Smyrna times., 1919-07-30
MI WHEAT CROPS SUFFER
HEAVY LOSS FROM RAINS
,,pvERS ABOUT SMYRNA AND
CLAYTON ARE HARD HIT
Not So Bad As At First Reported But
Rad EnOugh-Haif Million Loss
IN Kent and Other Counties.


Rad EnOugh-Haif Million Loss
in Kent and Other Counties.
While farmers about Smyrna and
CLAYTON are figuring up their loss
from the effect of the recent nine
dsvs' rain on their wheat in the field,
. number of whom are not damaged
roar as much as they had anticipated,
tbe estimate published in the Will
rinCton Star, as coming from Prof.
Wesley Webb, secretary of the State
BOARD of Agriculture, puts Della
wares loss at about a million dollars.
aKent county alone, will have loss
of one-half million dollars and the
balance of the million dollar loss will
easily be made up in New Castle and
Sussex counties. In Kent the farm
ey expected a wheat crop of a mil
lion and one-half bushels. The So
called red rust struck it and cut the
prOpective yield down to about one
million bushels. Probably mot more
than one-tenth of this wheat was
thrashed when it began to rain every
day and it is safe to say, according
to Prof. Webb that 10000 bushels of
wheat have been ruined in Kent coun-
ty alone, loss of more than S400,-
900 and it is likely that much of the
remainder will be considerably in
iured. 1t is safe to estimate the dam
age BY rain at Cne-half million dol
lars in Kent county, according to Prof.
Webb. In other words, a crop that
should have yielded the farmers of
this county more than $2,000,000 will
not yield in excess of $1,5OO,OOO. Fig
ures Of the wheat yield in 1917, fur
nished by Prof. Webb, which was
about a normal year for wheat-1918
having shown a slight falling off
show that Kent is the biggest county
producer of wheat in the State. In
1917 Kent's yield was slightly short
OF a million bushels. New Castles
yield was 778,320 bushels and Sussex
wheat growers produced S89, 9,16O
bushels of wheat.
Sussex's COunty's Loss Very Heavy.
According to reports received by
County Agent NJ. C. Vaughn from
different sections of Sussex county, a
compilation on the wheat crop shows
that it is cut 40 per cent. below nor
NAL years. Based on observations in
that county and the estimate of the
expert forcasters, Mr.. Vaughn esti-
mates that the crop throughout the
Safe will fall short by 971,5S4 BUSH
els 1t is believed that Sussex pro-
duces approximately one-ffth of the
wheat in the State, and upon this as
sumption the loss to this county
would be more han $4,000 bushels. !
Which is considered high. The acre |
age IN lower Delaware this year, how
ever, was nearly three-fourths great
er 'han tve years ago, and about
equal OF that of last year. County
agent Vaughn estimates that thru.
out the State 20 per cent. of the loss
was the result of the heavy rains
wlthln the past two weeks, and that
OO per cent. was caused by disease.
reach and Apple Crops Hard Hit.
Frank c. Bancroft, of Wyoming.
uOeS not grow wheat himself but is
large grower of fruits, and he esti-
mates that Kent county, where most
'ne 1rult is grown, will suffer a
lO'S OF from $4,000 to 100000 on it's
peach and apple crops. Mr.. Ban
s-Ol' esumated that the loss on the
ooily peach crop will be from rs to
os per cent and that nearly all kinds
~ apples which were ripening while
e rams were on were damaged by
,al. Big losses ars also expected |
a., - ,ie nay crop and while not great
a.. 49,. u oats is grown in Delaware,
on 1' which was raised was practically
Eas H. DESTROYED. The corn crop, it is be-
To-. u' will be saved, though pota-
'Omatoes and some of the small
crops are probably badly damaged.
tomato Crop Will Be Cut Short.
>. me rain did considerable damage
- sOung tomato plants, especially
muse planted in low places. The