No. 6. DHPARTMENT OF AORTCMI.TURR. 287 



There is where the physieul and inenlal eneri^y of lh(^ man behind 

 the gnn should mnlco itself felt. The moment one erop is harvested 

 no time should l>e lost, the weather hoin<i; all ri;.?ht, in },'etting in 

 the next crop. If my Inst picking of peas is done by noon I make 

 the effort, not alwaj'S snccessful it is true, to have that piece of 

 lasid ])lov^'ed, harrowed, fertilized, furrowed and planted in cabbage, 

 cauliflower or celery before night. Plants set in fresh-plowed soil, 

 even in an ordinarily dry time, will be apt to take root quickly. 

 All this work should, of course, be planned ahead and unless sudden 

 w^eather changes compel an alteration of your plans, every laborer, 

 when he comes to work in the mornijig, should have his day's work 

 laid out for him. I employ fifteen hands, but even if I go out in 

 the wagon at three or four in the morning, my foreman can, from 

 my work paper, pre[)ared the evening previous, place every man 

 at the post intended for him. Systcim is necessary as much in a 

 market garden as in a large business house. 



As to the marketing of produce, I can give but little advice, 

 because co'nditions are so vastly different in various localities. 

 Few gardeners can make a profit if they are obliged to ship all 

 their products to commission men, and yet some do make money 

 in this way because of the name they have established for the 

 quality of their produce. They are the people who thoroughly 

 understand that it pajs to use nice clean packages, containing the 

 same quality or size of produce all through the package. No top- 

 ping off with high quality goods to hide the scrubs in the lower 

 layers! Pack cleanly, neatly and honestly and you will find a 

 market. But — and here is why I claim that the gardener must 

 also, or in fact first, be a business man — you can in almost any 

 neighborhood or along the line of any transportation company es- 

 tablish a market for your produce without the aid of commission 

 men. 



\\^here you can reach your market by wagon the question is easily 

 solved, the gardener's main care being the choice of men or kind 

 of men he puts in charge of his wagon or wagons. Running four 

 wagons throughout the summer season, I know this difficulty and 

 the constant watch and care necessary. The only safe way is to 

 i^o with each of your men once in every weelc or tw^o and you will 

 soon know from your customers whether a man is a good or bad 

 investment for you. It is, however, only in exceptional cases 

 that you can get the right kind of man without paying the right 

 kind of wages. 



AVhere wagons are run, a system of cheeking, not always used, 

 but always available, ought to prevail, so that none of the men 

 know just what tri]) may be checked off. To do this in my business 

 we prepare pads on which is a complete list of all the fruits and 



