Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-01-14

early crops grown south OF Virginia.
Cabbage comes from Florida, South
Carolina, North Carolina and Vir-
ginia; cantaloupes from California.
Colorado and Arizona; onions from
Texas; peaches from Georgia. Vir-
ginia and West Virginia; Strawberries
from North Carolina; tomatoes from
Florida, Mississippi and other states,
and potatoes from Florida, South
Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia
and Maryland.
j: = < x
CITUATED at the gateway between
- the north and the south, Wash
ington draws shipments readily from
either direction. Important railroads
bring supplies from every quarter,
besides the liberal contributions by
trucks, teams and river craft. The
country's great truck garden, known
as the eastern shore of Virginia and
the Norfolk district is within such
short distance that the produce of
one kind or another arrives in COM
paratively first-class condition.
Favorite northern apples, like the
Rhode Island Greetings. compete
here with the Southern Grimes and
the York; Green Mountain potatoes
with the bookkeeping Peachblow.
and the dry-fieshed New Jersey sweet
potato with the moist-meated Geor-
gia yam.
The people of the District represent
the tastes and fancies of all states
as do the citizens of no other city,
but all the various people, whether
from Maine or Florida, from New
Jersey or Oregon, or anywhere be-
tween, are likely to find some OF their
favorite dinner table necessaries on
sale in Washington.
Center Market, besides offering a
most tempting array of the usual
luxuries in the fruit and vegetable
line, invites also numerous expert
ments In the cultivation of new table
tastes, while outside the market in
long rows of stalls are inducements
for the bargain hunter in the shape
of liberal displays of produce not
quite up to fancy grade, but we'll
adapted to attract the buyer who
cares less to crafty his eye than to
fill his market basket.
While Washington is centrally 10
Gated with regard to sources of pro-
duction, the city. like many others, is at
disadvantage in having no large CEN
trail unloading point Produce arriving
by rail must be trucked from one to
three miles across the city. This adds
greatly to the cost Of distribution.
AS in other cities of moderate size,
| the produce is sold direct to the retailer
by the receiver and there is little Of the
intermediate jobbmg trade, as in New
York or Chicago. The retailer buys in
small lots.
The prices quoted for such sales in
the official reports Of the Department of
Agriculture may. therefore, appear high
| in comparison with the quotations OF
| large lots known as jobbing sales in
| the metropolitan markets, and the
higher range of the sinall-lot sales has
! led to statements that Washington is
| an especially high-priced market. But
| IL is at least doubtful whether this is
true when sales over a long period of
| time and on the same basis for the same
grades of produce are compared for
the different cities. Prices, however,
I may be relatively higher for northern
products than for southern product be-
| cause Of the longer rail haul.
X X x
yIrAsHINGTON offers a steady mar
w ket for produce and shipments of
supplies are generally regular. Erratic
price changes are infrequent There
are few gluts and less produce IL sold