74 
Hints on Vegetable and Fruit Farming. 
desirable to mention, and if possible to meet the objections that 
are urged by interested, and, it is also fair to say, disinterested 
persons, against a considerable increase in the vegetable supply. 
Market-gardeners proper say that their profits have considerably 
diminished, and also that occasionally the markets are glutted 
with vegetables. No doubt the market-gardeners whose land 
is situated within 20 miles of the metropolis have lately felt the 
competition of farmers, who ought to be able to produce vege- 
tables more cheaply, since their rents are lower and their taxation 
is not so heavy, and they have the advantage of being able to vary 
more frequently the courses of cropping upon the larger area of 
a farm. Farmers also within reasonable distance of London now 
have equal facilities of transporting vegetables to the markets, 
and of getting manure from the London stables and cow-sheds 
by rail. Market-gardeners undoubtedly have made large profits, 
and naturally object to their reduction. The amount of capital 
they require per acre necessitates large returns, but it is main- 
tained that farmers can produce vegetables without much ad- 
ditional capital, at a profit that will completely satisfy them. 
Then it is said that sometimes there are gluts of vegetables, and 
that greenstuff is wasted or sold at unremunerative prices. As it 
is mainly in the articles of cabbages and greens that gluts occur, 
and it must be said that these are not of frequent occurrence, 
farmers would be able to feed their sheep with them, and thus 
have an advantage over market-gardeners. But gluts are chiefly 
caused by the growers crowding all their produce into two 
or three markets in London even from long distances, and 
generally from the want of adequate means of distribution ; for 
it is certain that only a comparatively small radius around the 
London markets feels the full effect of an excessive supply of these 
vegetables. The same holds with regard to large towns, such as 
Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, to which market growers 
from far and near send all their vegetables without any reference 
to the demand. The area of the distribution of a market is 
necessarily limited. Multiplication of markets implies large 
outlays of money and additional cost ultimately to the consumers 
for tolls. Markets also necessitate middlemen, whose large 
charges above the cost price of the articles are also paid by 
the consumers. In order to get the actual market value of their 
commodities and to give the same benefit to consumers, pro- 
ducers must combine to form Supply Associations in various 
parts of large towns, or make arrangements and contracts with 
retailers to send them certain vegetables. This applies to fruit 
equally as to vegetables and to most other products of the 
farm. 
The large and increasing importation of foreign vegetables is 
used by some as an argument against more vegetables being 
