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STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



AGRICULTURE.— TRUCK FARMING. 



Bulletin No. 41. 



For the first time the industry known as truck farming has been made a 

 subject of census investigation, and herewith is presented a preliminary 

 report thereon, prepared by Mr. J. H. Hale, special agent, under the direc- 

 tion of Mr. Mortimer Whitehead, special agent in charge of the Division 

 of Agriculture " B," of this office. The statistics are compiled from returns 

 which have been received mainly from truck farmers, but are not as yet 

 considered complete, and will be subject to revision for publication in the 

 final report. 



Truck farming, as considered in this report, is distinct from market gar- 

 dening; the former is carried on in favored localities at a distance from 

 market, water and rail transportation being necessary, while the latter is 

 conducted near local markets, the grower of vegetables using his own 

 team for transporting his products direct to either the retailer or 

 consumer. 



A summary of the number of acres under cultivation for truck-farming 

 purposes and the value of products raised, given by districts, is herewith 

 appended: 



Upward of $100,000,000 are invested in this industry, the annual pro- 

 ducts reaching a value of $76,517,155 on the farms after paying freights 

 and commissions realized upon 534,440 acres of land. There are employed 

 in this industry 216,765 men, 9,254 women, and 14,874 children, aided by 

 75,866 horses and mules and $8,971,206.70 worth of implements. 



Robert P. Porter, 



Superintendent of Census. 



TRUCK FARMING. 



BY J. H. HALE. 



The production of fruits and vegetables for market has always been 

 prosecuted with great success, in earlier days as a branch of general farm- 

 ing, and more recently as a specialty, known as market gardening. The 

 business is usually carried on with a few highly enriched and thoroughly 

 cultivated acres of ground and a rotation of crops, so grown that there 

 may be a daily supply throughout a considerable portion of the year. The 



