TUB RURAb NBW-YORKKS 
95 
1915. 
MOST PROFITABLE TRUCK CROPS IN 
SOUTH JERSEY. 
V ariety needed.—T he subject of 
this is a little misleading, because it 
would seem as though some crops are all 
the time more profitable with us than 
others. Speaking generally we do not 
find that true. Because a certain crop 
is most profitable this year does not 
mean that it will be most profitable next 
year. The chances are it will not be, 
because in almost every section there are 
a great number of truckers who make a 
practice of planting heaviest of the crop 
that sold best and was most profitable the 
year before. This works out badly in 
two ways. First of all it results in 
glutted markets in that particular line of 
produce. Second, it keeps the trucker in 
a continual uproar. lie must change his 
plans and equipment to suit this special 
crop, and by the time he has done this 
he learns of another crop that appeal’s 
to hold out a larger promise of profits 
than the crop he is now growing, so he 
changes again and goes through the 
whole performance a second time. This 
is often carried on indefinitely, and al¬ 
most always with poor results. We have 
found that it pays to grow a variety of 
truck crops, and to keep the acreage in 
each about the same from year to year. 
If a change is made it is made gradually. 
There are times when there is an in¬ 
crease in demand for some particular 
truck crop. If this demand seems to be 
of a permanent nature it will then pay 
to increase the acreage in that crop pro¬ 
vided one has the soil and is otherwise 
equipped to grow it. But the change 
should be a gradual one. 
Advantages of Rotation. —By grow¬ 
ing a variety of truck crops we find we 
can use help to better advantage, by giv¬ 
ing them more regular employment. There 
is a better chance for rotation of crops and 
out of the lot there is always something 
that does a little above the ordinary. A 
man with a large financial backing may 
be in a position to specialize in some one 
crop, but it is too much of a gamble for 
the average growei-. The variety plan 
of cropping may be the slowest but it is 
the safest and surest‘for the man of or¬ 
dinary means. At the pi’esent time we 
are growing about 19 regular truck crops 
besides strawberries, peaches, apples, 
pears and 50 acres or more of hay and 
grain. In truck ci’ops we have the fol¬ 
lowing: Asparagus, tomatoes, sweet po¬ 
tatoes, eggplants, peppers, bush Lima 
beans, onions, late white potatoes, can¬ 
taloupes, watermelons, cabbage, squashes, 
cucumbers, peas, beans, beets, pumpkins, 
turnips and sugar corn. Some years one 
crop will be in the lead for profits; some 
years another. 
Grouping Tiie Crops. —Taking the av¬ 
erage for several yeax-s I would put them 
into the following three groups as to 
profits: 
Group 1.—Asparagus, tomatoes, sweet 
potatoes, eggplants, peppers, bush Lima 
beans and onions. 
Group 2.—Late white potatoes, can¬ 
taloupes and watermelons. 
Group 3.—Cabbage, squashes, cucum¬ 
bers, peas, beans, beets, pumpkins, tur¬ 
nips and sugar corn. 
Although we find the crops in Group 1 
to be the most profitable over a period of 
years, still we have not cut out the crops 
in Group 3. They are not as profitable 
as the ci’ops in Group 1, hut they are 
profitable nevertheless, and as long as 
they i-emain so and fit in with our system 
of cropping we shall grow them. Of the 
erops in Group 1, the one that was most 
profitable last year was onions. On an 
average, though, it is less profitable than 
the others. 
Methods of Culture. —Now each 
grower usually has a method of his own 
in growing any crop. As with growers 
so with sections. One section or gi’oxip 
of truckers will practice methods alto¬ 
gether different from those practiced in 
other sections. By < mparing methods 
and systems there n a mutual ben¬ 
efit. I cannot in tide go into the 
cultural methods xi growing all the 
crops I have named, so will touch only on 
the most important and to us the most 
essential reasons for growing them. Sup¬ 
pose we take asparagus first. All things 
considered this is one of the most satis¬ 
factory crops we grow. Why? Well, it 
comes in early Spring, and brings in 
early money at. a time when a dollar 
seems as large as a cart wheel. It makes 
a profitable crop for our light sandy soil. 
It does not need resetting each year. 
Once planted it is good for at least 15 
yeai*s. After the first season the work 
of tending and cultivating can be left to 
unskilled laborers, something that cannot 
be done with melons, etc. If a frost or 
hailstorm strikes a tomato patch we are 
done for the season, but with asparagus 
we only lose one cutting. Profits from 
asparagus will warrant the application of 
10 to 15 tons of manure to the acre an¬ 
nually. The crop removes vex-y little 
plant food, and at the end of 15 yeai-s the 
soil is much richer than when the aspara¬ 
gus was set. True, thei’e are insect pests 
and rusts, but these are no harder to 
deal with than on other crops. 
