The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1908-03-27

~ nNM@ 80
aIe!ou Acreage Will Show Grcat In
erase ~ Ac-cG1S-H.aS.ShcS Now
Moving 90 Northern Narkcts-S<~
Nfsw OF I'ruoh Situa: on by Truck
ing Joarnal.
Practically no damage was Gone
the strawberry crop by the faIl OF
snow and cold weather last week, re-
ports from many sections having
bcen received by the Carolina Fruit
and Truckers Journal OF this city,
and that paper will in its issue today
give a review Of the strawberry
situation and vegetable outlook AZ II
appears at this time. The Journal
will say:
Long distance telephone and t"le-
graphic reports TO The Carolina Fruit
and Truckers Journal from the lead
ing strawberry and vegetable points,
+ like C~hadbourn. Tabor. Cerro, Gordo.
/ W hiteyille. Grist. Clarkton. Bladen-
boro. Currie. Atkinson. Rocky Point,
Burgaw. Wallace. Teacheys, Rose
Hill. Warsaw. Faison. Mt Olive,
G~oldsboro and New Bern. report no
damage to speak of by the slight
snow fall OF last Friday night and
the coo weather following the next
day. The editor OF this paper has
personally visited several strawberry
fields within the range OF this terri
: tory and Is in position TO onhT-n the
. correctness OF these reports The
warpl. sunshiny weather OF the pre-
! viaus week had Sc: the vine to
glowing at "A rapid rate. however.
; and the fields are today covered with
blossoms, with new ones blooming
cv"-v night. There are at this une
I millions n millions Of well form
ed berries on the vines, but in a ma
iority of instances the growers have
{ taken the preCaution TO straw their
plants well and otherwise provide
every protection and safeguard
7 against the possibility OF damage by
cold, etc.
Never within our recollection have
We known so many fields 10 bC 40
well cared for and strawed az this
season. In other words the reduced
acreage has enabled the growers TO
better provide the necessary protec-
ton against such losses from cold
waves n frost as they have rus
tanned in the past. Anothe- tainE
this insures a higher grade o. fruit
and a far superior berry than We
have heretofore known, and which In
turn should command better prices
than the growers nave been able to
| secure OF late years. That Is L. saw a
higher grade of fruit should readily
command higher prices, and thereby
place a premium on thrift and III
dustry. Should this result be obtain
ed we may reasonably expect still
better things in the future. The
~,1 tha-nCA~A fnNrnlynn tho aksa
and support OF the commission mer-
! chants and dealers To his end.
The lettuce crop this spring is fs1-
y up TO the average while the quail
ity of the product could hardly be
surpassed. AT least such vas tbs
case until the past few days. Ship
ments have already begun to move
out by express quite freely n tho
carload business will begin In the
very near future. The excessive wet
! rcather OF tine past wetl, however,
is damaging the lettuce croD more oJ
less, as well as rCtlrdinS shipni,nt &
for il is a well known fact Ihat lot
tuce Is more or less OF a dry weather
vegetable. The spring crop, however,
has never been a failure, and despite
the ~downpouring rains of the past
week we can safely venture on "A
good average crop. If the prices will
only show up as good as the lettuce
itself our people will be happy and
have money TO spend. RadishCs are
moving now to the northern markets
quite freely, yielding the growers
good returns. Irish potato tops arc
beginning to show their heads above
the ground, while many gro xers are
planting freely of beans, cucumbrrs.
beets, and the other varieties Of
vegetables to come along 4 little
later.
THE cantaloupe and melon acreage
will show the largest Increase this
season ever recorded over any pro
vious year. Everything seems proIuis-
ing. The Coast Line people say they
Will have ample motive Dower for
moving all trains promptly and on
schedule time, which they have never
had before, while the Armor Car
Lines and Fruit Growers Exuress are
punching their cars by the hundreds
at different points throughout the
trucking belt, preparatory TO greater
activities next month. From present
indications strawberries will begin 10
move inside OF three weeks, although
weather conditions from now on win
nave much to do with determining
the date OF these shipments and
shaping the result"