The New York herald., 1922-07-06
RAIN DEMORALIZES !.
VEGETABLE MARKET
Producers Are Forced to Send
Eatables to Market in
Haste.
HIGHER PRICES COMING
Reason Is That Supply Can
not Be Sustained After
a Fortnight.
HIGHER PRICES COMING

It's an improbable vegetable garden
that the rain falls on in these moist
summer days. Produce experts yester-
day declared that June's record rainfall
had pretty nearly demoralized the mar
ket. Many varieties of eatables that
grow In the soil are being hastened to
market instead of being held back for
future sales and the rest of the crops
are fairly water soaked. All OF which
points to two facts with which the
housewife Is concerned, that local gar
den truck will soon be scarce and that
prices will be higher.
At the office Of Commissioner O'Mal-
ley of the Public Markets Department
it was said that wholesalers, who have
been keeping a weather eye on the
future as we'll as the present. admit that
the vegetable situation is due to the
frequency of rains and the unusual pre-
cipitation. They offer this solution that
truck gardeners. who hold back certain
quantities Of their vegetables, sort OF
nurse them along to keep the supply
more or less regular through the season,
have to market them all at once in order
to save them. The rest OF the vegetables
are water soaked. And all this means
that while to-day's prices are extraordI-
narily low fortnight hence they may
be, and probably will be, much higher.
Certain vegetables. like beans. for in
stance, cost more to have picked than
they sell for. A few days ago the
wholesalers told the Commissioner that
beans that brought from 20 to 25 cents
bag, cost cents bag to have picked.
You could get 900 carrots for 81 and cab
bages were 81 a hundred. each cabbage
being Of such huge size that man
couldn't hold two in his arms.
Autumn spinach, which should still be
in the garden. had to be picked. 1t has
caught up with the spring harvest. and
that looks as If the profusion of this
highly valued green to-day will be
equalled by It's scarcity before the
month is over. The Commissioner pre-
diets a full market basket for at least
two weeks longer, after which prices
will rise and purchases will fall off.
The vegetables that are suffering
most on the score of rainy days in June
and its total rainfall of 1856 inches.
which surpasses the record dating back
to 1887. are those planted in the low
ground. according to p. Q. Foy, editor
of a market publication. These vege-
tables. including onions. cabbages. car
rots. lettuce and other salads; beets,
potatoes. beans. peas and turnips. are
already. for the greater part, scalded.
Many are not fit to bring to market.
The destruction of garden truck by the
extreme wet has been unprecedented.
Mr.. Foy said. Some of the Long Island
and New Jersey potatoes that are COM
ing in now are of poor grade. many hav-
Ing gone to greens" before they could
be dug.
Certain vegetables can be supplied by
other States. he explained, especially
onions. which can be sent on from Cali
fornia. but most of the States have
planned their own crops. and they will
not all have a surplus for New York
Even with the outside contributions
there is bound to be a shortage within
two or three weeks. he predicted. and
this means an advance in price
The small fruits are also being ruined
by the continued rains, and many can
be used only for juices. as they are too
poor to be canned or made into jelly.
Especially Is this true of the softer
berries. such as blackberries and rasp-
berries. which absorb the moisture.
Huckleberries ara less affected BY the
dampness and are therefore better
Cantaloupe are arriving In quantities
from both California and the South.
They are of good quality and sell a.
low price in the markets.