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tained as cheaply, all the advantages considered, as in any
other section of the country.
These natural advantages of the State of Mryland adapt it
particularly to the requirements of small farmers. Especial-
ly is this the case, with the bay and river counties, where the
land can be conveniently divided into farms of any size. Ex-
perience, too, has demonstrated, that these small farms, de-
voted to the cultivation of vegetables or fruit, yield a better
profit than the larger farms, with wheat, corn and tobacco.
Except in two counties, (Baltimore and Anne Arundel coun-
ties,) very little attention has been given to this quality of
produce, except for home consumption; but these counties
furnish ample evidence that the profits from a single acre
well cultivated never fall below $200, and advance from that
figure to $600 and upwards. The appended statements and
tables give desirable information about this branch of indus-
try; but, to bring the matter directly to the comprehension
of every reader, the product and price of two »f the most or-
dinary vegetables is here cited.
In one acre of ground you can plant 5,000 head of cab-
bages, The extreme price given in the quotations for vege-
ables at different periods of the past year, is 15 cents a head,
though, during the last Spring, they have been sold as high
as 40 cents. Take the lowest price, 7 cents, and you have as
the sum total for your acre of cabbage $350. $100 is a very
large deduction for the cost of preparing your land and culti-
vation of it, but even at that figure you have a net profit of
$250 per acre. The average yield of onions is about 400
bushels per acre, and the price never descends lower than $1
per bushel, with the same deduction it will be seen $300 per
acre will be realized.
Letters from some of the most reliable farmers of the State
are also appended. It will be seen from these, that the ex-
treme figure mentioned above, ($600 per acre,) has been re-
alized in sweet potatoes. But this must be taken as an ex-
ception to the average. It is designed to raise no expecta-
tions by this publication that cannot be realized by actual
trial, on the lowest figures presented. An advance can easily
be obtained, but this must be based on the skill and industry
of the producer.
What is true of vegetables, is also the case with fruits,
though a longer time would necessarily elapse before the first
crop could be produced. Peaches grow abundently in every
section of the State, and grapes, wherever tried, yield a largo
and profitable crop.
As the Germans are particularly adapted from experience
and taste, to the cultivation of vegetables and fruits, this
branch of industry is particularly directed to their attention.
That no greater number of Maryland farmers have devoted
especial attention to it, is due to several causes, they have
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