The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1908-04-04
Wealth On
Eastern Shore

Edward Van Alstync, farmer OF
Undertook, y. Y, recently lccturing
at the Institutes in Cecil. writing in the
New York Tribune Farmer from the
Eastern Shore, says:
"Th week finds me IN a region rich
in history and romancc-rch also in
its soil and products as well as the
Astounding sea food in the bays and
rivers The oyster industry alone, with
its fleet of boats IN every cove, is yield
ing wealth equal to that OF many OF
the IN mes oi the klondkc This was
the home oi the diamondback tcrrapin
So plentiful were they that there is
still law on the statute books pro-
hibiting man feeding tcrrapn to a
slave whom he had hired more than
twice week Mas! there is little dan
ger Of this now. for they are rare in
deed.
There are ne counties on the
Shore with Cecil on the north and
Worcester On the south, in Maryland.
with two Virginia couu,ic, farther
south These two counties. while as
low - those Just north Of them in
Maryland. are ui a light soil The
abundant water makes this land cN-
ceedngly product We. | was told that
their annual crop ui potatoes. inchd-
ing both sweet and white. was about
100000 bushels. Delaware. with its
three counties. near hv. j. a part 81 this
snore. and formerly belonged to Mary
land.
MANY ~ the old families have gone
from the farms. and a large proportion
al the best farmers are the descend;
ants 81 the ovcrSccr class Oi slavery
days-mcn who knew how to make
crop and to work They rented at first
and aitcrward bought many OF the old
They made money educated their
children and today are most prosper
ous farmers
The whole ui these Shore coun; cs
are very Hat. the lower countic, from
! To s feet above sea level. the upper
ones about =. and the rise is gradual.
They grow many strawberries Sea-
ford. in Delaware. last summer shipped
Il cars 81 them daily, with other places
not far behind Sweet potatoes are
largely grown. with good mary white
ones. both first and second crop
Tomatoes are coming To- be more
and more leading CROP Doubtless
Delaware. Maryland and Virginia W Il
be the places where tomatoes for can
ming will he most largely grown. Their
long season enables them 10 grow a
large tonnage. and yhcv ar" not re-
strictcd To- early varieties. which are
small yicldcrs As we reach the high
er levels we find many growing melons,
both musk and water, Corn and wheat
are staple crops from one end oi the
territory To the ithcr
North from here We begin "a find
orchards az peaches pears and apples.
The Delaware pen nsula was formerly
the great peach section While many
are still grown and there are some fine
orchards the most profitable orchards
in the State are on the mountain slopes
in Western Maryland The San Jose
scale is abundant and has DESTROYED
many trees The thorough work done
by the experiment station has put the
growers i'm command al the situation.
Predatory insects. including a large
number oi ladyhucs. have been quite
abundant the last season. iced ug on
the scale
The upper counties raise n good
deal 81 hay. and q goodly number oi
COWS are kept I'm the lower ones they
are cDnspicuouS los their absence. and
most 81 the cornstalkS are wasted Vet
butter sells for 90 cents a pound the
year around
There is a strip 81 country north oi
Dover. Del, IRON the Chesapeake IA
n. Il.