Evening journal., 1907-09-03
PENINSULA AS A GARDEN.

N RECENT years, owing to different methods
practiced by the farmers of Wicomico county,
Md, OF which Salisbury is the county seat the
value OF farm land has advanced considerably.
Yet to stranger, it looks as if the price is too
high for the quality of the land. When, however,
1t is known that this land will produce several
crops during the year the increased value is not
surprising. The up-to-date farmers are taking
advantage of the location of the county, its near
ness to the markets of the big cities. The New,
OF Salisbury, points out that truck of all kinds
can be picked in the afternoon and landed in the
markets of Philadelphia and New York the next
morning in fresh condition. Refrigerator cars,
of course, are employed
The farmers are applying up-to-date methods
in the raising of their truck with the result that
it brings advanced prices The fruit and the truck
are picked at the proper time and much care is
exercised in the packing AS a consequence
everything goes to market in excellent condition
This care pays, as the returns of the commission
men show. This year, despite the failure of the
peach crop, the strawberry, blackberry, buckle
berry, potato, watermelon, canteloupe and tomato
crops have carried to Wicomco county more
than million dollars. An estimate of the values
of these crops is given by the News, as follows:
Strawberries .....:........... 100000
Iiuekleberries ............... $4,000
BlackDerueS ................. 10000
fotatoes .................... 100000
Oanteloupes ................. 100000
WatermelOnS ................ 100000
tomatoes ................... 100000
The foregoing table does not take into account
the large yield throughout the country of cucum-
bers, raspberres and other small truck, which
would probably swell the income by $rooooo
The consequence of this development is that
farms which formerly brought only $40 an acre
will sell to-day for from $50 to SIS the acre.
The experience of Wicomco county can be du-
plicated in other parts of the Eastern Shore Of
Maryland A few years ago the cultivation of
truck was started on a large scale in parts of
Caroline county. The farmers were successful
and the value of their land rapidly advanced
There is no doubt that the Peninsula is the gar
den spot for the producing of truck and fruit of
all Sorts and the mere fact that the peach crop
has become uncertain, both in the yield and the
profit, should not cause the farmers of Delaware
to return to the cultivation of the grains as many
of them are doing.
The Delaware counties are more advantag-
eously situated as regards the big city markets
than arc the Maryland counties. There are rail-
road and boat facilities from most Of the Della
ware towns, and the growers are able to get their
produce to the city markets rapidly Sussex
county seems to be making rapid advancement in
the producing of truck and fruit, and is keeping
pace with Wcomico county. There is no reason
why the farmers of lower New Castle county
should not engage in truck raising to a larger
extent than they do. They would be in position
to compete easily with the Maryland counties
The New Castle county fair, now going on,
shows some fine exhibits in grains but the fruit
and truck are not what they should be for a COM
munity like this county.