The daily gazette., 1883-08-08
FARMING IN LANCASTER
Tobacco Rsising-SOme Comparisons That
VIII Surprise Our Delaware Farmers.

Tobacco Rsising-Some Comparisons That
WIN Surprise Our Delaware Farmers.
Especial correspondence OF the Gazette.
REFToN, LANCASTER Co., Pa, August 4
"A Delawarean visiting Lancaster county, !,
is surprised at this reputation it h, secured
for the excellence of It's farm lands He
wonders that Delaware has not secured
world wide fame for its lands. True, Lau-
caster county has arrived at high state of
cultivation, but there are lots of land MOI
five miles from Wilmina ton as good If not
better than any in Lam aster county.
Why, the farms up here do not average
over 20 bushels of wheat to an acre, while
any good farmer near Wilmington raises
that much, aud many of them have as high
as 80 and 40. Of course the higher figures
are exceptional cases. When your CORE
spondent left Wilmington corn had been
opened in the market for sale for some
time, but here 1t is, with few exceptions, not
ripe yet, and where l am stopping they had
corn for dinner yesterday, and they
thought 1t such wonderful thing
they told all their visitors about their
having corn so early. Another thing that
contributes to the value of land is, that tine
farmers are economical, thrifty and scien-
tfic. When say scientific, | mean they
use the latest improved farming implements,
farm on certain and determinate principles
and utilize every foot of land. Nothing goes
to waste. Something is found to grow
on every foot of ground and
it is rare iistance where the
same article is grown the second or third
year on the same land. One year the Lam
caster county farmer VIII plant corn, the
next he will let the land go as pasture and
then follow that with either wheat or oats
The tobacco lie then put in and kept there
for two or three years.
There is one thing that this County leads
In and that is the price of land. One
cannot buy any kind of farm
whatever for less than 5000 to
$3.50 an acre, and some land brings
as high as $500. These seem like high fig
ures, but they are facts A iarm near here
was sold at executors sale few days ago
and the terms were cash. The whole farm
of s5 acres brought $l6,S30, an average of
$198 per acre. In consequence of this no
such large farms as you meet with In Della
ware are seen here, and it is rare thing to
meet with one containing over 1875 acres; 90
and 100 acre farms are spoken of as large
ones. The main cause of these enormous
prices for land is the growth of tobacco In
these parts. Tobacco has done much for
Lancaster county. 1t has made many OF
the farmers wealthy and made Its land val
liable. 1t pays better than any
other product of the land.
but requires considerable outlay and
attention. Two acres will require one man g
constant time and attention. 1t amply re-
pays him for everything, and If 1t turns out
well, will bring him all the way from $3.50
to $l00 an acre, and 1t is more toward the
latter figure than the former. Since tobacco
has been grown here some farmers who
were worth very little are now very wealthy
and retired, and run their farms on shares
with tenants. There is no reason why 1t
should not do the same for Delaware
farmers. 1t pays better than peaches and
can stand more, and Delaware soil is re-
markably well adapted for it.