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THE VEGETABLE FORCING BUSINESS 



states, that do not have greenhouses which are devoted to 

 the forcing of vegetables. I believe there are many good 

 opportunities for vegetable forcing. 



From the standpoint of the market gardener, the green- 

 house industry will help him to solve his labor problem. I 

 do not see how it is possible for gardeners to keep good labor 

 when they employ men in the spring of the year and dis- 

 charge them in the fall. How can we obtain good men with 

 a system like this? If we desire good men, we must provide 

 labor for them the year round. Again, to keep good men, we 

 must provide each family with a cosy, comfortable house. 



Location. 



The location of greenhouse should receive the most careful 

 consideration. I have noticed that most men who operate 

 vegetable forcing establishments have not deliberately locat- 

 ed their houses so far as community is concerned. They are 

 men who first engaged in market gardening or truck farm- 

 ing, and they have learned that they could build greenhouses 

 and increase their profits by growing vegetables under glass. 

 A very small house may be built at the start, and, if it pays 

 well, the amount of glass is increased until a large area of 

 ground is covered. A man seldom deliberately seeks a loca- 

 tion that is the very best that could be found. If so, he would 

 look for a soil that is the best for vegetables. This ordinarily 

 means a sandy loam that contains a liberal amount of organic 

 matter. It is also very important to be near a railway siding. 

 One of the most successful growers in the country, who has 

 several acres of glass, hauls his coal two or three miles and 

 his produce seven miles to market. Another grower, whom 

 I have in mind, built his large range of greenhouses right 

 along side the railroad. The manure is shoveled into the 

 greenhouse from the car ; the produce is taken from the pack- 

 ing shed right into the car ; and the coal is shoveled from the 

 cars into the boiler room. This man seldom uses a wagon. 

 All supplies are brought to the greenhouse on the train, and 

 the products grown there are taken away in the same way. 

 This is efficient business management. On the other hand, 

 I do not find fault with the grower, who is very fond of his 



