Evening journal., 1914-07-01


world. Now draw a line up the Hud-
son River to Albany, and thence
straight east to the Atlantic Ocean.
and you have II 100000 of people, a
dozen or fifteen Of the richest and
most luxurious cities in the country:
cities which have mans wealth and
mans demand for fruit and vege-
tables Of high quality. You have the
greatest fruit market known in an
equal area on the face of the earth.
and the demand for fruit is increas-
ing wonderfully. You have no con-
ception Of how people are demanding
more fruit and better fruit"
All of these Eastern cities are
growing in population and in wealth.
They become more luxurious every
year, and these great fruit markets
are within easy reach Of the most
delicate and the most perishable pro-
ducts Of the Delaware farmer. The
extreme lower end of Delaware Is
nearer New York City than half of
the State of New York.
Soil Of the Peninsula.
The soil is alluvial The surface
Is only slightly rolling, but enough
so to insure good natural drainage.
Wherever the surface dips below the
surrounding land open bitches of
moderate depth allow the rainfall to
drain away speedily, and every foot
of well-drained land on the Peninsula
is valuable land. But the soil is not
uniform; IL varies in character all
the way from stiff heavy clay to
sandy soil of an extremely friable
character, easily TILED and produc-
tive. In a general way It may be
said that the soil gradually becomes
more sandy from the northern to the
southern end of the Peninsula, but
this is intended rather to mean that
the proportion of sandy land in
creases as we 90 south, for there is
more or less strong clayey loan in
all parts Of It, and there is some
sandy land in New Castle County.
The red or yellow clay loan may be
called our best and strongest soil. Il
produces full crops Of all kinds of
fruits and vegetables; OF grain and
grass; is fine for pasture. and with
good tillage and proper rotation of
crops requires only moderate
amount of fertilizer or manure to
produce the heaviest crops annually.
This red clay may not always come
TO the surface. but may lie a few
inches below a friable sandy loan,
and for some purposes a sandy topsoil
with clay subsoil is stiil better than
the clay surface, for Il dries out more
/ quickly after a rain, Is more easily
/ titled, causes vegetables TO mature
/ earlier. and hence often TO catch the
best prices In the market, and upon
10 fruits gain a richer color. The
heavy. white clay Is found I'm small
scattered areas, disappointing until
IL has been well drained and filled
with vegetable matter by the appll-
cation of manure or by turning under
green crops II is excellent for pas
ture and for hay, and when the sea-
son Is favorable Il produces large
crops of corn and wheat. The sandy
loan Is not adapted to grazing, but
is very desirable for market garden
ing, for fruits. early potatoes. sweet
potatoes and for alfalfa and many
other crops There is some black
land, so called because of its color
due to the presence of a large amount
of vegetable matter, mostly a sandy
loan, low-lying, so that the water
| level is near the surface, and thus It
/ rs ideal land for Strawberries
!
These different varieties of soil re-
/ Quire different treatment to yield the
/ best returns People who are ac-
/ quainted with the agricultural con
/ ditions In other states and countries
sneak of Delaware and Eastern Shore
soil as kindly" and this word is
very appropriate and expressive In
this connection. Every grade Of
Delmarvia soil responds in a very
| remarkable manner to ullage and
manures. The effect of green manur-
ing Is marvellous; cowpeas, soy beans,
crimson clover and other leguminous
crops when plowed under make the
sandiest soil wonderfully productive.
The poorest sand can be made to pro-
duce forty to fifty bushels of shelled
corn per acre every year and from
one to two tons of clover hay without
the application of any manure or fer
tilizer. The crimson clover is the
secret Of It. Plant the corn In the
spring, SOW the clover seed among
, the rows of corn at the last cultiva-
tion. The clover grows in the fall,
and all winter during the open spells,
{ and in the spring is ready TO plow
under. Repeat the operation and by
3
, may be cut for hay. and in ten years
. the poor sand has become a fertile
retentive soil, producing two crops
! every year. The crimson clover
natures and is cut for hay about the
middle of May, and the corn crop will
mature before frost if planted by the
first of July This process of i'm
proving sandy land is fastened by
the application of a little dissolved
rock and muriat9 of potash to the
corn and clover for the first three OF
four years, and much larger crops are
grown. and every pound of these fer
tilizers applied will pay for itself In
the following crop. The great fact
stands out plain and clear that the
Delmarvia Peninsula soil in the Del
marvia climate is capable of produc-
ing upon itself the green manure that
will make il as fertile and produc-
tive as one can ask, at the same time
producing good yields of a staple
crop. This is not true of the land
. in cold climates where the growing
season is short.
General farming, stock raising,
) grain and grass are profitable. But
E the character of the soil, the warm
} climate and the nearness TO market
r make a large number of specialties
. still more profitable To discuss the
q quality of the soil in comprehensive
;. way il is necessary 70 consider some
r of the climatic conditions as we'll as
u temperature and the distribution OF
e the rainfall II a soil freezes six
e months in the year. and by drying out
III T. "a -t.n-