Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1870-07-07
Fruit Growing in sussex County.

SEVENTEEN THOUSAND QUARTS OF BERRIES GROWN
FROM TEN AcnEs--sniEoN PENNEw1I4L, OF
GREENWOOD, A SUCCESSFUL FRUIT GROWER.
One Of the largest and best cultivated farms
in Sussex county is that Of MrSimeon Pennewill,
at Greenwood. Formerly large grain producing
farm, it has gradually been merged into one of
the most prolific fruit producing farms in
Delaware. The raising of wheat, heretofore
the chief crop of the State with the exception
Of corn, in the two lower counties, has almost
been abandoned in those counties, and the land
occupied is being planted in small fruits and
peach trees Mr.Pennewill though not amongst
the largest peach growers Of the State, certainly
ranks amongst the largest raisors Of the straw
berry and raspberry.
Mr. Pennewill has in one tract Of land one
thousand acres, a large proportion Of which is
heavily wooded. He has twenty Thousand peach
trees, some of which have borne several crops,
but the larger proportion is just commencing to
bear The crop the present season, he thinks,
will be less than last year, when he had about
half crop, but whatever is lacking in the peach
crop is fully made up in the smaller fruits. He
has five acres in Strawberries, from which, the
present season, he picked nine thousand quarts,
averaging, after paying all expenses Of picking,
freight and commissions, about eighteen cents
per quart He has also five acres in raspberries
which are now in full bearing and from which he
expects to pick eight thousand quarts, which,
after paying all expenses will net him as
much as his Strawberries. Mr.. Pennewil
has from thirty to forty hands employed in pick
ing berries, to whom he pays two cents per
quart for picking Strawberries, and two and n
half cents for picking raspberries. The freight
from Greenwood to Jersey City is two cents per
quart, and the usual commission for selling il ten
per cent. Allowing for all these marginal OK
penses, Mr.. Pennywill's profits will show the fol-
lowing footing from ten acres of ground
Strawberries; 5000 quarts, at is cents per
quart; after paying all expenses, 5000
Raspberies; 5000 quarts, at Is cents per
quart; after paying expenses. s144O
Total, $1,000
1t is needless to say that Mr.. Pennewill is ell
tirely satisfied with his success grower of
small fruits, and il gradually abandoning
the raising Of cereals for profit, no more wheat
and corn being now raised by him than enough
to supply home consumption.
Not only il Mr. Pennewill turning his atten-
ton to tho raising of fruit, but the same may be
said of all the leading farmers of Kent and Sus-
sex counties, and the poorer class of farmers
are only prevented from engaging in the fruit
culture by the want of pecuniary means to enable
them to start in the business The experience
of the past few years is teaching the farmers
that the market cannot be overstocked with
fruit, especially with peaches; indeed it il be-
coming the settled opinion that if every foot of
available land on the Peninsula was planted in
peaches, the same demand would still exist.
Acting upon this i1ea Mr. Pennywill intends,
the next year, to set out thirty acres in small
fruit, and to largely increase the area of his al
ready large peach orchards.