of Succession" crop
Is q model wasn't trying to set a pac
or make z record, or do anything else ex
eek satisfy the demands of my customers
20 FAR as could in a way most practicabl
and profitable to myself 1 wasn't out to Sc
what could do or what my soil would dc
was chasing the nimble dollar Jus
that and nothing more I hold no brie
% defend my tolan or its order As I loo
over 1t now, sseems to me I could hay
worked out better one. I am sure wise
and mora eN1erienced truck raisers cout
improve on it IN many respects.
But
The crops I have mentioned brought m
IN gross returns at the rate Of somewha
over 81 200 an acre.
That Is, the acre would have given eac
7ne Of eight individuals $3.50 wort
= lettuce, spinach, bunch onions, bunc
seets, green peas. cabbages, caulihower
nuslmelons and celery.
Needless to say. I never had any Gus
TONER'S who gorged at any such rate
Also, WI admit that the ration wculdn
-a;ve been a complete one. But that WASH
he only acre/n the gardens. There wer
others devoted to potatoes and corn an
beans and the forty-leven kinds of vegt
taioles which the markets call for.
hadn't the advantage of Prof. Esten
discoveries and demonstrations. bt
went it blind" in the matter of fertilizs
ton, mostly. I have read, and SO doub
less have yuus Of highly successful trucl
growers in specially favored localities VII
have secured very much greater return
than did. But l can quote my own e,
perience with confidence. Anyone, an,
where VINO does as much--or even half
nuch-has solved, so far as his resleons
blllty is concerned, the question of no
local supply can meet local demand II
known then what L know now OF Il
wonderful gateWays opened before Il
producing farmer by Estens New Ayr
culture. might have done what some
you younger farmers can do, right now.
The longer one studies tho reactions
his soil and the broader ia his experience
Is mysterious capacities, the fuller becom
MS appreciation of natures fecundity. I
. forced TO agree with Dr. Twitchell tn
the sky is the limit for farm i9rotsEctio
y only we win work with nature al
not against her. Certainly" says [
rwitcaell, there is no limit to produ
don on any acre save the limit of t
man"
There is NO doubt that New Lond'