Evening Star Newspaper, January 6, 1924, Page 61

© . " MAGAZINE S’ECTION‘ ' The Sundy Star. WASHINGTON, D.- C, SUNDAY MORNING, JANUARY 6, 1924. 4,000 Carloads of Fruits and Vegetables Year’s Supply in Capital BY GEORGE H. DACY. PPARENTLY Washington is a | city that has an appetite of | to “those | that are dominant in northern | would take a reach to Falrfax similar dimensions Jumber camps, freight train from the White House for it long enough to Court House and halfway back agaln to carry all the fruits, vegetables a“fll other foodstuffs which annually are shington's | shipped W namesake city, A map of the TUnited another map of Europe a answers that any transportation e pert can present when he is interro wated concerning the p »f the foodstuffs that each year by taple food: from all 1d from dietary of s nopolita population ome of the into George tates tonians. and many luxuries part e United ov federal city and the best | ces of origin |. are consumed These countries, for the Storage Facilities. variegated ! | that are | nter | South Africa Faney nd Hol- ington ies of 1e orient he cravi om the elds 14 of Nippon farmed rice who have set Down . 10 mat- taste, you matic and dozen which life is worth its trials and hard- procure there deli- are commonplace in the azaars of the far east. You will find ples which were prominent ration of the Pilgrim fathers. none but the very and nonplace ppear on American ashington's es which An and indi permanency strength of ion is reflected ents of fruitsand nd rall to ves to satisfy the latti- | | | i i | | i i that have flowed regularly | into National pital storehouse: d cold sto places during the last few years. The total carload re- ceipts of farm produce rail in 1917 agsregated 18.000 tons, or 0 carloads. Three had increused per B The next de another 2 per cent for lust year they amouht- srmous total of 4,079 ear- alent to 48,948 tons of 1 signifies an average consumption of more than of fruits and wegetables. small, as in_addition pro shipments than fron kots whose this su cars hese 105 seasq pproximately volume. o Washington's ales are not of the United States ment of Agriculture shows t ytatoes, 468 1E last report of cabb che of onions, 2 sweet rawberrie into t These proc :present enough fruits and vegetables of the more im- portant varieties to feed an army of more than 5,000,000 men for at least > month, New Jersey, New York Virginia, the Caroiinas and our leading sou 94 cars of cars shipped Michigan, Florida po- orida, the ovide most come fr Wash > ar cantaloupes. Carolina and ( ¥lorida and Mississipp! supply toma toes. Our onions come largely fro Ohio, New York and Texas. New York and California produce our celery. Georgla, North Carolina, Vir- ginia and Maryland provide sw potatoes, while Virginia and North Carolina raise strawberries for Wash- ington consumers. The seasonal distribution of these ehipments corresponds with the demands of our for tomatoes and straw- n the d cabbage in the fall. The cipts of apples and onfous @ unloaded at Center Market in Sep. tember, October and November, dur: of apples, | of fruits and vegetables | tmported by | later ; i | | | | | farmers who | of | of Columbia. | Florida, | | | early summer and ap- | i ng a season when cabbage shipments ! o are large. June and July are the outstanding cantaloupe months, while celery receipts are maximum in October, November and December. July, August and September are th Lig peach-selling perfods, while strawberry arrivals are the greatest during May. From February to May £weet potato receipts run high, with April, May and June as the popular tomato months. White potatoes are xecelved In large amounts throughout the year, with the shipments maxi- mum in June and October. Washington’s appetite for the elget of the fruit and vegetable king- doms is satisfled by the offerings of epidurean delicacles and abnormali- s such as dasheens and cayotes, which come from Georgia, Missis- #ippl and Alabama; kumquats, tan- gerines and tangeloes, from Florida; vyams, persimmons and cymlings, from Florida and Georgia, and other curious tropical products of Dixie- Jand that are transported to the smarkets of the north both by boat end rall, Altogether the daily unloading of fruits and vegetables from varfous etates which are marketed in Wash- ington amount to an average of anore than 250,000 pounds. In addi- tion, more than’ $2,000,000 worth of Foodstuffs are raised in nearby Vir- sinia and Maryland and marketed in the National Capital either by way of the farmer's market or by other egencies. Direct shipments from farm to con- sumers are sponsored by some of ‘Washington's leading community centers as a means of augmenting 1 purchasing potver of thc iof thelr members. | i | i | | denter market does a $14,600,000 busiress n food stuifs cach year Allthe fratts and ington are nspected and o A Dk oA gesa JPRACTICALLY all the varied tastes ang appetites of the United States, as well as many of the eccentricities of Europe, the Orient and Asia, are represented in the cosmopolitan con- suming public of our legislative city. The wide range of foodstuffs tends to satisfy one’and all of these desires. Fortupately Washington is. well situated geographically to cater to such unusual demands. The Capital city is