Evening journal., 1914-07-01

grown in Delaware. Bridgeville
shipped 425 refrigerator cars and
about seventy-fve ventlator cars
during the season, bringing to that
station about 100000 Selhyville is
the second largest shipping point in
the world. and there are other sta
tions from which train loads are
made up daily from the time ship
ments are fairly under way until they
close Prices at the station often
average from 20 10 cents per quart.
One grower at Bridgeyille received
S3.36O from twelve acres in 1902 In
1904 he cleared $500 per acre on
Candy after paying for picking and
crates. In one day he sold 3.16S
quarts at from IA TO IL cents per
quart, receiving a total Of $500 for
them, all gathered at one picking
from two acres. Strawberry growing
is increasing in extent and the prices
are running higher year by year,
showing that, like apples, the demand
is outrunning the supply.
The more labor fertilizer and care
put upon the crop the less the cost
Of production per quart, and the
better the fruit, and, therefore. the
better the price and the greater the
net profit. There are men in the bust
ness who have saved a competence
out Of t. The best practice is to
plant rather early, ranging from
January to March, setting the plants
from Is inches to feet apart In the
row and making the rows from 3 to 4
feet apart. The ground should be
prepared the previous season by a
crop of cowpeas, or tomatoes in
which crimson clover was sown, or
BY some other crop that will leave
the ground in good condition. Con-
siderable areas of low lying land are
found IN different parts of the State,
and these are often cleared of trees
or shrubs and planted TO strawberries
as the first crop after clearing. Such
land is ideal for the Candy straw
berry, which is one Of the most profit
able varieties. Fine, large fruit, that
will carry to market in solid bright
condition, always brings good prices.
When the ground is ready for plant
ing the rows are run out and from
500 pounds to 1000 pounds per acre
of a high grade fertilizer is applied
down the row and worked in and the
plants are set. In the autumn pos
sibly as much more is applied. II
the appearance of the plant indicates
the need Of it, from so to $50 pounds
of nitrate Of soda per acre is applied
In the spring. The plants are kept
well cultivated and are hoed by hand
about six times, the aim being to keep
the ground stirred often and free
from weeds. Blackberries and dew
I Il ,rfr rrrrfrfr
and have been very profitable, and IN
some localities the red raspberry was
for years the leading commercial
crop and one Of the most profitable
ever grown on the Peninsula.
Grapes.
Grape culture has not been exten-
sively practiced except in few
localities, including the vicinity Of
Smyrna, Dover and FELTON,, Delaware.
For more than twenty years the busi-
ness has been very profitable around
! Smyrna, and within the last ten years
vineyards have been planted and have
come into bearing near Dover. Some
! of these vineyards have been set by
experienced men from the best grape
| regions of New York, who pronounce
the soil climate and other conditions
/ superior even to the best that they
| have known elsewhere. A large
Il amount of land in Delaware anC
Maryland is excellent for grape cul
ture and much of it is very cheap, Sc
that the industry is sure TO extend
wear BY year. There is no danger oi
an oversupply of this fruit so long as
it is of the fine flavor and appearance
! that it attains in Delaware when
] properly grown. There are many
! other fruits that are produced in
] smaller quantities, and there is no
/ reason why any expert fruit grower
may not select the kind or variety
that pleases him best, make a
specially of its production and make
money out Of it.
Vegetables.
Delaware and the Eastern Shore
Of Maryland and Virginia not
only excel in fruit culture, bu
produce many vegetables, such
as Irish potatoes, sweet pota-
| toes, tomatoes, cabbage, turnips
l and others in extensive commercial
quantities. The potatoes, cabbage
and turnips are shipped to market
but the tomatoes are mostly canned
at factories. The canning business
is an industry in itself. In one sea
son in Delaware the green pea
packed amounted to 141, ,O36 cases O
two dozen No. 2 cans each; valued
when ready to ship at S275,000 Th'
growers were paid S72,500. Swee
corn, $4,000 cases of two dozen each
total value, S110,000--of which tn