1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
57 
HOW HOTHOUSE PRODUCE IS SELLING. 
LETTUCE, TOMATOES, MUSHROOMS, ETC. 
Hothouse products form quite a feature of the city 
markets during winter. We have already written of 
hothouse lambs, but this is only a trade term. The 
hothouse fruits and vegetables so common at this 
season, are actually grown in hothouses in various 
parts of the country. Southern New England, New 
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and sometimes, 
still more distant States, contribute to the supply. 
Among the vegetables grown are lettuce, tomatoes, 
radishes, cucumbers, rhubarb and asparagus. Fruits 
include mostly grapes and strawberries, and occas¬ 
ionally peaches. Mushrooms are also much in evi¬ 
dence, but these are not always, and probably not 
generally, grown in hothouses. A dark, warm cellar 
is the chief requisite. 
The question that interests the present as well as 
the prospective grower is as to the profit in the busi¬ 
ness. Is there money to be made from it now ? Does 
it promise a good profit in the future ? It is a curious 
business. It means simply the maintaining of a sum¬ 
mer temperature and atmosphere during the frosty 
winter months, and furnishing the conditions neces¬ 
sary to insure thrifty plant growth. Some succeed in 
doing this, and make money ; others fail, and lose a 
large part of their investment. In one way, the hot¬ 
house business at the present time, especially the 
growing of vegetables, is a sort of lottery. Before 
the advent of so large a supply of vegetables from our 
Southern States, the West Indies and Bermuda, not 
to mention more distant points, the market was a 
pretty certain one. Now so many of these products 
are placed in our winter markets in such prime con¬ 
dition, and at such reasonable prices, that they lessen 
the demand for, and lower the price of, the hothouse 
stuff. But now and then, when, as last winter, the 
Frost King sweeps down over the South, and blackens 
and blights every green thing, and man is helpless to 
stay his course ; the man whose field though small, 
is covered with glass, is secure in knowing that what 
means desolation and loss to many a Southern 
grower, means an extra demand, and extreme and 
highly profitable prices to him. But no man can 
foretell these times, and if he plod along content 
with small profits year after year, this time may 
come when a single cold wave may insure him a hand¬ 
some profit on his many years of hard work. 
But what of the future prospect ? As to vegetables, 
at present, under ordinary conditions, the business 
seems to be overdone. The market gardener who 
needs bis greenhouses to start early plants for his 
spring garden, may find it profitable to furnish win¬ 
ter labor, and keep his plant at work, to produce these 
vegetables. But there seems small encouragement to 
engage in the business for the sole purpose of produc¬ 
ing winter vegetables for market. Except under the 
contingency already noted, the existing supply is, in 
general, too large, and prices received, too small. 
Sometimes, on certain days, the supply runs short, 
and prices temporarily go up abnormally high. The 
man who can watch the markets closely, has here an 
indisputable advantage over his distant competitor. 
Just now, the supply of radishes largely exceeds 
the demand, and prices, as one grower expressed it, 
will not pay for the coal consumed. They are selling 
for $2.50 to $3 per 100 bunches, and each bunch should 
contain 10 or 12 radishes. 
Recent arrivals of southern lettuce have been badly 
frozen ; hence this has helped the sale of the hothouse 
product. Prices have ranged from 40 or 50 cents to 
$1 per dozen for a choice article. This should be fairly 
remunerative, but it is not a very high price. 
Tomatoes, now, are almost a drug on the market, 
and it is hardly safe to quote prices, they are so fluc¬ 
tuating and uncertain. We have tomatoes in this 
market now from Florida, Key West, Bermuda and 
California, and prices received for some of those from 
the hothouses, can hardly be sufficient to pay for the 
cost of production. 
Cucumbers are rather scarce at present, hence the 
price received is good. They are now quoted at $1 to 
$2 per dozen—something like oldtime prices. But a 
heavy supply may swamp the market in two days’ 
time, and cut the price in half, or even more. 
Rhubarb is received in small quantities, but the de¬ 
mand is light, and prices now being realized, it would 
seem, must be very unsatisfactory to the grower. The 
same with asparagus. There is little demand for it. 
Some has been received recently from California, but 
it sold for very low prices. We shall soon have a sup¬ 
ply from the South. 
Mushrooms of good quality usually bring high 
prices, but at the time of this writing, good ones are 
being sold for 50 cents per pound, and it doesn’t seem 
possible to clear up the accumulation. Two or three 
days ago, they were worth 75 cents per pound. Will 
these figures pay the growers much of a profit ? One 
trouble with the mushroom market, as well as the 
market in some other lines, is that too many of a poor 
quality are received. Such serve to fill up the market, 
and render it dull, though not selling for any price 
worth mentioning. 
