SUPPLEMENT  TO  THE  "JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE:  MARCH  13,  1902. 
(Somrrtereial  KortieuUure  .  .  . 
STARTINO  IN  BUSINESS. 
ils  a  inarket  Gardcncn 
F  late  years  market  gardening  has  become  quite  the 
fashion.  Luckily,  the  demand  for  fruit,  flowers,  and 
vegetables  has  kept  pace  fairly  well  with  the  remark¬ 
able  increase  in  the  number  of  producers,  and 
if  only  the  foreign  competitors  could  be  as 
severely  handicaiiped  when  sending  their  produce  to  our 
markets  as  we  are  when  trying  to  compete  with  them,  there 
would  not  be  much  cause  to  complain  as  to  prices  generally. 
Market  gardening  is  a  fascinating  and  exciting  pursuit, 
.surpassing  in  this  respect  any  other  phase  of  gardening,  but  it  is 
not  such  a  gold  mine  as  many  inexperienced  beginners  have 
fondly  imagined.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  delicate  young  gentlemen 
or  the  healthiest  of  ladies,  without  any  previous  experience 
worthy  of  the  name,  may,  and  usually  do,  find  themselves  in 
a  state  of  chronic  bankruptcy  before  they  have  been  at  it  many 
years,  and  not  a  few  private  gardeners  have  found,  when  too  late, 
that  their  previous  training  was  not,  in  the  long  ran,  of  nearly 
so  much  value  as  they  had,  reasonably  enough,  persuaded  them¬ 
selves.  Not  having  had  any  previous  experience  necessitates 
paying  a  high  price  for  the  services  of  someone  who  has,  and  who 
may,  or  may  not,  be  a  success,  while  many  have  to  unlearn  much 
that  has  been  learnt  and  otherwise  pay  dearly  for.  I  have 
pointed  out  these  difficulties  to  a  rather  large  number  of  men 
who  have  paid  me  the  compliment  of  asking  advice  upon  the 
subject  of  starting  to  growing  for  market;  but  it  would  appear 
that  many  of  these  had  already  made  up  their  minds  to '  com¬ 
mence,  and,  I  have  no  doubt,  dubbed  me  a  “  croaker  ”  for  my 
pains.-  Once  for  all  let  it  be  understood  that  I  have  not  the 
slightest  interest  to  serve  in  checking  others  from  commencing 
an  industry  they  know  next  to  nothing  about.  It  is  not  these 
raw  beginners  and  small  undertakings  generally  Ave  have  most 
to  fear,  but  rather  those  huge  establishments  that  are  so 
admirably  conducted  by  men  of  the  Rochford-Hamilton-Page 
order.  I  never  miss  an  opportunity  of  spending  a  few  hours 
among  market  growers  of  this  stamp,  and  if  you  have  any  conceit 
about  you^  this  they  will  soon  dissipate. 
My  object  in  penning  these  notes  is  not  to  discourage  would-be 
market  growers,  but  rather  to  iirevent  them  from  making  costly 
mistakes.  No  start  should  be  made  in  a  hurry.  Everything 
ought  to  bo  well  thought  out,  more  reliance  being  paid  upon 
information  obtained  from  men  already  successfully  engaged 
upon  somewhat  similar  lines,  than  upon  one’s  own  judgment  or 
premises  based  principally  upon  experience  gained  in  a  private 
garden.  This  may  appear  doubtful  advice  to  give,  but  I  can 
assure  my  readers  that  market  growers  are  not  the  naiTow- 
ininded,  grqedy  sort  of  men  that  they  are  sometimes  most 
unwarrantably  deemed.  I  have  mixed  freely  and  frequently 
among  all  classes  of  market  growers,  including  some  OAAming 
whole  “  villages  of  glass ;  ”  others  farming  many  acres  of  land 
on  which  hardy  fruit  and  vegetables  are  well  and  profitably 
grown  (and  these  are  the  most  industrious  and  hardworking  of 
all,  who  occupy  from  six  to  tAvelve  acres  of  land  near  to  a  town, 
for  w’hich  they  pay  so  much  as  £10  per  acre  rent),  and  all  have 
been  most  courteous  and  open.  Beginners  should  also  spend  a 
few  days  hunting  up  useful  information,  thereby  effecting  con- 
.siderable  .savings  in  different  directions.  In  this  connection  I 
may  mention  a  friend  who  decided  to  become  a  market  groAver. 
