Show WORKS THREE ACRES pennsylvania makes living on small farm Is mostly due to the irrigation system which has been in stalled en place water la of utmost importance working three acrea or less to their fullest capacity fred V who lives within the limits of an eastern pennsylvania town Is able to make an excellent living mr con alnes himself mostly to crops that experience peri ence has shown him pay best in bis locality and sells the greater part 0 his produce la the market houses of his home town where regular cus bomers are eager for his vegetables at good prices writes E harrington in the country gentleman the plan of taking a stall at a market house Is one that has many advantages over the practice of selling from bouse to bouse which must be followed in more northern cities if one has private cus bomers during the season when bust ness Is dull mr Is able to supplement bis income by buying some produce to be retailed at market prices his three acres however together with two greenhouses keep him busy most of the time he practices the most intensive culture and uses water liberally the fact that he has city water on tap makes this possible indeed he says there would be little possibility of making a success in bis line of work unless water could be used without stint within the last year or two an arri gatlon system has been installed on the little plant several lines of pipe extend the length of the field running parallel to each other and are so ar ranged that the streams which they throw cover the entire area the alt ferent lines of pipe are governed by levers near the house BO that in a few moments time it is possible to have water playing over the entire field the pipes are raised on wooden supports perhaps a foot and a halt above the ground mr s land la divided into two fields on opposite sides of the street the irrigation system proved so satisfactory in the field nearest the house that it has now been installed in the second field in addition to abla plan of outside irrigation mr also waters bis greenhouse crops in the same way the pipes being eo arranged that the turn T ing or a lever win cause sprays 01 wa i ef 1 1 ter to reach the whole surface of the beds drenching them with a gentle t shower that does not wash out the smallest plants mr has found f this method of applying water a great convenience as well as a time saver the leading crop on this little plant la lettuce of which enormous quanta ties are grown the market price for lettuce varies but sometimes it runa as high as ten cents on several oc mr has had large 5 crops growing which he estimated as JS worth eight cents in the field for f i long time he considered big boston w the best variety tor his purpose but fa for the last two or three seasons has v been importing much ot his seed from germany having found a variety which proved a particularly good crop r per as well as producing well formed and attractive heads mr con elders lettuce or salad as it Is more if commonly known in pennsylvania y the best crop tor market gardeners of J limited areas especially in parts of tho country where the summers are j j very hot because the farmers cannot f raise it owing to the lack of sufficient water A largo part of the produce f 4 on sale at the market house Is brought 0 t in by farmers and the successful market gardener grows the crops they j A cannot well mature instead of trying to compete with them in producing A i such vegetables as cabbage and toma T toes everything depends upon taking 11 advantage of circumstances some i y farm ersi in pennsylvania isolated from good retail markets have found f cabbage a highly profitable crop 11 mr uses artlett caal shade during the hottest weather arranging a canvas covering over a part of his crop and finds the plan f worth while parsley and red beets k have proved excellent crops although the demand tor the former Is not so great that it can be grown in large quantities radishes celery and on a ions are also grown to some extent tho radishes finding a ready market very early in the season HI manure Is relied upon for fertilizing 1 the crops and all the cultivation Is done by hand wheel hoes being em aloyed to a large extent though con world in weeding is done on the hands and knees by the five or six i helpers who are employed during the i busy season the manure Is hauled from neighboring stables the hired i help Is secured wherever possible and constitutes one of the greatest problems ii mr has to meet in an attempt to solve this question of la bor mr has recently largely increased bis greenhouse area and i now hag square feet of glass I 1 heat being provided by two modern hot water boilers the greenhouses i are devoted entirely to growing ger II 11 tor cuttings this work gives employment to avo men throughout the winter and mr Is now able to engage his men by the year tie expects that this plan will largely obviate bid annual spring f worriment over the matter 0 laborers i to take caro of the summer crops great britaina Brit ains chicken crop num y febi r awa WO and the agricultural pi board 0 that saya it should ibe three almee that number v |