FORT WAYNE, IND., PUBLIC MARKETS. 
What a Farmers’ Federation Did. 
THE PLACE AND THE PEOPLE.—Fort Wayne, 
Ind., is a city of 65,000, located in one of the richest 
farming counties in the State. It has seven steam 
roads, five interurbans and many large factories and 
railroad shops. I merely mention the above to show 
what a good place to sell produce the farmer and gar¬ 
dener has. Everyone has his choice of the trade he 
would like to cater to, but I will take shop and fac¬ 
tory workers for mine. They work hard, and it is 
no dainty appetites that one will have to contend with 
in supplying this class of trade. More than 60 years 
ago Samuel Hanna donated to the city for market 
purposes a tract of land located on the east of Barr 
street, and extending from Washington street north to 
Berry street, 60 feet in width and two city blocks in 
length, Wayne street intersecting it halfway between 
Washington and Berry. A city hall has since been 
erected on the half block at the corner of Berry and 
Barr, which reduces the market to one and a half 
blocks. The old market was an open space, paved with 
brick and without protection from the weather of any 
kind. It accommodated 112 stands, which were fur¬ 
nished by the gardeners. These stands were six feet in 
length and as wide as one could conveniently reach 
across; the width being limited by the length of the 
owner’s arms, so that the short fat man was at a 
disadvantage compared with the tall slim one. The 
stands were left in the market from the time it opened 
in the Spring until its close in the Fall, and were 
then taken home by the gardeners. For these stands 
a charge of $6 was made, and this charge was fixed 
for 40 years, at the end of which time they were auc¬ 
tioned to the highest bidder, usually bringing $12 to 
$13, though more was paid for stands supposed to 
be advantageously located. 
THE WAGON MARKET.—Along the curb west of 
the city hall on Barr street was space for 23 wagons; 
on Barr street, between Berry and Main (one block), 
40 wagons could be accommodated. On Berry east of 
Barr 10 wagons could be backed to *he curb, while 
on Barr north of Main street, 24 wagons could find 
space. This latter space is usually occupied as a whole¬ 
sale market. Anyone with a load of potatoes, grain, 
or wood, etc., will more than likely be found here, 
though some retailing was also engaged in. Hay 
and straw are sold at the city scales, where all weigh¬ 
ing is done. In. the early market days people certainly 
believed that the early bird was entitled to the worm, 
even if he didn’t always get it. The man who formerly 
occupied the place on which I live was a gardener, 
and a neighbor (a farmer) says that in 15 years he 
remembers seeing this man leave for market but once; 
that gardeners stayed up all night in order to be on 
the market early. I am inclined to doubt, but that it 
is necessary to keep the market open much later now 
is a fact that admits of no argument. People who 
regularly attend market pass my home between six 
and seven a. m. and still have seven miles to drive. 
THE MARKET BUILDING.—In 1910 the city 
contracted for a market building. This was a 
wooden structure supported by large pillars or 
columns of brick coated with cement mortar. The 
roof was of red tile. The building provides two 
drinking fountains for animals and two public comfort 
stations. The floor is of concrete. This is merely a 
covered walk. The building was constructed in two 
sections, one extending from Washington to Wayne 
and the other from Wayne to the city hall, so that it 
really is two buildings. They are 30 feet wide and 
furnish space for a row of stands on either side along 
the curb with a passage-way about 20 feet wide be¬ 
tween for the buyers. There are 112 stands, 2j4x4 feet, 
built of concrete. On the east side 30 feet of the old 
market is used as a driveway for the convenience of the 
stand owners, who can back their wagons up to their 
stands and use them for surplus stock and orders that 
are to be delivered. On the west side a part of Barr 
street is used for the same purpose. While this mar¬ 
ket was an improvement for the buying public, it af¬ 
forded little protection for the marketer. In stormy 
weather he could stand in front of stand, but the 
WHEN WE GET WHAT IS COMING TO US IN PARCELS POST. Fig. 10. 
