1889.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 163 



membering that the more even the contents of the package 

 in size, shape and color, the sooner we shall find a buyer and 

 the larger will be the margin of profit. If one raises only 

 so much as he can sell to consumers without the aid of mid- 

 dle-men, not only does he average higher prices, but in years 

 of abundant harvests he will be more sure of customers and 

 a fair income. In selling to market-men we ought not to 

 crowd the market. Better feed a little green stuff to 3'our 

 cows or pigs than overstock it. One shrewd strawberry 

 grower follows this plan : If the market-men refuse to give 

 him a fair price for his berries, he takes them home and on 

 the morrow takes them back, satisfied to receive the price 

 refused the day before. As the berries are now no longer 

 strictly fresh, the market is not hurt for fresh-picked berries. 



This is but one device. The thing we urge is, that as 

 producers we deserve fair prices for our commodities, and 

 ought not to take whatever any one may see fit to ofier us. 



As a rule, don't hold crops for high prices. The country 

 is large, freight is cheap, green stuff is perishable, and then 

 it is only the nimble pence that make quick shillings. 



The Crops we raise. 



We raise three or four acres each of potatoes, sweet corn 

 and cabbage, with the ordinary vegetable crops in varying 

 amounts, and make^ specialty of winter rout crops. 



In our hot-beds we grow lettuce and vegetable plants, in 

 our cellars we store cabbage and roots, so that we can wait 

 on our customers all the year round. In mid-winter we 

 start our hot-beds. When spring opens we spread fertilizer 

 on land well manured in the fall and sow our onion seed. 

 Then prepare land for peas ; soon sow spinach and beets ; 

 then plant potatoes, and spade or plough rhubarb and 

 asparagus beds. Cabbage and lettuce plants, also onion 

 sets, must be put out, manure piles must be forked over 

 and seeds made ready for later crops. In short, from one 

 year's end to another we mean to have enough to do . 



How we raise our crops would be too long a story to tell, 

 but we may give a brief outline, and describe in detail a few 

 which are often shipped to considerable distances. 



Sweet corn is raised much as field corn is srrown. On 