The Sweet Potato is the crop that 
put South Jersey on the map as a truck¬ 
ing section. This crop will gi’ow and 
pay a pi’ofit on soils too light and sandy 
to grow most other money crops. I do 
not want anyone to infer from the above 
that lai’ge and profitable yields of sweets 
can be expected from impoverished soils. 
I do mean, though, that the sweet potato 
has paved the way for the growing of 
other and more profitable truck crops and 
has also furnished the means for ixnpi’ov- 
ing some of the light sandy soils and also 
making the farm home more attractive. 
Whei-e good yields of sweet potatoes can 
be secured this crop is still one of the 
most pi’ofitable and most satisfactoi’y to 
handle by the average truck farmer. Of 
late years the stem-i’ot has proved the 
limiting factor on yields of sweets, and 
unless some satisfactory means of con¬ 
trolling this disease is soon found the 
sweet potato will have to give way to 
some other truck ci’op. In sections where 
the stem-rot is not serious the sweet po¬ 
tato is quite profitable. 
Tomatoes, Eggplant And Peppers 
have not been grown as long as sweet 
potatoes, but they are becoming more 
important each year. This is especially 
true of tomatoes. It is not at all unus¬ 
ual for 20,000 crates of tomatoes to leave 
Swedesboro in one day during the height 
of the shipping season. These crops are 
most profitable if secured early. They 
are planted in the earliest soil available. 
It means work to grow them. They must 
be started in hothouses about February 
15 to 20th, transplanted to cold frames or 
mild hotbeds about Mai’ch 25th; and 
later to the field about April 25 to May 
10th. They are given the best of care 
and pay well for the work involved. 
They l’equire a higher class of labor than 
a crop like aspai’agus. 
Other Crops. —Onions utilize some of 
the low bottom lands, and by growing 
them from sets there is a minimum of 
hand labor and they are off in early July 
in time to plant and mature a crop of 
sugar corn or late white potatoes. We 
like bush beans for several reasons. They 
grow well, and make a profit on the sandy 
fields that have been used for sweet po¬ 
tatoes, but because of the stem-rot need 
a rest from sweets and a rotation that 
brings in other crops. They are compai’a- 
tively easy to grow compared with pole 
Limas, and give us more clear money 
than we ever secured from pole Limas. 
They come early and stay late; furnish 
work for Italians throughout the season, 
and do not have to be picked for market 
right on the minute as do some other 
crops. 
Cantaloupes And Watermelons are 
the old-fashioned crops that used to pay 
exceedingly well on our light sandy soils. 
Southern competition and the blight have 
made them less pi’ofitable than formerly 
but when they can be grown after a clov¬ 
er or Alfalfa sod they are still profitable, 
and yield enormous crops of splendid 
quality and are comparatively free from 
blight. The cx'ops in Group 3 I will not 
take up singly. Suffice to say they are 
used more as catch ci’ops and go-betweens 
rather than standards and are profitable 
because they do not occupy the ground 
for the entire season. In all our truck¬ 
ing work, and this applies to nearly all 
crops grown, there is one thing that 
stands out head and shouldei-s above the 
rest in importance. It is the master key 
to successful trucking on the sandy soils 
of South Jei-sey. It is humxxs. We get 
that by the use of i’ye cover crops, catch 
crops, sod, manure, etc. It is hard 
to get too much humus in our sandy soils. 
Another important thing is cultivation. 
TRUCKER JR. 
Grow Big, Luscious Strawberries 
Select hardy, prolific, carefully tested varieties. Grow them 
right. Even a small patch will yield big profits — one man made 
S200 on 1/5 acre of a standard variety. Think of the pleasure, 
too, of having your ooindelicious berries for home use. 
Buy Allen’s True-to-Name Plants 
and you are more certain of large crops of big, delicious strawberries. They 
are hardy and vigorous and heavy yielders. We have 200 acres in small 
fruit plants and can guarantee prompt shipment in any quantity. We have 
all the early and late strains for every soil and climate re¬ 
quirement. All plants carefully selected ana packed fresh 
for shipment, and guaranteed true-to-namc. 
For full description of nil worth-while varieties road Allen's Book 
of Berries. It is well illustrated and prives tho latest and best cultural 
methods. It’s free. Write for copy today. 
THE W. F. ALLEN CO. 
72 Market St., Salisbury, Md. 
... 
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II 
BEST and 
BIGGEST 
BERRIES 
Joy. The best and most prolific Blackberry. | 
Jumbo. Biggest and best Raspberry. 
Van Fleet Hybrids. Wonderful Strawberries. \ 
Caco. Best and most beautiful Hardy Grape. 1 
Everybody’s. Best Currant for everybody. 
