Middletown transcript., 1869-03-27
Aortitultural department.
Fruit i'm Delawarc.


to the Wilmington Commercial as follows -
Somewhat over four years ago, l left
Brooklyn, N Y. in search Of Q home for
myself and family. After looking and
searching in many parts of our country, !
decided to settle in Sussex county, Della
ware, for the following reasons; First,
could get better land, for less money, than
at any other accessible point, so near the
great markets. Second, it is as healthy Q
place as any I know of, and was born
and raised among the hills of Connecticut
for twenty years, where it is supposed to
be as healthy as any place can be. Third,
l could grow fruits, vegetables and the
like, and get them in the markets from ten
days to two weeks earlier than from New
Jersey, and thereby get the highest price
for them For the above reasons decid-
ed to settle here, and now, after living
here over four years, might add many
more why / should stay here, and Why
others, situatsd as very many North and
East are, should also come aud settle here.
Sussex county is about as far south as
one can 60 for the purpose of growing all
the small fruits, and get them into tho
Philadelphia and New York markets fresh
and in good order. Here We can gather
our berries and vegetables to-day, and to-
morrow morning they are in Baltimore,
Wilmington, Philadelphia, or New York
markets, as we may prefer. Fresh and in
good order. they sell for the best price. g
Of the cultivated small fruits, but little
or nothing was done in the way Of growing
them for market until three years ago, when
some of the newcomers made start IN
| the way of putting out straw berries. We
had to get our plants fromsthe North, and
not knowing what kind would do best, We
got about all kinds, mostly of the worth,
less sort, and put them out in all ways;
and yet they have paid us well. But could
we have known at the start what kinds to
plant, and the way to do it, We should
have done better. With my present ex-
perienos. could only recommend to those
about to put out Strawberries in this conn
ty, the Agriculturists, Wilson's Albany,
and Triomphe dc Gand; plant in early
Spring in rows two and half feet apart,
and foot in the row; cultivate thoroughly
keep off the runners and if your land is
rich, you may count on getting from 2, 1000
to 5000 quarts per acre, which will sell
at an average price of twenty-five cents
per quart in New York city. ,,sn
Of raspberries, but little has as yet been
done in the way of planting. What few
were shipped last season from here sold for
seventy-fve cents per quart in Philadel-
phia market. They were the Philadcl-
phia variety. tsg
OF blackberrics, but few have as yet
been planted. Owing to the great guam
titles of wild ones, many have not thought
it worth while to cultivate this fruit but
there is no doubt that the Wilson's early.
planted here, will pay as well as any small
| fruit crop grown, from the fact that they
are out of the way before Hale's Early
peaches are ready for market. Peas.
grapes, early apples, cherries, ounces and
hops have been planted, and 80 far promise
to do we'll. .-e
The Delaware Railroad Company is do
ing very much to encourage new settlers,
1t deducts one-third from the regular rates
of fare and freight for one year to all new
settlers; and, SO far as my experience
goes, ! have found 1t ever ready to ac-
commodate the public to the best of its
|
abundance. The price of oysters ranges
from twenty-five to fifty cents per bushel.
Our schools are pretty good. SO far rs
they 60; but the best we can do at present
in Sussex county is to give q good COM
mon education. The old settlers are as
good and kind-hearted people as any one
need wish to live among. Most of their
ways seem odd and strange to newcomers;
and yet, after one has been here little
while he will be very likely to adopt some
of them.
Peaches are the great fruit crop of this
State, eight car loads having been shipped
in single day from this station, or about
4, 600 baskets. Most farms have from 500
to 4, 900 trees and some have from 6, 900
to 40, 900. But few of the very large or.
chards are yet in bearing. Those who sell
their peaches to the speculators generally
get, when there is q full crop, about fifty
cents per basket, or one dollar per bushel,
delivered at the station. This season the
crop was light, and they got $3.50 to
A.. 90 per bushel From one hundred to
one hundred and seventy trees is the nuua-
Der generally put on an acre, or from six-
teen to twenty feet apart each way. The
trees usually begin to fruit in three years
setting; and at five or six years they will,
with good care, produce one to two BUSH
els per tree. sss7
And now let me put light on the rock
that some split upon in coming to Della
ware, or, for that matter in settling In any
other place. They start expecting to find
heaven on earth. thinking they know
all andno one else anything, With but
little money they buy large tract of land,
running in debt for tho most of 1t, and
with their hands In their pockets expectto
live like nabobs. Who can succeed with
such Ideas in their heads in any place
To all who have capital and are willing to
| work, we say there is room enough in
Delaware. You shall be welcome. Buy