1913. 
THE GALVESTON CITY MARKET. 
What Texas is Doing. 
When this country was young and the cities were 
surrounded by nearby farms, it was a very common 
practice to have a specially designated point in the 
cities where farmers could meet the housewives and 
dispose of their produce without the aid of a middle¬ 
man. With the passing of time, however, this thrifty 
custom fell into decay. With increasing prosperity 
the farmers in many cases decided that it was too 
much bother to peddle their produce, while the house¬ 
wives on their part, with the installation of telephones 
and free delivery, found it more convenient to order 
their goods from the grocer and have them delivered 
at their doors. This drifting apart of producer and 
consumer was encouraged in every way possible by 
the middlemen until this direct dealing was reduced 
to a negligible quantity. 
But with the continued rise in the cost of living 
there arose a strong demand for the reopening 
of the abandoned markets. Among the cities which 
have lately restored their old markets to their former 
usefulness is Galveston, Texas. Galveston is situated 
on a small island in the Gulf of Mexico, 
but a few miles to the north—on the 
mainland—lies one of the best truck 
growing regions of the United States. 
Despite this fact, however, there was 
often a dearth of good produce on sale 
at the Galveston stores, while the truck 
growers on the mainland were shipping 
their produce to Northern and Western 
markets and receiving such unsatisfac¬ 
tory prices for it that tons of fine vege¬ 
tables and fruit were allowed to rot 
in the fields each year. But with the 
re-opening of the city market a great 
change was brought about. The truck 
growers were afforded a good outlet 
for their produce, at a satisfactory cash 
price, while the consumers received a 
better quality of edibles at a substantial 
reduction in price. The first day on 
which the market was opened for busi¬ 
ness more than 3,000 people were on 
hand to inspect the farmers’ wares; 
and while, of course, this was an ex¬ 
ception and not the rule, the trade still 
continues brisk. One of the leading 
dailies of this city recently said : “The city 
market is a godsend to Galveston house¬ 
keepers, offering as it does, all kinds of 
fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, meats, 
eggs, chickens and dairy products, as was 
demonstrated Saturday by the size of 
the crowd that eddied and surged 
around the market all during the day.” 
The opening of this market was 
strongly opposed by the middlemen, and 
they came very near rendering its work 
ineffective after it was opened. This 
market contains 40 stalls, and the mid¬ 
dlemen obtained a year’s lease on 20 
> f these before the authorities woke up 
to what was going on. However, 20 
stalls remain for the use of genuine 
farmers only, and these serve to keep 
t ie prices to both producers and con¬ 
sumers at a normal level. Some people 
consider the sole purpose of govern¬ 
ment to be the protection of life and prop¬ 
erty from criminal attacks, and the 
uiddlemen have bitterly assailed city 
markets, asserting that the authorities 
avc 110 r *ght to encourage competition from farmers 
t a broader view of the duties of government . 
Til it should serve the people in any way necessary 
tmd it is under this interpretation that markets 
nve Producers and consumers have been established. 
;' ldl the continued growth of the sentiment in 
' ;; vor of a government for the people instead of a 
■'^eminent for the special interests, we may con- 
"ently count on the reopening and establishment 
nany city markets which will be of material aid 
' ducing the high cost of living. Maurice floyd 
T exas. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
there is no profitable market demand for them they 
are worth double their cost as a feed for cattle and 
swine. In raising this crop for several seasons I have 
studied out a plan that suits me and may be of some 
value to C. L. M. and others, so I will give it. I 
heartily agree with K. as to preparation of the 
ground. Squash are heavy feeders and pay well for 
their feed. I prefer old ground with sod well rotted. 
Apply, if possible, a heavy coat of barn manure and 
plow first of May. Harrow at frequent intervals 
until last of month, then plow again a little deeper 
than at first. After harrowing until very fine I take 
the sulky plow and plow deep furrows eight feet 
apart. Now fill these furrows half full of fine 
well-rotted manure from a cart, or better with 
spreader having a hood that will drill it all in one 
row. Cover with horse-hoe. Rake off with a garden 
rake and sow seed with a garden seed drill. While 
the seed drill does not do this work perfectly I 
use it, opening it wide and putting in lots of seed, 
thus saving time and giving plenty of plants for 
emergencies. In growing by this plan there is prac¬ 
tically no hand work. The space between rows can 
be taken care of with the spring-tooth harrow and 
is 
to 
62 7. 
was from the east we applied 3,500 gallons. To do 
this we had three rigs going with three teams and 
two rodmen and a driver to each team, and my 
foremen looked after keeping the engines and pumps 
and the water supply and opened up barrels of lime 
and sulphur, etc. I know it is possible to apply this 
much material with much less number of men, but we 
believe in doing it in the best possible manner, even 
if it takes a little more help. We cover more terri¬ 
tory with the same material, than do many, not be¬ 
cause we skimp, but because of high power and care. 
