Smyrna times., 1918-10-16
WHOLE NO. 1924
BUSY PACKING SEASON ENDS.
HOffecker's Cannery Closes Season
With Pack of $4,000 Cases-Busy
Season ThruOut Delaware.

OedSOn lnFuOuL delaware.
The canning houses of Smyrna,
Clayton and vicinity have closed down
with probably the largest pack in sew
eral years. The J.H.Hoffecker Co.pack-
ed about $4,000 cases, nearly 10000
more than the previous years. Baker
& Walls, at Clayton, packed about
Is, 900 cases. The tomato crop
generally speaking was a full one,
tho to many growers a disappointing
one as to prices. 1t was the contract
grower who was in it this year. and
at so cents basket, a farmer with an
average acreage realized many thous-
and dollars from their crop. While
the tomato canneries have closed in
this vicinity further down the state.
pear, apple, and pumpkin canneries
are holding full sway. The total pack
OF canned pears will run into manv
thousands of cases and the big trucks
loaded with pears are now a familiar
sight along the country roads. The
pears are bringing unusually good
prices for a bumper year, ranging
from 25 cents to AZ cents a basket.
The smaller prices is paid for the
poorer grade of fruit which was dam
aged by the hailstorm which passed
thru the state several months ago.
The pears which were hit by the hail
plainly show the effects and are
classed as half pears. Canneries
Which never considered pears are
packing this season and the work will
probably result in the canning of
pears becoming regular part of the
canning season. The packing has
also resulted in many farmers putting
out pear orchards, thus bringing to
Delaware another money making
crop.
Canneries are now putting up apples.
Fall apples are now coming into
the market of the choice varieties. es-
pecially the famous Stayman Wine
saps, show why Delaware is destined
to become known thruout the world as
an apple growing state, for they can
not be eXcelled by any state in the
not be eXcelled. Not only are thew
large, symmetrical in shape and
beautiful in cOlOring, but their flavor
is delicious. The Grimes Golden. mel
low and tasty, are also proving great
favortes. All fall varieties are bring
ing excellent prices, and growers are
reaping as large harvest as thew did
on the early and summer apples, when
record-breaking prices were realized
by the growers. While the canning
plants have not yet undertaken to
handle apples, Delaware's newest in
dustry, the Apple Products COMPANY.
at Dover, is using them in vast quan-
titles and turning them into all kinds
OF delicious products. The plant has
already become famous for its prime
fruit Jellies and is rapidly achieving
tame for its original apple butter.
This concern is also using pears in
making pear cider, pear vinegar and
pear jellies, besides the regular meth
od of canning the pears in sugared
juice in halves.
Packing Pumpkins and Sweet Potatoes
Canneries are also busy cannino
pumpkins and sweet potatoes. giving
promise that in a few years Delaware
canneries will be known everywhere
and will pack about every thing grown
on Delaware soil. Already corn .toma-
toes, ,beans, ,chicken,plum pudding.pears
beans, chicken, plum pudding, pears.
pumpkin, sweet potatoes and even
turkey are canned to some extent in
Delaware and the list is GROWING
larger and the pack greater everv
year. With canning factories to take
care of the crops, Delaware farmers
are getting so that the freight service
Is becoming no longer a bugaboo to
them.