Makket Gardening in New York State 1219 



stable manure and tillage 

 All of the market gardeners use large quantities of manure. 

 Very few of them understand the use of commercial fertilizer. 

 Often forty to sixty tons of manure are applied to each acre each 

 year. The result from this liberal manuring is that the soil 

 has a very tine texture. Crops grow very rapidly, of large size, 

 and are, therefore, very desirable. Most of the market gardeners 

 practice deep preparation of the soil, following with thorough 

 fining and smoothing, the preparation of the soil being of the 

 utmost importance with these men. After the plowing and fitting 

 many gardeners do not utilize the horse at all in their work, pre- 

 ferring to use the man-power wheeled planters and cultivators. 

 By this method the crops are planted very close together, result- 

 ing in obtaining a larger yield from each acre. Much more hand 

 labor is used than in any other line of farming. Often ten to 

 fifteen workers are found at times on a five-acre garden, and on 

 the larger gardens, such as a twenty or twenty-five acre farm, 

 from three to five laborers per acre are often utilized profitably. 



HOME-GROWN SEED 



In some places, particularly among the market gardeners of 

 Long Island, a certain amount of seed is raised. Thus, to a certain 

 extent, these gardeners are independent of the seed houses, es- 

 pecially for particular vegetables. It would be indeed difficult 

 to duplicate the celery raised by these Long Island men from 

 seed produced by them, and this could also be said of the lettuce 

 which they grow from their own seed in the hotbeds and cold 

 frames. 



IRRIGATION AND MARKETING 



Slowly these market gardeners are realizing the importance of 

 controlling one more factor — that is, water — and thus prevent- 

 ing drought. On Long Island there are several men who have ten 

 acres or more under irrigation. In other parts of Xew York 

 State irrigation systems are being installed and successfully used, 

 particularly at Irondequoit and Syracuse. Practically all of the 

 material raised on these market gardening farms is carried to 

 the cities on the teams or auto trucks owned by the market 

 gardeners. Most of the teams have a certain place in the markets 



