42 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



A steam pump which will lift 2 gallons at a stroke and run 

 75 to 100 strokes a minute will give about 120,000 g-allons in 

 a day, and will cost about $5 a day for coal and labor. Money 

 invested in an irrigation plant is well invested ; it is the next 

 best investment to manure for a market garden. 



The chief obstacles to ffood work at market o-ardenino- are 

 conditions of weather which prevent the most careful groAvers 

 from o-ettino; first-class stuff". 



There may come a late or early frost, to pinch some crop. 

 It may be so hot and dry that lettuce will run to seed, and 

 much other stuff* be spoiled before it is mature. A hail 

 storm may come when you have a crop of lettuce or spinach 

 ready to sell, and fix it in a few minutes so that you never 

 can sell it. Blight, rust or rot may strike some crop which 

 the market gardener is raising. But with good care and 

 cultivation he need never fear that he will lose all of his 

 crops. The blighting of celery and tomatoes seems to be 

 increasing in late years. The yellowing of fall spinach and 

 late lettuce makes the raising of a good crop of either im- 

 possible in some localities. 



Some of the Good Things about the Business. 



The market g-ardenei' sells his 2:oods for cash. This sim- 

 plifies his accounts immensely. In a large market he can 

 sell all grades of goods, and this encourages him to grade 

 his stuff' carefully. 



There is much variety to each day's work. Help can make 

 longer hours of hard work than they could at some other 

 kinds of business. 



Crops mature in a short time. There is great opportunity 

 for e;ood manai»:ement, and most market o-ardeners delio:ht in 

 harvesting one croj) from a field and getting another started 

 on th(^ same places the same day. There is so nmch variety 

 to the crops that if one fails there is still time to try another. 



Most of the wast(! corn fodder, })ea and liean vines and 

 beet tops can be sold to milkmen. Then all the ground 

 between rows of corn, celery and tomatoes can be used for 

 growing smaller stulf, like spinach, lettuce or radishes, with- 



