Evening journal., 1901-10-03
RICH
In Her FARMS
TiIIerS Of the Soil Have a
Veritab.O Paradise
MUCH LAND IS CULTIVATED
As Wheat, Corn and Vegetable Grow
CrS We Rival All Sections Of
Like Area

Interesting statistics OF agricultural
products Of this State are contained in
bulletin Just issued by the Census
Department, Of Washington.
The document states that the soil, es-
pecially in the northern part of the State,
is a rich clay loan. suited to the growth
Of nearly all kinds OF crops. Much OF
Sussex county Is sandy. and better adapt
ed to the culture of fruits, melons and
sweet potatoes than TO general farming.
New Castle county has the largest area
of good land, and It's farms are more
highly improved than are those of the
other two counties in the state. The
average value per acre of the land in
farms in New Castle county, exclusive OF
buildings. is S45.2s; ia Kent county. $3.50.
and ia Sussex county, Si2.52 The re-
ported gross incomes OF the farms lthe
values of the products not fed 10 live
stockl are ON an average. Si0.S9 per acre
in New Castle, S7.2i in Kent and Sass In
Sussex.
Disease and unfavorahle climatic CON
dtious have n the last twenty years ma
terialy reduced the number of peach
trees. notably ia New Castle and Kent
counties This loss has been balanced
in part by an increase in the number OF
! other orchard trees The frosts of 1893
almost wholly destroyed the peach crop.
and seriously injured other orchard
| fruits: hence the small value OF all or
chard fruits reported. S2G3, l21. The only
Peaches grown We're In the region border
ing Delaware bay which partially cs-
| capped the frosts The total production
was $3.50 bushels from 2.4il $50 trees.
! Delaware is one of the few Atlantic
I States that have not practically ahan-
/ donod the cultivation of wheat. In 1899
il harvested 1ls,7iO acres. producing 1870
$40 bushels. with a value Of si,247 O55.
! The acreage and yield were larger than
reported at any previous census.
PLENTY or CORN GROWN
The value of corn was greater than
that of any other crop or product. The
acreage was 192025, and the value S1,725,-
ASP. Next after corn and wheat as
sources OF farm income were vegetables,
including potatoes. sweet potatoes and
onions. which had value in 1899 Of
S1144.22l. Poultry and eggs had value
OF Sl.0S4,792; dairy products, $685., ,S07i hay
and forage. $3.50. .S4S. ana animals sold and
slaughtered. $S2066i.
There are 1857 farms ia Delaware.
with an aggregate area of 1,066.22S acres,
of which 754,OlO. or 707 per cent, are im-
proved. The farms constitute So per
cent. of the total land surface of the
State. which is l,254.4OO acres.
The value of all farms June /, 1900,
was $S4, ,436 OiO, OF which amount SlO.667,
22O, or 81 per cent. represent the value of
buildings. The value of implements and
machinery increased from S5iO279 in 1860
TO 81. l5O $50 in 1900. Live stock increased
steadily in value from Sl,s49.2Si in 1S5Ol
to S4l9S,si0 in 1890 hut in the last ten
years has declined 21 per cent, and is
now worth $l,i1l,O54.
The titles TO the 4.7ll farms are vested
in $3.50 owners. an average OF 1.3 farms
TO each or the $3.50 owners 2,9S7 pos
sess one farm each, the others holding
the titles Of from two 10 fifteen farms
each.
or the 1851 farms. s,s69. or 9l.6 per
cent are operated 10y whites and SiS, or
S4 per cent. by negroes. or the latter
class of farms 297 are operated by own
ers and 30 by part owners.
The dairy farms have the greatest
average value Of farm property, and of
income represents the smallest per cent.
of the capital invested.
The dairy changes in the last ten years
are quite noteworthy. The milk pro
duccd in 1889 was lO,699.362 gallons. or
32S.5 gallons per COW; in 1899. 12,6Si .26S
gallons. or 1891 gallons per COW. The
total production of milk increased 1S.5
per cent, and the average COW 1874 per
cent. The total value of the dairy pro
duce of the State was $992,s07
PEACH CROP SHORT
The number Of peach trees in 1900 was
46 per cent. less than in 1880, and the re-
ported product in 1899 was only 2.1 per
cent. of that of ten years before. In the
ten years since 1880 the number Of apple
trees increased 66.6 per cent; cherry
trees. 46.7; pear trees. $3.50; plum and
prune trees, 1884. The yields of these
fruits show still larger proportionate in
creases.
GARDEN PRODUCTS VALUABLE
In 1889 the total value Of garden pro-
Ducts including small fruits sold, was
S22s, $50. Nearly three-fourths of the
acreage of miscellaneous vegetables was
devoted 10 tomatoes, and the receipts
from their sale comprised over one-half
the amount realized from all such vege
tables.
The amount expended in 1899 for labor,
including the value of board furnished,
was Sl.075.960. an average of S1i1.O7 per
farm. The expenditure for fertilizers the
same year was S539 O4O. an increase of III
per cent. over the amount expended ten
years before.