Newark post., 1911-08-02
SKETCH OF THE HORTICULTURAL
DEPARTMENT OF THE STATE FARM.
PROF. MCUE'S WORK COMMENDED

The State of Delaware is a synonym
was associated with the finest peaches,
and it almost seemed from newspaper re-
ports that the prosperity of the nation
depended upon the extent of the inju. :.
of late frosts to the peach orchards OF
the State. Later the little diamond state
has become a great strawberry center.
Land that a few years ago was con-
sidered almost worthless for any pur-
pose is now selling for 800 to $3.50 per
acre to produce Strawberries. Buyers
from nearly every prominent city east
of the Ohio river bringing hundreds OF
thousands of dollars dump it into the
banks of the State in exchange for Della
ware strawberries to be shipped in re-
frigerator cars and less favored locali-
ties.
Later Delaware has made itself felt
as an apple producing State. Not on
account of the quantity grown, but ra-
ther because the fruit is so perfect in
| size, shape, color and flavor that it ex-
cells the apples from all other Staoes
| and sells for the highest prices to the
| consumer. So superior are these apples
| in quality and so great is the demand
fo rthem that one prominent grower told
| the writer that he once sold a single
barrel for $24 and $1.20 a dozen is fire.
quently obtained for Delaware apples on
| Philadelphia fruit stands.
Some of the pioneer orchardsts in lit
| tie Delaware would be called bononza
apple growers if they lived in the West
l urt,a ~; Law
scale. Ut is perhaps not generally
known that one farmer in this State who
has said but little and done much is
making 10 per cent on sl00, 100000 in
vestment from his apples. Another Is
now living on the sunny side of easy
street when a few years ago he was
playing hide and seek with the shereif
and won the game by hiding behind an
apple tree.
There is enough unwritten history o
the development of the fruit industry il
| Delaware to make several volumes 0
very interesting reading-reading tina
would appeal to almost any type o
mind, from high tragedy to the simp
record of rewarded honest endeavor.
The reader will ask the question per
haps what are the factors that hav
made the fruit industry so prominent il
| Delaware. There are number but tn
most prominent are soil, climate, ac
feasibility to the best markets, commun
ity of interests in fruit growing and tn
application of science, as fast as it ha
been developed, to the industry.
There is no kind of agriculture tina
has needed the assistance of the scien
| "a nrfAh hn ipr =
trees. Not only is it important to hav
|, the proper element of plant food for tll
, orchard, but in order to grow fruit
, the highest quality it is essential that tn
| nitrogen is not in excess of the phos
phorus and potassium. If it is the tree
will grow wood, but little fruit, and tn
l | of mediocre quality. Again, if the so
lacks potassium the fruit is likely to
2 deficient in color and flavor.
= Tillage plays an important part
4 | keeping the apples from falling OFF.
also effects the size Of the fruit. Durir
recent years the orchardist has bet
called upon to fight all kinds of nse
pests. The successful man recogniz
y the work of the insect that eats the fo
{ iage of the tree and distinguishes
from that Of the bug that either la,
it's egg in the young apple, peach
o plum, or seeks the juice from the lea
n or vines though it Is thus destroying
n functional powers. Each trouble ca
. for specific treatment which the sce,
tifc farmer has on hand and applies
d scientific manner.
h What has been said of insect troubl
y applies with equal force to fungus a
e bacterial troubles without the aid of t
: scientific investigator, who has led
/, way in the development of modern m
thods of growing fruit. Delawares
d come from the industry would be but
2, tthe of what it is today, in spite of o
/. soil, our climate, our markets, the
> would have been no community of int
n est, a factor whose value and importan
e can not be over estimated.
l. All of the problems in fruit growi
have not been worked out yet by a