Starting  AAuth  a  good,  open  mind,  and  with  a  fairly  “  thick  skin,” 
he  gained  all  the  information  he  required  at  the  outset  from 
various  successful  men,  and  a  better  or  more  cheaply  erected 
group  of  Tomato,  Cucumber  houses,  and  vineries  could  not  be 
found  anyAvhere.  Bringing  good  business  habits  into  the  under¬ 
taking,  he  has  been  most  successful;  and  is  noAV  frequently 
consulted  as  an  authority. 
Especially  is  it  desirable  that  beginners  should  start  AAuth 
a  clear  notion  of  Avhat  they  intend  to  grow.  They  must  remember 
it  is  not  Avhat  they  think  ought  to  sell,  but  rather  what  there  is 
a  steady  demand  for,  that  should  be  grown.  The  most  successful 
men  are  those  who  take  up  a  few  things  and  do  them  really  Avell. 
After  all,  it  Ls  somoAvhat  surprising  hoAV  feAV  kinds  of  cut  floAvers 
and  plants  are  groAvn  for  the  markets,  and  the  same  may  be 
said  of  fniits,  as  Avell  as  vegetables.  Market  gardens  do  not  in 
the  least  resemble  private  gardens.  Those  who  manage  the 
former  are  under  no  obligations  to  maintain  a  constant  supply 
of  everything  in  and  out  of  season ;  but  their  aim  (as  before 
stated)  is  to  grow  a  few  things  w'ell,  and  to  have  them  ready  for 
the  markets  Avhen  the  best  demand  occurs.  It  is  only  novices 
Avho  recommend  market  groAvers  to  cater  for  so  many  priA^ate 
establishments  in  town,  suiiplying  them  Avith  anything  and 
eAmrythmg  they  may  require.  The  AA'orry  and  expense  connected 
with  this  kind  of  marketing  Avould  shorten  the  days  of  the 
majority  undertaking  it,  and  one  of  the  charms  associated  Avith 
market  gardening — independence  and  freedom  from  “  naggling  ” 
— is  entirely  lost.  Tho.se  Avho  cater  for  private  families  can  never 
make  a  clean  sweep  of  their  crops  Aiith  a  view  to  folloAving 
closely  AA'ith  some  other  crop,  and  they  invariably  spoil  a  portion 
of  the  more  perishable  fruits,  flowers,  or  vegetables.  Private 
customers  are  very  erratic  in  their  orders,  are  difficult  to  please, 
and  are  liable  to  give  instructions  to  stop  sending  just  when 
things  are  cheap  and  everybody  else  is  Avell  supplied.  Added  to 
this,  there  is  a  considerable  outlay  in  hampers,  boxes,  and  the 
extra  labour  in  collecting,  packing,  and  the  like  to  be  faced.  It 
Avill  surprise  me  if  the  middleman  is  ever  done  aw'ay  Avith  as  far 
as  common  A^egetables,  floAvers,  and  fruit  are  concerned. 