the gateway to the southland. where grow the fruits, foods and vegetables of many tropical countrids which have been introduced as plant allens to America and uitimately ao- cepted as permanent American citi- zens. (Almost at Washington's back door is the Norfolk, Va, trucking zone, the largest and finest vegetable belt in the ceuntry, 3 Center vegetab | ment. - Years ago, market differs -- decidedly draded ulture from the rank and file of municipal markets, inasmuch as it is: owned and operated under the active super- vision of- the United States govern- when Congress initially made provision for the pub- 1ic marketing place in the District of Columbia, & cla was ‘inserted In the measure . which permitted the management. of .the market to revert to the United States Department of Agriculture at the expiration of a cer- taln number of years if the private operation ‘of ‘the foodstuff center was not eminently effictent and satisfac- tory. - ‘During the post-war period, when ljving costs were maximum and profiteering sometimes occurred, Con- gress avalled itself of this old rider in the act creating Center market and turned the jurisdiction of the busi- ness oyer:to. Uncle Sam. The gov- nlty. 1 pped. to Wash- by experts of ~ ernment paid the 0ld marketing com- pany approximately $960,000 for the buildings and equipment, Now, for almost two years, ‘Uncle’ Sam has been directing ,the management “of Center market. > The history of Center market teems with pathos and romance. Peasants and Presidents, plutocrats and Ppoli- ticlans have ‘trod its aisles and ave- nues. Abraham Lincoln, previous to the civil war, would stop his carriage as he drove from the White House tothe Capitol. in order to talk with the farmers who .were displaying their wares ' along’ ‘the curbsides of Pennsylvania avehue. 1t was in the neighborhood of Cen- ter market that the dignified Martin Van Buren, Beau Brummel de luxe, received & great setback to his dig- > in the days| One day President Van Buren: Washington, as Meeting Place of Whole Country and of the World, Fin&s in Widely Varying Tastes Need of Obtaining Food Products From Many Countries and From All Parts of United States—Center Market Conducted by Government as Means of Studying Efficiency in Handling Supply—Country’s Finest Vegetable Belt at City’s Back Door—Future Cold Washindtonians eat 85,000,000 tons 4079 Carlcads of fruit Sold vy 173 Center market ,a.t!u,n.gwn cdonsuniers eat 1623 . trainloads of white potatoes ann stopped to inspect some fruit dis- played on‘one’of the market stands. A boy who.was leading a large, fat goose to market stopped also to stare at:the grandeur and dress of the f mous gentleman.- Something fright- ened sthe. goose, and the fowl rushed dGirectly, between Van Buren's feet, 80 entangling hls legs that he fell in while his immaculate silk toppér “was spilled into the joud. of a nearby. puddle. 2 ok X N. the days of yore the ladies of tashion' drove. every morning In their phaetons and coaches to the Center Market, where they bartered with _dealers and. farmers over the prices of 'bacon, potatoes, cabbage, and. other foodstufts. Usually & colored attendant came with. each of the grand,dames to carry the foed~ of me. stufts which.-she purchased back: to the carriage. In the days when the hooped skirt . was . as popular as bobbed heads now aré the copgestion at Center Market on the regular marketing days was most difficult to describe. Prices of recesstty must have’ been high, for the average lady occupied as much, space as a half dozen _housewives of today and screened the produce on display from the view of all other purchasers during her buying tours. Even today some of the elderly ‘Washingtonians still observe the old market-day schedules which used to govern the operations of Center Market. You will find them going to market only twice a week, carrying the same baskets and handbags which they have used perhaps for & half century. ‘A few.of’them still go nd vedetables are annuail dealesrs. | assisted our first President in the se- lection of & site for the marketing place. Instead of constructing cred- itable bulldings at the very outset, Congress dllly-dallied along and ap- propriated only meager amounts for the upbuflding of the market. As result, a harum-scarum string of sheds was erected, eitending in a crooked line from the present site of Center Market as far as the George- town terminal of the Chesapeake and Ohlo canal. In the early days siderable produce was brought in by canal boats for sale at the market place. Cattle, hogs, turkeys and sheep were driven from the farms of Maryland and Virginia along a route which ended In i trip along Pennsylvanla avenue the slaughtering pens which were au adjunct of Center Market. In time the odors became o objectfonable th Washington citizens objected stre and petitioned Congress repe edly to remove Cen Market to outlying section o ! Finally, sust Cengress auth zed the W ingto Market Company to borrow one-fl of a million dollars for the construeti of permanent buildings. The eivil | knocked this project into a cocked ha: and it was not untll a decade late when & fire razed the market shedr that Congress again Intervened. A project was formulated by our nation {legislators featuring the sale of 2 shares