Carrie Gooseberry. Succeeds everywhere. | 
If MY CATALOG No. I, an illustrated book of 64 pages, tells all about them | 
|| and describes, with prices, all "the good old varieties n of Small Fruits as well. I 
|| It gives also full instructions for planting with cultural notes, and tells about the | 
|| giant Jumbo raspberry that I am giving away. It is free. 
|| F °' 36 &°1 AET"’"" J.T. LOVETT, Box 162, Little Silver, N.J. | 
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QlHaiAlbAVKIAC Summer and Fall Bearing 
1 ITCl Vw UrvrrBvw and all Berry Fruit Plants 
We are headquarters for Summer and Fall Bearing Strawberry 
Plants, Raspberries, Blackberries, Gooseberries, Currants, Grapes, 
Fruit Trees, Roses, Ornamental Shrubs, Eggs for Hatching, Crates, Baskets, Seed 
Potatoes, etc. The very finest stock at rock-bottom prices 1 32 years’ experience. 
Our catalog contains valuable information for fruit growers. Send for it today — it’s free. 
L. a. FARMER, Box 520, Pulaski, N. Y. 
Wing’s Quality Seeds produce choicest vegetables 
, .. and flowers. Grown with great care for 
those who appreciate quality. No mat- 
Mf '• ter what you need. Garden, Field or 
mil lmijW F,ower Seeds, wo have them and offer 
Ul'fillllsj the best varieties grown. Wing's Golden 
U. JB Sugar Corn a new variety. Extra early, 
^of good size, sweet and fine flavored. 
Fully described in our freo catalog. 
WING SEED CO. F Box 123 MECHANICSBURG, O 
CLOVER 
Buy gx-ass seed early 
enough to permit 
testing lor purity 
and growth. We 
allow return of un¬ 
satisfactory seed—re¬ 
fund money—pay freight. Get present low prices. 
Everything for the farm—Grnss Seed—Alfalfa— 
Field Pens and Beans—Potatoes—Corn—Oats. 
Fine catalog and Samples free—if you ask 
A. H, HOFFMAN , Landisville, Lane. Go., Pa. 
SELECTED SEEDS 
REALLY PAY YOU BETTER PROFITS 
We grow Corn, Cabbage, Oats, Potatoes and Vege¬ 
table Seeds of all kinds on our own farm—All 
seeds are carefully selected from choice varieties, 
then tested and the percentage that will grow 
marked on the label. — That’s why Harris Seeds 
ASSURE money making crops. 
Our big free catalogexplains our “hill-unit” system of select¬ 
ing pedigree Seed Potatoes; also tells about Cold Nugget 
(Flint) Corn that produced over 200 bushel ears to acre.—Send 
for sample of this corn. Also “Bumper Crop” Oats. Get our cat¬ 
alog and buy the finest seeds at wholesale prices. If you grow veg¬ 
etables for market, ask for wholesale price list. 
Write now. 
Joseph Harris Go., Box 102, Goldwater, N. Y. 
Everything for the 
is the title of our 1915 catalogue— the most beautiful and complete horticultural 
publication of the day—really a book of 204 paoes, 8 colored platES and 1,000 photo 
engravings, showing actual results without exaggeration It is a mine of informa¬ 
tion of everything in Gardening, either for pleasure or profit, and embodies the re¬ 
sults of over sixty-eight years of practical experience. To give this catalogue the 
largest possible distribution we make the following liberal offer: 
Every Empty Envelope 
Counts As Cash 
To every one who will state where this advertisement was seen and who en¬ 
closes Ten Cents we will mail the catalogue 
And Also Send Free of Charge 
Our Famous 50-Cent “HENDERSON” COLLECTION OF SEEDS 
Containing one packet each of Ponderosa Tomato, Biq Boston Lettuce, White Tipped Scarlet Radish. 
Henderson's Invincible Asters, Mammoth Butterfly Pansies and Eckford 6iant Flowering Sweet Peas, in a 
coupon envelope, which, when emptied and returned, will be accepted as a 2f> cent cash 
payment on any order amounting to $1.00 and upward. With the Henderson Collection 
■will be sent complete cultural directions together with the Henderson Garden plans. 
Peter Henderson & Co 
Ft 
. . 
.0 
o 
or better is the only kind to sow, if you want the best and 
cleanest seeding you ever had and the biggest crops of hay 
you ever grew. Average analysis D. B. Brands, Vermont, 
Station last year 99.70%. Average five samples I). 1$. Alfalfa differ-] 
cut Stations 99.83. The best money will buy, and as we 
ship direct to your Farms furnishing new cotton grain 
hags Free, the cost is usually less than inferior seeds 
would cost you elsewhere. Dibble’s Seeds are sold 
on a ten days’ test, your money-back-if-you-want-it 
guarantee. Mention the number of acres you are farm¬ 
ing and we will send you without charge Dibble’s com- 
| xilete Farm Seed Catalog, special prist list on Alfalfa, 
Clover and Grass Seed and 10 sample packages of Dibble’s Farm 
Seeds Free. Address 
Edward F. Dibble Seedgrower, Honeoye Falls, N.Y., Box B 
Headquarters for Farm Seeds Over 1600 acres in our own Seed Farms 
THE HIGHEST GRADE OBTAINABLE 
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