Smyrna times., 1915-07-14
CROPS ABOUT SMYRNA AND
KENT COUNTY PROMISING
TOMATOES ARE PLENTIFUL sur
PRICES LOWER THAN LAST YEAR
Wheat will Hardly Average IS Bushels
to the Acre 5utthe Larger Acreage
Will Bring Total up to Normal

""i ortng otal up TO Normal
NJ. o. Pence. of Dover. county 40.
ricultural agent for Kent county
gives out a general description of the
existing conditions among the erors
OF Kent county, based upon ohserva.
tions made by him during recent in
quiries and investigation throughout
the county. Mr.. Pence declared that
the tomato crop is looking good but
II Will be unusually late owing IN the
havoc wrought by cut worms earlv in
the season. which necessitated the
replanting of many plants. He also
iears that the enormous army of pots-
TO bugs which has settled over this
section, and which has devastated
most OF the potato fields. will ad
vance upon the tomato plants and ser.
iously injure them. Alreadv the
growers are having difficulty in keen.
ing the insects off the tomato vines
Low Tomato Prices; Canning Industry
The outlook is not especially brigb,
Tor good prices for tomatoes this
year. the county agent explaines. due
10 the fact that a large number of
the canneTies have considerable %
last year 5 pack left on hand in the
storages houses The last years
stock may be Offset. however. bv the
government estimate Of a 10 per
cent. decrease in the yield of tome.
toes this year. The canneries in
Kent county will start canning toma.
toes about the middle of AuOust
Some of the fields are much further
advanced than others. owing 10 the
late setting by many growers due n
the cold. wet weather in the spring
and this looks like a long season. as
Dy Ihe time the tomatoes planted he.
fore the cold spell are gone the onas
planted later will be in bearing q.
mi'ar conditions exist in the eoyn
crop the corn having been held baek
by cold heather. In a number of
helds the young corn plants were
killed of and the fields had 10 he 20.
planted. There are also many weeds
IN some of the fields due to the fact
that the wet weather prevented them
from being worked at the time II v.s
necessary. There has been a sligb,
increase in the acreage Of corn. While
there are no corn canneries in Kent
county 1t is estimated that there is a
per cent. increase in the acreage ~
sugar corn for the canneries in The
other two counties.
Wheat Will Average IS Bushels 10 Acre
The wheat crop yield per acre il
far Below that Of last year. although
the total is nearly normal. the sv.
erage yield being about Is bushels 1
to the acre. while many are even {
less. The prices are starting off at '
81 bushel and the growers are ex.
pectlng much higher prices later in !
the year. Last year the prices I
started at 7s cents a busbel and Q
increased rapidly to 81. 60 a busbeI d
an excellent price. Around SMYRNA j
some yields are turning out as low as \
lO and IL bushels to the acre. The
highest reported is that of G,lbert F
Pratt who received 80 bushels IN the Y
acre from one field and "a bushels TO o
ne acre from another, his Leans a
Sroilne Variety taking the lead az c.
usual. Last year Mr.. Pratt made a
'henominal record of his Leap's
'rollhe with an average of one field n
u % bushels to the acre. Cantel. Il
'upes will also be late this year due S
o the many bad stands resulting from a.
utworms and other insects necessita. b.
ing much replanting. What acreage y,
u eanteloupes there is in Kent county q,
ooKs good at the present time II
'"e@t potatoes have also been held hi
aek but are starting off nicely now. II
Big Increase in canteIoupe Acreage Is
There has been big increase in the 10
ereage Cue to the good prices re h
eived by the growers last year. and o.
ne awakening Of the Delaware ~
armtr to the fact that the SANDY soil r.
n his farm which he at one time At
hought to be worthless is Just the r.
ning for sweet potatoes. There has to
cen some loss among the sweet DO. at
ato growers due 20 black rot. but
le growers are getting il well un-
sr control. There has also been a ce
g increase in the acreage Of al W
ilia' due to the many successful Co
.anns IN all parts of the county.
MS crop has been found to be one Of by
ie most profitable Of any grown in at
eia"are' and the growers are ex- inf
'cting especially good prices this o.
sar "a the oth.~ - 70