A GENERAL VIEW 5 



depends upon market and seasonal conditions. Commer- 

 cial vegetable gardening is very generally regarded as 

 one of the most profitable branches of horticulture, but 

 success and failure depend more upon the ability of the 

 man than upon any other factor. 



8. The outlook. Prices fluctuate greatly from year to 

 year. In a season of low prices producers are likely to 

 conclude that the vegetable business is being overdone. 

 The next year, perhaps, prices are higher, the growers 

 prosper, and increased areas are planted the following 

 year. Prices for the past 10 years probably averaged as 

 high as for the previous decade. This would not hold in 

 all sections, but population is increasing rapidly and 

 more vegetables will be required to meet future demands. 

 Again, meat products will doubtless continue to bring 

 higher and higher prices, and thus increase the demand 

 for vegetables. Then, too, there is a growing sentiment for 

 the use of more vegetables as well as more fruits, and this 

 tendency will be for the benefit of commercial gardeners. 



The large city markets are often crowded with a sur- 

 plus of certain vegetables, but strictly high-grade 

 products nearly always command good prices. The need 

 of our cities is not more vegetables but better vegetables. 

 When the problems of distribution and other questions 

 concerning the marketing of produce have been satis- 

 factorily solved, vegetable growers will be able to operate 

 to better advantage and with greater surety. 



Many important local markets are poorly supplied. In 

 some sections little attention is given to grading and at- 

 tractive marketing, and the offerings of locally grown 

 vegetables are light during most of the year. Under 

 such conditions wide awake growers should succeed. The 

 production of special crops, as celery, onions, lettuce and 

 cabbage, on a large scale, should not be undertaken with- 

 out full assurance that soil, climate, labor, transporta- 

 tion and market conditions are favorable. 