of stock in a marketing cc {pany incorporated at $1,000,000. present Center Market was subse iy built and equipped VWERE souto take the trouble to i ventory the assets of Cente market, as Uncle Sam had to do when he assumed control of the enterprisc you would fihd that the annual sale lat Center market amount to abou: $14,600,000. During the period that Uncle Sar has run the market the profits hav | totaled $50,000 a year. Here is onc con- ous before the civil war ayeas-Photo shows iwspection. |t ol ivia vae { engages that pay a good profit- ;.’: per cent interest on the investment | The tradesmen and dealers who re |stalls in Center Market pay Un {233,000 2 year for the space wh occupy. ome of these dealers and the! | relatives have operated the sa: |for fifty to sixty vears. | the booths have descen legacies fr | generation to another. | { fruit and vegetable | tes 4 | There are 173 deal {a suit of clothes which you wish, will find any or all of these products s who now rent space in the market place, the distribu tion by trades being as follows: Sev ty-four are meat dealers, twen alers, fifte welve tradesmer cakes and cookies. and game, nine dle dairy products purvey bread, bt others sell poult: 1l fish and nine others operate dellca- tessen shops. There are six specialized fish stands, while five men run regui tion grocery stores, The six other spaces are utilized as miscellaneous stdres, two of the tradesmen even sel ing clothing and notions. If it Is & apple, a needle, & piecs of fancyworl frog legs, shad roe, a jar of honey i Center Market in antique and obsolet facilities. Poter many respects is in equipment and Sam | plans on equipping all the efficient cold sto facilit perishable products m: under refrigeration in glass show cases for the inspection of the buyers. Expert designers and cabinetm of the United States Department of Agricul ture even now are working on plans for such display cases. They alreads have perfected excellent show hoxes f the display of poultry. Uncle Sam, in time, will doubtless remodel and T | habllitate Center Market so that it will be one of the marketing show places {skating rink { Ik {of the country The publ col {house now in u i provides low tempera |in 600,000 cuble feet of { tacilities will be materially increased tand improved in the development | campatgn which the national author- |ities have mapped out. | strange to 1, you will find that |Uncle Sam is also o manager of a | bowling alley, billlard parlor, roller and basket ball cou for the storage Center Market conditions ace. These ware- ure f you visit Center Market, |auditorium and upper floors of the arloads or32 ity: to Center Market by horse and car- riage conveyance, despite the fact that gasoline and electric vehicles now pre@ominate in that vicinity. Yes, you will even occasionally meet an old lady wearing a poke bon- net and the-big sleeves which were popular twenty-five or more years ago. Center Market is surely a clearing house for queer costumes and customs even in this advanced age of wireless and flying machines. George Washington was _ the pioneer promulgator of Center Mar- ket. A public and central marketing center was one of the important things that Gen. Washington urged upon the first Congress to set aside fn the District of Columbla. Th lawmakers acquiesced, and Maj L'Enfant, the famous who 1ald out the city of Washington, | building are leased for such poses. The Secretary of Agriculture, as side line to his many other duties, is responsible for the direction of Center Market. He draws up all the !rules and regulations which govern |the operation of the massive red ibrick building which faces Pennsyl vania avenue between f7th and Sth streets. pur. * THE sovernment experts have not 1 openea stands at Center Market |and engaged in the direct selling of {frults, vegetables and meats. Th bave, however, used the establish- ment as a sort of experimental lab- oratory where they have tried to work the kinks out of some of the cost of living riddles. They have studied such problems as; what constitutes profiteering; how a public market can be best managed to pro- vide most efficlent service for trades- men, producers and consumers; why some dealers are able to make higher profits despite the fact that their selling prices are lower than those of their associates whs st barely eke out a livelihoo# *=am their business enterprises. All the reports and receipts of the different market stands are open to inspection by the government repre- sentatives at any and all times. X- perienced economists are studyins and analywng these records for the good of all ine public markets and the consumers in the United States. Uncle Sam's desire is to engender more economical methods of food distribution throughout the country. The national experts have already found and corrected some flaws which heretofore have been fiies in the oint- ment so far as the expansion of Center Market business was concerned. The tradesmen and dealers who first reached the market in the morning de- veloped the bad habit of parking their cars and trucks in’ the most advan- tageous spots. In so doing they blocked off automobile traffic from their stands. Consumers who visited the market in motor cars experienced great difficulty * x *