Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-10-09
Dclaware's Fine Showing.

ware in 1919 reached the surprising apgre
gate Of 323, ,05o, ,oQ2, according to the re-
port of the Census Bureaus preliminary
figures. These show that last year ou
farmers greatly exceeded the averages ol
the six yenrs from 1912 To 1918. which was
SIT 7,O33, 900, and made gain OF l65 pei
cont over 1909. The value Of the grain
raised in Delaware last year was s0.63s,-
olO: hay and forage, s4,366,5i0, which
totals show thatstandard field crops repre-
sent almost two thirds Of the entire yield
of Delaware farms Vegetables Of all
kinds, including potatoes, are estimated at
s6,27l.Tl, and fruits, berries and nuts at
| 81, 500, ,So7.
Wheat is still the main cropin Delaware,
despite the belief that we are getting
away from raising grain, and turning our
attention TO other things. The increase,
however. in ten years, was but l33 per
cent which shows that the lead of this
cereal is declining, while the gain for corn is
but 90 per cent, indicating also that TINS
cereal ia not making much headway.
Probably under the stimulation OF war
pr;oes the acreage in both WAS shnormaily
high last year. Nearly two-thirds OF the
s53. COZ acres Of improved farm land IN the
State were planted in wheat, corn ana
forage. including grass. while 22,fSf acres
were devoted to tomatoes and less than
10. 900 10 other vegetables including three
and half square miles to peas
Notwithstanding the supposition that
the horse is rapidly disappearing, there
are 27,T52 in the State; ten years ago
there were only about about four thou
sand more-31 ,ea3-but there has been
greater loss in mule power. there being only
$40 OF the braying hybrids, which !"
loss Of almost 50 per cent in ten years.
There seems To have been no diminut,on of
the horse in the country, but IN the cues
and towns he is shown to be slowly bowing
to the automobile, and the number OF all
euuines in Delaware, not working on tne
farms. IN only 4,2oO less than there were IN
the cities and towns ten years ago.
Dairy cattle are the most valuable items
of live stock the $500 head including
33n26 dairy cows; are APPRAISED AZ
81. .3e4. 100. while the value OF the horsesis
s2.I72. COO. and Of the mules, 81, ,lbi, ,SH.
II is interesting TO know that our dairies
Welded II. .353. .3l6 gallons Of milk, scarce
ly million Of gallons more than IN lsoe.
Delaware hens laid 1925, 463 dozen eggs
in 1919, and these are valued at 81 ys9,-
sI2, which, with the chickens raised, and
valued atsl ,216, SAL shows that the product
of the descendants of the Blue liens
Chickens exceeds by s763,l7S the s1,-
$50. .I75 value Of the dairy products. 20
here, as elswhere in the country, the barn
ward fowl is relatively the biggest source Of
wealth of all the stock of the farm.
The Delaware peach crop has dwind cd
to 227, 1915 bushels this year. from almost
half that many carloads forty years ago.
and the strawberry patches in the State
last year yielded a,055,o2s quarts, the
apple orchards returning GEO, 2s6 bushels
The figures quoted from the Census
Bureaus report are particularly interest
ing in that they rhow, among other
things. that while there has been large
and increasing movement away from The
farms, leaving many without tenants. there
has been marked increase in the output
of the soil. It was believed that ali branch
es OF agriculture would be affected by this
exodus from the country, but daIrylne |
seems to have been the only branch IN |
which there has been decrease. The loss
in the number of cattle, however, is small,
less than a thousand in ten years.
The figures also report that the average
yield of the wheat fields this year WAS only /
1915 bushels TO the acre, and corn but
81 6 bushels. which is far below the IS
bushels Of wheat and IS bushels Of
corn grown on some Delaware soil this
year
With = total Of more than s23, 600, 600
produced from her lands, and with Slo,-
900. 900 more in live stock. Delaware has
reached the most prosperous hour OF all
her history. Her soil has brought 80 per
cent more than the splendid yields Of the
most prosperous past years, and she IS
gradually finding her way into new lines OF
agriculture. The farmers ere to be con-
gratulated over the outcome Of their
work. Despite the handicap Of scarcity Of
lelp. they have kept their hand TO the
,loyr and forrnd steadily ahead