GARDENING AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY. 263 



the tying-in referred to would benefit them, as well in the protection 

 from the cold afforded by the close contact of the branches. Anyone 

 •who has had evergreens injured by snow would be delighted with the 

 appearance of trees in Spring that had been tied up in advance as 

 recommended. — From Florists Exchange. 



VEGETABLE GARDENING. 



GARDENING AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY. 

 Li. O. Williams, University Place, Nebr. 



As I look backward over the past forty years or more of my 

 •experiences in gardening and fruit growing, I am convinced of the 

 growing importance of the gardening industry and o'f its adaptation 

 to every section of this state, particularly to the eastern section. My 

 ■early experiences in this work were gained in my boyhood days on my 

 father's place in southwestern Iowa. For ten years or more I took an 

 active part in sowing, tending, harvesting and marketing vegetables 

 for the city market. Father ran two wagons, one in our home town at 

 Glenwood, another wagon made trips two or three times a week to 

 the smaller towns five to fifteen miles' distant. Our trade at that 

 time was largely retail, as our salesmen would go from house to house. 

 We combined fruit growing and gardening and made ready sales at 

 good prices direct to the consumer. Prices of berries and vegetables 

 ■were from 25 to 50 per cent higher in those days than they are now. 



Gradually we worked from the retail trade into the wholesale 

 work. Peddling from house to house is slow and tedious work. I 

 never did like it myself, though I know it can be made to pay hand- 

 some profits where one has the knack and persistance of a good sales- 

 man. Personally, I would rather grow vegetables by the wagon load 

 tind sell to the dealer, letting him do the distributing to the con- 

 sumer. Many a load of potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, apples or 

 grapes have I hauled for twenty miles to Council Bluff's and Omaha, 

 starting at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning so as to get in on the early 

 market. Those were strenuous and trying trips, very often, and I 

 would not care to repeat those experiences at this late day. 



Cettius Near a Good Market. 



It is because of these early hours and long days that ended often 

 at 9 or 10 o'clock at night that I resolved later to make a move and 

 get nearer to my market. So I bought a fifteen acre tract five miles 

 out from the center of Council Bluffs, and I did not have to pay very 

 dear for my location then either. About that time, in the early nine- 

 ties, land began to be boomed rapidly about our larger cities and the 

 choice locations for gardening sold at $200 to $300 per acre. Despite 

 these advanced prices for nearby locations to a good market I am sure 

 that I would rather pay 50 per cent to 100 per cent more for such a 



