Smyrna times., 1902-02-05
KENT FARMERS EXCHANGE
METHODS FRUIT CULTURE
MEETING OF THE KENT COUNTY FARMERS
INSTITUTE IN DOVER LAST WEEK.
Chinese Fruit Grower of Near Lincoln Enter.
tains His Hearers on the Methods Of
Agriculture 10 the Orient.

OF BrlugeVllle, DEL, VINO was lew
years ago an almost penniless boy, was
the principal speaker at the Farmers
Institute at Dover, Tuesday morning.
He took up the raising of small fruits
for a livelihood, and soon made for
tune. Out of the almost unknown crop
of dewberries he made $1,000. His ad-
dress was upon "Cultivating Small
Fruits. and he told of his methods of
setting out berry plants three feet
apart and fertilizing with nitrate of
soda.
There were about twenty impromptu
speakers, including r. NJ. Cooper,
who has extensive strawberry interests
near Smyrna, and County Treasurer
Pennell Emerson, a grower of small
fruit near Wyoming. The use of barn
yard manure was deprecated because
of tendency it has of softening the
ripened berry.
State Senator Charles Wright, of
Seaford, gave some vigorous advice on
peach culture, which the farmers will
take up on a much larger scale this
year. State Master S. H. Derby, of
the Patrons of Husbandry, spoke on
"Apple Culture Assemblyman James
T. Shallcross talked on "Pears."
Senator Wright, in the course of his
address,, said
"There are about 100000 peach
trees in Delaware, and the shipping on
August %, 1900, from Bridgeville alone
amounted to 80 carloads, mostly of yel-
low fruit. 1t would have reached 60
carloads had there been a demand for
white fruit.
CATER having grown several million
trees in the ursery and many thou
sand in the orchard, would say that
the best tree for planting is good one
year tree, two to three feet in length,
and the. best time to plant is i'll the fall,
where the tree can push out young
roots all winter in mild weather, and
not have to grow roots and leaves at
the same time.
''As whole, the peach business has
been profitable to Delaware. The
days for making fortunes on the crop,
however, have passed"
Chinese Farmer Addresses Institute.
The Farmers Institute in second
days session had a most remarkable
experience Wednesday. A brilliantly
educated Chinaman, DIR. Yam Phon
Lee, who lately graduated from Yale
and came to Delaware, locating near
Lincoln, believing that with his educa-
ton there was more money, health and
genuine enjoyment in growing Della
ware fruit than in any other avocation,
delivered a mastery address. DR..
Lee, while Enthusiastically Mongolian,
has little if any of the Chinese accent,
talked for nearly an hour on "Chinese
Agriculture. Some of his best say
ings were:
'The Empires revenues are mainly
derived from land taxation, export and
import duties and the salt monopoly
In China the government can take
away mans land without compensa
ton. Because no machinery is used
but only the rudest implements, a 10
acre field would be considered a good
sized farm-big enough for one maj
with wife to help him.
"The Chinese farmers wife is seldom
as delicate as your women. Her fee
are not bound like those of her cit
sisters. She has been trained to worI
from childhood and as she usually goe
barefooted, with her hair tied up i'll
knot, her head imperfectly protecte
from the fierce sun by straw hat, an
wearing loose trousers and blous
made of coarse linen cloth with short
narrow sleeves that expose her sinew
) arms, she can be hardly distinguishe
from the men, and oft-times can lift a
much and do as hard days work 9
any of them.
"The farming implements consist {
/ a plow-a combination of beam, shar
+ and handle roughly put together;
Y harrow something like your rake mas
s nified five times, a grubbing hoe and
b wooden rake.
d with such simple tools and clums
e animals, Chinese farmers, by workin
s from sunrise to sunset are enabled [
i raise enough food for 400, 900, O0
= With anywhere from so to 500 peop
p to the square mile every foot of till
g BILE land is necessarily brought und,
d cultivation.
Good ROAD Movement Discussed.
The subject of making and mai
tanning good roads was thorouhly di
cussed at the afternoon session, Il
subject being opened by Profess,
! Robinson of Delaware College, wi
4 delivered an interesting address