One point in connection with the low price of many 
products, is that transportation rates are not reduced 
in proportion to the decline of prices. Grain rates 
from the West have been largely reduced during the 
past few years, though not in proportion to the lower 
prices ruling. But it costs just as much to get some 
products to market as it ever did, while prices are not 
one-half so high. If transportation prices were ar¬ 
ranged on a sliding scale, it would be of tremendous 
help to those who ship from distant points. But, of 
course, this is impracticable, and right here comes in 
the advantage of being near the market. 
The highest priced products in market at the present 
time, so far as we have seen, are the hothouse straw¬ 
berries. The writer was shown a neat pasteboard 
box containing two % -quart cups, neatly covered 
with white paper, the wholesale price of which was 
$5, or at the rate of $7.50 per quart. These have 
always been considered the most difficult to grow of 
any of the hothouse fruits. It has always been almost 
impossible to learn anything of the methods of pro¬ 
ducing them ; but last fall Tiie R. N.-Y. succeeded in 
getting the method of a successful grower, and this 
was published in the issue of December 7. Of course 
the demand at the prices quoted, is extremely limited; 
but as prices of any of this class of goods decline, the 
demand increases in a much greater proportion. It 
seems to require more skill to grow these than almost 
anything else, hence the prospect is that skill and in¬ 
telligence will be well rewarded in the production of 
these dainty luxuries. 
Hothouse grapes usually bring high prices at this 
season, but one wholesaler said that he never before 
knew the prices to be so low. lie was selling fine 
domestic grown Gros Colmans for 75 cents per pound, 
an extremely low price. A good many of this variety 
are imported from English hothouses, but the prices 
received are equally low. Still there is usually a good 
profit in growing hothouse grapes, and prices are 
sometimes excessively high—$2 or $3 or more, per 
pound. There are undoubtedly many small towns 
where a good profit might be made by starting a small 
hothouse to supply the local market. But it is a busi¬ 
ness one should grow into, rather than go into. 
" TESTED SEEDS/' 
Last spring, I bought some melon seed of a seeds¬ 
man here in Hartford. I had previously arranged to 
take the garden of a neighbor, in connection with my 
own, and decided to plant the whole patch with 
melons. After getting the soil in good condition, 
taking a great deal of pains, l planted the seed. Not 
one came up. I thought that it was probably owing 
to a cold snap that happened to come soon after ; so I 
planted again—of the same seed—with the same re¬ 
sults. It never occurred to me that there was any¬ 
thing the matter with the seed. I thought, as no 
doubt hundreds of others have thought who have had 
such results, that it was owing to certain conditions 
of weather or soil which might never occur again. 
In the fall, I went to this same firm and bought some 
lettuce seed for my cold frame, and my experience in 
starting this was identical with the previous one 
with the melons, although I bought what was repre¬ 
sented as being better than the average. I made up 
my mind that the trouble was with the seed, and I 
sent it to the experiment station at N ew Haven. Dr. 
Jenkins gave it three tests and reported, “ It is 
unquestionably worthless.” As I made a number of 
sowings, I found at last that I had waited too long, 
and so lost the use of my frame. Some time after 
this, I saw the seedsman and told him my experience, 
and he quoted the conditions under which the seed 
was sold as follows : 
While we exercise the greatest care to have all seeds pure and 
reliable, we do not give any warranty, express or implied, and 
will not be in any way responsible for the croj). If the purchaser 
does not accept the seeds on these conditions, they must be re¬ 
turned at once. 
I asked him whether he thought that he had used 
“ the greatest care ” to have good seed, and he replied 
that he thought that he had, by simply buying of what 
he considered responsible men. Last October, there was 
a discussion in The R. N -Y. as to the amount of dam¬ 
ages—the liability of a nurseryman—where a lot of 
seedling peaches were found in an order of budded 
trees. I do not now remember all the points brought 
out in the different opinions expressed, but it was 
agreed that there was a damage. One correspondent 
thought that to replace the trees and pay 50 cents per 
tree in addition for loss, would be fair. Seeds are 
almost the only merchandise which one can buy and 
absolutely get nothing for his money ; in fact, get less 
than nothing. There has been a great deal of worth¬ 
less fertilizer sold, but this traffic is now regulated. 
Is it not possible in some way to regulate the sale of 
seeds ? I would think that the honest seedsmen 
would be in favor of some action. If it is not practi¬ 
cable actually to give a “warrant,” a statement that 
the seed was tested, this being plainly printed on each 
paper sold, would show that an effort had been made 
to sell good goods. clarence bryant. 
FEEDING VALUE OF DRIED BREWERS’ GRAINS 
Are dried brewers’ grains good feed for cows and horses ? 
Which is the best way to feed them, wet or dry ? c. w. k. 
Hurlbutt, Conn. 
The following notes are sent by men in New Jersey 
who have fed these grains. For horses and poultry 
the grains are usually fed dry ; for cows or hogs they 
are in most cases soaked before feeding : 
Dried Brewers' Grains Compared With Oats. 
I have had only one year’s experience in feeding 
dried brewers’ grains to horses, and am fairly well 
satisfied. If the grains are perfectly sweet, they are 
all right, and horses do well at less expense ; but 
occasionally, a horse does not eat them well. At the 
present low price of oats and all other grain, not 
much can be saved in feeding brewers’ grains to horses. 
