Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-01-14
BY FRANK GEORGE,
Department of Agriculture.

" HERE is an old saying that a
man is what he eats. If that
be true, a striking picture of
Washington men and women
may be drawn from the record of food
products consumed in the National Cap
ital- The people of Washington have a
discriminating palate. They want not
only the best food the market affords,
but a wide range in variety as well.
In addition to the staple products, such
as apples. cabbage, cantaloupes. celery,
onions, peaches, Strawberries, tomatoes
and potatoes. many favorite4 southern
Specialities. like vans, perSimnonS, kum-
quats. chinquapins, cymlings and now
cities like the dasheen, the chayote
and the alligator pear, are more or less
in demand.
To meet this demand, fresh fruits
and vegetables are shipped by rail and
steamer to Washington from all parts
of the country. Large quantities of
products are also transported by motor
truck and farm wagon from nearby
farms. Carload receipts alone of nine
leading domestic fruits and vegetables
total nearly 5000 cars a year Aver
aging twelve tons to the car, this would
total $4,000 tons, an average monthly
supply of 5000 tons and q daily supply
Of 100000 pounds.
The average monthly car-lot supply
would fill the freight cars of a train
nearly two miles long and the yearly
receipts would appear as train of
cars twenty-tlree miles long, extend
ing across the District and back again,
with enough cars left over to clutter
the whole Of Pennsylvania avenue.
X X x X
THIS food supply, shipped from dis
tant farms, is supplemented to a
considerable extent by home grown
products raised in gardens in the Dis
trict and on gardens and farms in adj
Jacent territory. These supplies are
brought in to market by teams, trucks
or small boats. Figures regarding
shipments are not available, hut on the
farmers market alone, located in the
large sheds west Of Center Market, it
is estimated that about 100000 worth
of farm products is sold annually. This
value about equals that of the car-lot
receipts of the nine or. ten leading fruits
and vegetables, Indicating that the
farmers proportion of the city's sup
ply is much larger than the 10 per cent
estimated by some produce dealers.
Motor trucks now come to Washing
ton from farming districts 100 miles
away. Most of the trucking is from
Inuch shorter distances, but the grow
ing importance of the motor truck sup
ply Is a striking feature.
OF the car-lot receipts, about 1000
cars are of potatoes, about 400 of ap-
pies, about 800 of cabbage. about 200
each of onions, sweet potatoes, peaches,
tomatoes, cantaloupes and celery and
less than 100 cars of Strawberries.
These fruits and vegetables compose the
great bulk of car-lot arrivals Of do
nestle produce of this class, the only
important exceptions probably being
oranges, watermelons and grapes, which
would fill several hundred cars more.
In 1917 carload receipts of the nine
leading fruits and vegetables totaled
only 1,4ss cars. The year the United
States entered the war receipts jump
ed to 1855 cars. reaching the peak in
1890 with 3.073 cars. There was a
slight falling of the following year,
but during the first ten months of
1929 nearly $500 carloads were receiv-
cd. Here, in the doubling of car
lot receipts since 1917, is further
proof of Washington's increasing
population.
Records for six years show that
the largest volume of oar-lot receipts
is in October. These are made up
largely of apples from Maryland, Vir-
ginia and West Virginia.; cabbage
from New York, New Jersey and
other states; celery from New York;
onions from New York, Ohio and
other states, and potatoes from New
York aud New Jersey.
Largo shipments are also received
2 in September and November. the
three months combined being the
harvesting and shipping season in
northern producing sections.
In May. June and July there are
largo arrivals, principally from the
southern ststsA representing the