No. 4.] MARKET GARDENING. 87 



Market jrardeninof iu oeneral is confined to localities near 

 cities or large towns, and in the immediate vicinity of the 

 large cities of the State it is carried on quite extensively, in 

 fact, to such an extent that large quantities of vegetables 

 have to be sent to the smaller cities and towns. 



We have now reached what I consider the most im|)ortant 

 point for consideration at this meeting; that is, the supply- 

 ing of the towns and villages in Massachusetts with veg;- 



O o o 



etables. It is true that we cannot expect to build up large 

 market gardens in the country, but has not the time come 

 for the towns to supply themselves with vegetables? We 

 w^ould not suggest that every farmer go to raising- vegetables ; 

 but it always seemed as though there was something wrong 

 about raising; vegetables around Boston, on land worth enough 

 per acre to buy a good farm in the country, and then take 

 them to the city, and ship them, often by express, to the 

 country towns. We will admit that this is business for the 

 railroads and commission men ; but is it for the farmer, es- 

 pecially the small farmer? We are compelled to meet, in our 

 local markets, produce from practically the whole world, and 

 on what we can supply we save freights and commissions, 

 which are no small items in handling perishable produce, 

 and the markets would be supplied with better produce. I 

 am always glad to see the necessities of life cheap, and the 

 more the luxuries are brought within the means of the people, 

 the better. But to do that the agriculturist should not labor 

 for less, but should raise such crops as his soil and locality 

 will produce, as cheaply as those Avho are supplying his 

 markets. 



Market gardening, as it is generally understood, requires 

 considerable capital, and to make money in any business re- 

 quires capital of some sort. It may be in the shape of money, 

 knowledge or energy, — and a combination of them all, is 

 all the better ; but there is, perhaps, no occupation in the 

 farming line where a man can get a better living, on a small 

 area, than from the production of vegetables, and when you 

 consider the expense as compared with that of dairying, it is 

 probably no greater. 



I cannot recommend green-houses for the small gardener, 

 especially if he is located some distance from a large city 5 