J. M. WHITE. 
We have used dried brewers’ grains for horses and 
cattle, but haven’t fed them to poultry. Experiment 
has shown that three pounds of dried grains are 
equivalent to about four of oats in feeding value, and 
the best results are obtained if they are soaked for 
about 12 hours before feeding. I can not recommend 
that they be substituted for corn, but rather that the 
ration be corn, bran and grains, equal parts. Also, 
on account of their bulky nature, less hay was neces¬ 
sary than where other grains were exclusively used. 
New Jersey College Farm. e. a. .jones, Supt. 
I have fed dried brewers’ grains to horses during 
the past two years, with, I think, very satisfactory 
results ; but I have never fed them to poultry. As a 
rule, the grains are considerably cheaper than oats, 
and about the same or a trifle more expensive than 
corn and rye. It would hardly be possible to com¬ 
pare their feeding value with other grains, as I do not 
consider them desirable except when fed in combina¬ 
tion with other grain. When fed with ground corn, 
rye, or both, I prefer them to chopped oats, as a 
balanced ration is easily obtained, and the mixture 
more readily eaten, and with better results. Of 
course, under certain conditions, nothing can take 
the place of nice, whole, sound oats. As a rule, when 
feeding ground feed, I would buy them in preference 
to whole oats, the price being the same. Dried grains 
vary considerably in quality, and only bright, sweet 
grains are a desirable feed, dayton n. warbasse. 
I have used a good many dried brewers’ grains, but 
not with the best of satisfaction. As regards this 
comparison with oats for horses, there can be no com¬ 
parison made. h. m. bennett. 
After 10 years’ experience and careful observation 
in different feeding trials, I am fully justified in the 
following conclusions : 1. That two pounds of 
grains can be substituted for three pounds of either 
corn, oats or bran, when fed to cows for the economi¬ 
cal production of milk. 2. That the same substitu¬ 
tion applies to the feeding of horses, when the grains 
do not prove too laxative ; in some individuals, it 
would not be admissible to feed the grains, as a ration 
without some admixture of corn meal or other feed, 
on account of the action of the bowels. Some horses 
refuse to eat them at first, while others prefer them 
to other feeds. About two years ago, Prof. Voorhees 
of the New Jersey Experiment Station, at New Bruns¬ 
wick, conducted a feeding trial on street-car horses 
in that city, to test their comparative value with oats, 
and found them much more economical, and equally 
satisfactory in other ways. 3. That similar results 
follow the feeding of grains to poultry, especially 
when eggs are desired ; the high per cent of gluten 
makes the grains very desirable for this purpose. The 
grains have a more marked laxative effect upon fowls 
than other animals, and should rarely be fed alone. 
The grains are sold at the present time, in New York 
City, at $14 to $15 per ton, and, in my opinion, are 
cheaper at $20 per ton, than oats at 30 cents per 
bushel. _ GEO. B. HURFE. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
Those who want Chester White swine will find G. R. Foulke of 
Westchester, Pa., a reliable man to deal with. 
We have had several inquiries as to where Belgian hares for 
breeding may be obtained. Requa Bros., Highland Mills, N. Y., 
can furnish them. 
A. C. Brosius of Cochranville, Pa., sells the Keystone dishorn¬ 
ing clipper. We understand that this tool is quick and effective 
in slicing off horns. The work is done rapidly, and there is no 
crushing of the horn. Horns were made to be clipped, but it has 
taken man a long time to find it out. 
Tub articles on “Feeding the Hen’’ are interrupted this week, 
but when we get at them again, one of the most i mportant things 
we shall bring out is the fact that animal food of some sort is 
needed by the hen. It is well enough to know beforehand that 
C. A. Bartlett of Worcester, Mass., sells such food in various 
forms. 
To grow five-cent potatoes, or any other potatoes cheaply, the 
cost must be reduced by taking advantage of every improved im¬ 
plement. The Davenport potato cutter and planter, does the 
marking and furrowing, cuts and drops the seed, and then covers 
it, all in one operation. Write for a free catalogue that tells all 
about it, to Department K, Plauo Implement Co., Plano, III. 
The Bowker Fertilizer Company, Boston, Mass., is noted for the 
neatness and value of the pamphlets and circulars they issue as 
advertising matter. This firm sells high-grade fertilizer and 
chemicals, poultry food and oyster shells and the new “insect 
lime” which The R. N.-Y. mentioned some weeks ago. This sub¬ 
stance is excellent for protecting large trees against climbing 
insects. Every one has heard of the “ Stoekbridge” fertilizers. 
Mr. Bowker was the first man in this country to manufacture a 
dry powder of meat and bone suitable for poultry feeding. The 
wide range of the products sold by this firm will warrant every 
farmer, poultryman and gardener in sending for catalogue and 
circulars. 