I wish some of the stations would give us the results 
of carefully conducted experiments as to how late 
we may safely spray the various trees with dormant 
strength. It is a question which comes up every 
Spring, and the answers are not very explicit. I 
believe we can spray later than most growers believe, 
however. Fruit prospects are excellent. 
Ohio. v/. W. FARNSWORTH. 
THE GASOLINE MULE TEAM. 
The two pictuees on the first page are from photo¬ 
graphs taken in the famous Repp orchard in Southern 
New Jersey. Mr. A. T. Repp is the man who does 
not hesitate to test out and try what are 
called revolutionary methods. We have 
told how the Repp orchard is cultivated. 
Lp to the middle of Summer the most 
thorough culture is given. After that 
the soil is simply let alone, and weeds 
grow up shoulder high. This is not the 
treatment of a lazy or careless man, but 
is based upon a definite scientific plan. 
The weeds provide humus for the light 
soil, and their heavy growth at this time 
prevents too heavy wood growth on the 
trees and helps mature the fruit. At 
any rate this method has proved a great 
success, as judged by the financial re¬ 
turns. Mr. Repp also used fertilizers 
very heavily for a time, until he finally 
became interested in the use of lime. 
He was one of the first to experiment 
with ground limestone, and now uses it 
freely in his orchards, in some years al¬ 
most to the exclusion of other forms of 
fertilizer. His soil has been stuffed full 
of plant food through many long years 
of fertilizing. There is practically noth¬ 
ing lost from the soil except the fruit 
itself, and the prunings from the trees. 
These are burned so that the ashes re¬ 
main. There can be little loss from 
leaching through the soil, since the heavy 
growth of weeds will make use of avail¬ 
able plant food during the latter part 
of the Summer. Thus there is practical¬ 
ly nothing taken from the ground except 
the ripe fruit. There is only water, with 
only a mere trifle of plant food taken 
away. The lime keeps the soil in good 
condition and helps make the plant food 
in the weed crop available after it has 
been plowed under. Thus Mr. Repp is 
one of those men willing to try out new 
things and test them thoroughly. We 
remember talking with him three years 
ago about the possible use of gasoline 
motors in preparing his soil. At that 
time he was not ready for them. He had 
been watching them, but did not think 
they were practical. Now, as we see 
from this picture, he has got going with 
power from the gasoline mule. 
The two pictures well contrast the 
two different kinds of power. That is a 
the rows by the riding cultivator. I think a larger powerful team hitched to the disk plow or cultivator, 
crop can lie secured than by the hill plan. I he thinning but it will tire at the end of a long day, and its work 
need not be all done at once, which gives more time is limited. On the other hand the gasoline tractor 
to note ra\ages of bugs and boiers. Finally save the will go on coughing its way through the orchard hour 
after hour through the 24, for with a light in front, 
A FREE DINNER IF NOT FREE WOOL. Fig. 206. 
LA GOOD SPECIMEN OF “CALICO” PONY. Fig. 20 
best plants three to four feet apart. 
Maine 
E. D. p. 
of 
in 
RAISING HUBBARD SQUASH. 
hi reading instruction for raising Hubbard squash 
Iv. on page 499, it seemed to me that the labor 
’hu! on raising several acres as suggested 
• h. M. by following K.’s instructions would be 
;' cavy , and also unnecessary. I have raised more or 
■ S quash for several years and 1 consider them a 
' ulUa ' , le crop for the average farmer, for even if 
by 
too 
A WHOLESALE SPRAYING JOB. 
I was considerably interested in the Hope Farm 
man’s remarks about spraying. I have for several 
years been urging fruit growers to provide a surplus 
equipment of outfits for emergencies. I could get 
along fairly well with two power outfits, but have 
for two seasons kept three 250-gallon, 3-horse-power 
engine outfits, and am wonderfully well pleased with 
the plan. We are then to a great extent independent 
of wind and weather, and can choose our best time 
to do the work pleasantly and effectively. We have 
had very unfavorable weather also, but finished in 
good season with a week or two to spare before the 
trees were too far advanced. One day when the wind 
it can be worked through the night, and with the large 
tool behind, or even others attached behind that, it 
will tear up the soil in a wonderful way. This is 
evidently what most of our large growers are coming 
to. On the level light lands of Southern New Jersey 
there is an ideal location for this class of machinery. 
It will enable two men to cover an immense amount 
of ground, and on that light land such tools as we 
see in the picture weighted down properly will take 
the place of a plow. This is evidently part of the 
development which is coming in the large ffruit 
orchards of the East. The smaller traction cultivators 
have not been developed like these larger ma¬ 
chines, yet we think the time is coming when a cul¬ 
tivator or harrow of medium cost and size will take 
the place of the single horse in plowing or cultivating. 
