100 GARDENING FOE THE SOUTH. 



our railroads, that it would pay the market gardeners in 

 the South to grow these alone; but the mild climate and 

 the almost continuous growth of vegetation in the south- 

 ern latitudes enable the gardener to raise most of the 

 vegetables known, and of a superior quality, earlier and 

 with less expense than the truck farmers in the neigh- 

 borhood of New York. It is gratifying to note, however, 

 that in a few sections of the South some of the railroads 

 are making an effort to encourage trucking, and for that 

 reason, in those sections, the industry is rapidly growing. 

 Growing vegetables and fruits for the market is not an 

 easy enterprise, and it requires more skill, knowledge and 

 experience than the cultivation of the products of the 

 garden for home consumption. The market must be 

 closely studied, so as to know when to ship and what to 

 ship in order to reap the best prices; and the gardener 

 will frequently consult with honest and experienced com- 

 mission merchants in regard to these important particu- 

 lars. A visit to the city now and then will Avell repay the 

 outlay and time spent in the knowledge gained in refer- 

 ence to the methods of disposing of vegetables and fruits 

 and the advantage accruing to the shipper in carefully 

 packing and sorting his produce. The assorting, pack- 

 ing and shipping requires a degree of skill and experience 

 only to be obtained after some years of actual engage- 

 ment in packing and marketing the crops of the garden. 

 To those who desire to try their fortunes in the profession 

 of market gardening, the following outline of the re- 

 quisites for a successful prosecution of the work will be of 

 service : 



After the land has been properly prepared to produce 

 the best quality of vegetables and fruits, and a market 

 has been selected in which to dispose of the crop, the 

 most important equipment is the packing-house with its 



