4 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



tensive rather than intensive methods. (3) Earliness. 

 The early production of crops is an important factor, first, 

 because it generally enables the grower to sell at higher 

 prices, and with reduced effort; second, it gives the 

 gardener a lead on the market, always a great advantage 

 in seasons of abundant crops; third, it makes possible 

 the clearing of the land in time for succeeding cash crops 

 or soil-improving crops. (4) Kind of market. It is im- 

 portant to have definite ideas concerning the disposition 

 of a crop before it is started. Will it be sold on a gen- 

 eral, open market in competition with the same vegetable 

 from other sections, or will a special market be supplied? 

 Market possibilities should always be studied before de- 

 ciding upon crops and cropping plans. 



7. Profits. — The profits in vegetable gardening are 

 quite variable. In some instances they are so large that 

 people are loath to believe the accounts, while in others 

 the net returns are trifling. Considerable glass is used 

 on places making the highest financial showing. At 

 Cleveland, O., for example, a grower has been netting 

 $10,000 a year on 12 acres, but the reader should know 

 that about 2% acres of this ground is covered with green- 

 houses in which are grown lettuce, tomatoes and cucum- 

 bers. The early vegetable plants are also started in 

 these houses. The owner of this little farm is a master 

 in everything that counts for success. Most growers, 

 however, must be satisfied with much smaller returns. 

 Peter Henderson regarded $200 an acre a fairly satis- 

 factory profit in market gardening, while he frequently 

 procured much larger returns. There are records of sin- 

 gle acres yielding from $r,ooo to $2,000, at least one-half 

 of which sums should be net profits. It is hoped that 

 these statements will not be misleading, for the best 

 growers sometimes have very little profit from a season's 

 work. In truck farming the profits range from a few 

 dollars to several hundred dollars an acre. A great deal 



