Milford chronicle., 1906-01-12
SMALL FRUITS
OUR WEALTH.
Sussex County Leads Every County in Country
in Berry Crop.

One of the most mpTehensive ad-
dresses ever prepared on Delaware's
fruit business and its recent enormous
growth was made at the meeting Of
the New Jersey Horticultural Society
at Trenton, n. j., last Thursday by
Secretary Andrew Wilson Slaymaker
of the State Board Of Agriculture. Mr..
Slaymaker, who is himself the Lartner
in one of the largest uur-ery businesses
in the State, and managing several fruit
farms. makes some revelations in his
address which even the well.pOsted
Delaware horticulturalists do not know.
He said in part: -
"Small fruits have become one Of the
most important crops grown in our
little State of Delaware. Starting long
after the peach crop had made the
name of Delaware familiar to all, berry
growing has now outstretehed the
peach in value and importance.
SUSSEX COUNTY LEADS NATION
"We find from the figures Of last sea
son that Sussex county. Delaware, led
every other county in the United States
in the value Of its berry crops. In one
day, sixty three carloads Of straw
berries alone were loaded at Bridge
Vile, Delaware; and on the same day
fortv. four carloads Of the same fruit
were loaded at SebYville, making ovel
100 carloads of strawberries from these
two shipping points, in one day.
"It will be interest ting, l think, tC
note the causes that have led to this
great development of fruit'grOwing.
at is not on account of special, low
freight rates. Water competition il
not available and though comparativeIy
near the great consuming centres o
the country, we pay as much as il
charged to points 500 miles TO the soutt
of us. and more than some sections
equally distant.
NO SPECIAL VARIETIES.
Neither is the success of Delaware il
strawberry growing on account OF any
one variety Of special merit. Nearl!
all kinds have been tried and difteren
localities have reached widely ditferen
conclusions as to their merits Selby
willie has chosen the Parsons Beauty
and of her folty-IOur cars shipped II
one day and of the many hundred car
shipped during the season at least
per cent were of this one sort.
''At Bri igeville, only % miles away
there are hardly any Parsons grown
and there is no probability Of its con
ing into favor Bridgeville has vi
riety of its own very little grown an
were else. 1t is the Superior. 1t cam
from Virginia and found its most fa'
orable conditions at Bridgeville,so th'
while they try other kinds, they plal
: mainly of the Superior.
"The central and northern countie
: Kent and New Castle, depend largel
l on Bubach, Success and Tennessee
I While for late fruit, all over the Stat
the Candy or some OF its near OF X
. is quite largely grown.
/, WHY ms SUCH A SUCCESS.
"Among the causes that do thin
\ help to make this crop a success is Il
T light, kind, easily-worked soil, witho
3. stones and almost with out hills. Stra'
{. berries need rich soil with plenty
/ available plant food right at han
n Why then does the industry cling
|, the oomp paratively poorer soil OF o
D.; State? 1t is because the fertility e'
be SO easily supplied in the form
commercial fertilizer so that while o
rich neck lands may be the best
d trawberries, they grow such good Gro
2. of cereals that farmers have neV
q needed to try the small fruits on al
h large scale. But there is another co
,e dition necessary to success with t
70 strawberry and that is plentiful su