Very  frequently  we  see  the  advice  given  to  growers  of  choice 
fruit  and  flowers  to  steer  clear  of  commission  salesmen.  We  are 
told  that  certain  fruiterers  would  be  only  too  glad  to  take 
Peaches,  Nectarines,  Grapes,  Tomatoes,  and  Cucumbers  direct 
from  the  growers,  and  thereby  effect  a  saving  of  part  carriage 
and  in  particular  salesmen’s  commissions,  to  the  no  small  benefit 
of  the  grower.  We  are  led  to  believe  (unless  we  know  better) 
that  all  salesmen  are  rogues  and  liars,  while  the  fruiterer  is 
everybody’s  friend  but  his  own.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  nearly,  or 
quite  the  reverse  is  the  case.  Who  buys  direct  from  the  grower 
so  long  as  that  particular  individual  is  a  little  cheaper  than  his 
nvals,  or  lower  than  the  market  price  ?  The  fruiterer.  Who 
deserts  a  groAver  when  the  prices  are  a  little  lower  elsewhere, 
and  local  produce  becoming  more  plentiful  ?  The  fruiterer.  Who 
clamours  for  heavy  consignments,  and  sends  a  “  stop  ”  telegram 
a  Aveek  later?  The  fruiterer.  Who  complains  of  bad  packing 
and  damaged  produce  very  frequently  without  good  cause  ?  The 
fruiterer.  Who  keeps  the  grower’s  baskets  constantly  in  use 
for  all  sorts  of  purposes  that  soil  them,  never  thinking  of  buying 
baskets  for  his  OAA*n  use  ?  The  fruiterer.  Finally,  who  is  most 
slow  in  sending  cheques,  and  occasionally  ends  by  paying  fis.  in 
the  £  ?  The  fruiterer.  I  freely  admit  there  are  a  few  really 
good,  fair-dealing  men  among  fruiterers  and  florists — some  of 
my  best  customers  must  be  included  in  this  category — but  the 
majority  are  a  bad  lot,  not  contented  with  less  than  fifty  per 
cent,  profit  on  all  they  obtain  direct  from  the  grower.  I  am 
not  exactly  “  holding  a  brief  ”  for  commission  salesmen,  but 
merely  speak  of  them  as  I  find.  Treat  them  fairly,  and  you  will 
have  no  cause  to  complain.  Let  them  know  you  appreciate  the.r 
seiwices  by  sending  the  best  of  everything  as  well  as  the  ordinary 
produce  to  them  in  times  of  scarcity  as  well  as  when  most  plenti¬ 
ful,  and  they  will  return  you  the  best  prices  that  can  be  got  for 
your  produce.  If  you  send  to  them  just  when  gluts  occur,  or 
when  you  cannot  dispose  of  your  produce  elsewhere,  or  if  the 
grading  and  packing  is  faulty,  then  low  prices  are  bound  to  be 
returned.  What  else  can  rightly  be  expected?  Those  fitful 
supplies,  and  which  are  often  very  insignificant,  that  reach  sales¬ 
men  from  private  gardens  are  rarely  of  nearly  the  same  value  as 
the  OAvner,  rather  than  the  Avorried  gardener,  thinks  them. 
Because  fancy  prices  are  asked  for  choice  productions  in  West 
End  shops,  it  does  not  follow  that  the  salesmen  have  also  ob¬ 
tained  lugh  prices  for  similar  consignments.  The  shopkeepers 
forget  to  give  the  consigners  the  benefit  of  the  higher  prices.  All 
they  do  is  to  obtain  the  best  market  prices  going,  and  these  they 
return,  less  commission  charge  for  use  of  boxes  and  baskets,  and 
perhaps  market  tolls.  Commission  salesmen  are  indispensable 
to  all  growers  Avho  cannot  sell  their  produce  locally,  and  in  ve^ 
many  instances  do  better  for  regular  senders  than  they  can  in 
any  way  accomplish  for  themselves. — W.  Iggtjlden. 
(To  be  continued.) 
il$  a  Sccdsnian. 
There  is  no  other  business,  one  Avould  think,  so  Avell  suited 
to  a  gardener  retiring  through  any  cause  from  private  service 
than  that  of  a  seedsman.  He  should  be  a  judge  of  good  seeds, 
ought  to  knoAA-  Avell  what  A’-arieties  are  best  for  certain  purposes, 
and  should  be  able  to  give  his  customers  who  are  amateurs  good 
advice  and  useful  to  them.  Doubtless  there  are  some  among  my 
felloAV  gardeners  who  have  .such  an  idea.  If  these  are  in  good 
places  and  fairly  comfortable,  if  they  are  earning  a  living  for 
their  Avives  and  families — then  my  advice  to  them  is  to  stay 
