234 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



TRUCK FARMING. 



BY J. H. KARNES. 



Mr. President, and Ladies and Gentlemen of the State Horticultural Society : 



The subject assigned me for a paper at this meeting is, "Truck Farming as an 

 Adjunct to Orcharding." 



There are so many conditions which tend to the success or failure of such 

 undertakings, that I shall only have time to treat lightly of some of the principal 

 items which constitute some of the profitable adjuncts of the orchardist. I take 

 the position, first, that thorough shallow cultivation is the method to adopt to 

 bring about such conditions as will be most conducive to the healthy growth of the 

 young orchard, and to cultivate such vegetable crops, in the orchard, the cultiva- 

 tion of which will most nearly attain to the above conditions, and at the same 

 time yield a profitable revenue. But you must also have some of the conditions 

 necessary to conserve the objects to be attained. And a good soil contiguous to a 

 good market is one of the most necessary conditions. 



Now we will only mention a few of the principal items which we have culti- 

 vated with success and profit. But first you must be sure to select such varieties 

 only as will yield the largest crops of the best qualities of vegetables. As much 

 depends on varieties in vegetables as in fruits. By quality, I refer more to shape 

 and color than to real table quality. Then with well-selected varieties of sound 

 seeds and a good natural soil, or a soil made good by fertilization, 70U may reason' 

 ably expect good results, if your efl'orts have been well directed, and you have 

 been assisted by nature in the way of rains and sunshine. 



FOR THE CANNING FACTORY. 



Tn the way of small vegetables for early planting we mention peas, beans and 

 egg-plant. But [ have ceased raising these because they ripen too near to the 

 season of berries, and because of the slow process of picking and preparing for 

 market. Then of the larger crops : If you are contiguous to a canning factory 

 there is nothing more profitable as a revenue producer, and no crop grown that 

 will produce a more healthy growth in the young orchard, than the tomato. Our 

 canning factory pays 20 cents per bushel of 60 pounds. 



The tomato on good soil with good tillage seldom ever yields less than 200 

 bushels per acre, and two years ago I gathered 400 bushels from three-fourths of 

 one acre. The best varieties of the tomato for retail trade are Livingston's 

 Beauty and Dwarf Champion. For the canning factory are Matchless, Ignotum 

 and Stone. 



KARLY CABBAGE AND CORN. 



Early cabbage is also a profitably adjunct to the person raising a young 

 orchard, especially if you succeed the crop of cabbage with a crop of sweet corn. 

 The cabbage will produce from one to two hundred dozens of heads per acre, 

 which usually sells in our market at from 20 to 40 cents per dozen . Then the 

 sweet corn is readily and easily sold at from five to eight cents per dozen. Besides 

 you obtain a large amount of the very best of feed from the fodder. But these 

 crops are for the smaller orchardist who are located near to the larger markets- 

 and canning factories. Now we will mention some crops that may be raised with 

 profit by the ^larger orchardist who are located near a small railway station, but 

 whose shipping facilities are good. 



