Evening journal., 1901-09-17
FARMERS OF THE STATE HAVE
HAD A PROSPEROUS YEAR

Farmers this year have experienced
one of the most successful seasons for
a long time, and there is but little of
the hard times talk which not unOften
characterizes the close of the season.
In lower Delaware. too, farmers have
had an unusually good year. It began
with the strawberry crop which never
before was so successful and has con-
tinued good up to the present time.
Peaches soon viii, be a thing of the
past, and while small shipments will
be made until the first of October the
bulk of the crop was off by the last Of
August The fruit has paid as we'll as
could be expected, for the growth is
uncertain at the best. A crop the size
of the one this season. farmers say
pays far better than big one.
A war Is on between Gamers and to-
mato growers, and just how it viii ter
inmate is being looked forward to
with interest. For many years the
growers have been contracting with
Gamers for so many acres of tomatoes
at so much a tOn-S6 being the stand
ard price.
OF recent years there has been a
great demand for the vegetable in the
large cities. and firms send buyers all
through the State. Lucrative prices
are offered, and at the beginning of the
present season the vegetables sold as
high as 80 cents a basket The price
they receive from Gamers is about 10
cents a basket. Consequently. many
growers jumped their contracts and
sold universally to buyers. During
the past week the bottom fell out of
the market. and growers were forced to
carry their produce to the canneries.
Gamers say they are being imposed
upon and aver that they will take some
action if growers persist in jumping
their contracts
Farmers are very busy just now for
the tomato and fodder saving seasons
are on. The sowing of wheat soon will
begin and vacation days will be scarce
until the advent of Thanksgiving.
***
We have more than once urged on
readers to look to the nearby market
especially in the many sections o
country where Summer visitors con
gregate, and we feel certain that tn
best profits are to be secured in attend
ing to that trade. says the Practice
Farmer. Few farmers realize what op
portunities there are right at hand, 70
disposing of eggs. poultry, fruit, vege
tables, etc, at good prices-and 70
spot cash, too An illustration of hoy
a good business can be built up in
short time comes to us in a lette
from two young men. brothers, in Con
necticut, who started a small pOultr
farm half dozen years ago on 81
acres of land, they are now talking {
selling it so as to buy a larger placl
this being rather small for two The
have house room for about two hun
bred of laying stock, brooder house fC
about 1000 chickens, incubator room
picking and packing rooms, etc. &c
peach trees and other fruit. Within
or miles of them is a city of perhaJ
$4,000 inhabitants, two popular sun
mer resort hotels and a colony of co
tages. Our trade is at the -- hot
and in the city. We have more tina
we can do sometimes, to fill our order
Everything is dry-picked. and we hay
no trouble in getting the best price
At present we are getting 80 cents
pound for chickens. 30 cents for duck
Is cents for fowls and 2S cents a do
en- for eggs; prices of chickens az
ducks will drop about 8 cents a pour
next month. A comparison Of the
prices with prices current il Ptiadr
phia and New York markets WI ri
enc n good idea OF tkc r-a-.aa- G
CT THIS kind Of tsa1e These ma
started in to develop this local .ra
six years AGO. and their yearly. Blu.
ness has grown steadily, as the folio
ing figures show. Sales in 1896, SIS
in 1897 s1,229 40; in 1898. S2,9e5.59;
1899. s4,542.63; in 1900 s5.O62l
When we take into consideration t