Milford chronicle., 1921-04-01
REPORTS FROM ALL
SECTIONS OF STATE
ARE PESSIMTSTTC
PEACHES ALMOST TOTALLY DESTROYED.
PEARS, CHERRIES, STRAWBERRIES.
PLUMS OUNCES, SUFFERED.
HUGE CROP WAS EXPECTED
APPLE Men HAD PLANNED TO MAKE
THIS YEAR The GREATEST in HIS
TORY FOR DELAWARE FRUIT.


D. nent fruit growers throughout the
state, all indicate that the prospects
OF bumper fruit crop in Delaware
were blighted on Monday night last
when the temperature dropped to 2f
degrees, and ice formed to the thick
ness of over half an inch. While the
., exact damage will not be ascertained
for several days, preliminary exami-
nations of orchards in all parts of the
;, three counties indicate that the dam
y age will range from $1,5OO,OOO to s3.-
100000. While the estimates differ as
7. to the monetary value of the loss sus-
- tanned by fruit growers, all agree that
the fruit crop is almost DESTROYED.
= Orchards in Kent county, and es-
|, pecially in that section in the i'm
r mediate vicinity of Dover, Wyoming.
Rising Sun and Magnolia, seem to
. have been the hardest hit. Reports
from that section all agree that the
trees were almost all damaged by the
ice and frost. The later the report
received, the greater seems to have
been the damage.
According to DR.. C. A. McCue, chief
of the experimental station at the I'm
iversity of Delaware, the fruit crop
in Delaware this year was estimated
to be worth 100000. On Tuesday he
said that the growers had made efforts
to make this years apple crop the
largest in the history of the Diamond
State. He said further that an accu-
rate estimate could not be made as
yet, and that all depended upon the
temperature Tuesday night. If it re-
mained cold, or the temperature fell.
/ tho frUif in, h.
total loss for this year. Frost formed
on tuesday night and it is safe to say
that it completed the damage already
started by Monday nights freeze.
A 60-degree fall in temperature
marked the advent of the cold snap
in Delaware, the thermometer drop
ing to 20 degrees in the Grubb's
Corner section.
Strawberries in some sections were
reported killed, in other sections the
plants were reported not far enough
advanced for the frost to reach them.
Garden truck generally was i'll this
stage of it's growth.
In Sussex and Kent counties the
growers consider the peach and apple
their money crop, declared Coulter
Messick of BridgeVille and these have
been about 80 per cent damaged. He
said unless first estimates were too
far wrong, the year would be total
loss to the farmers there. Some little
hope is held for apples there, however,
as William Early" varieties were not
very far advanced, and it is possible
that some of the buds were not killed.
The buds of other apple varieties were
killed by the cold. The ice in that Sec
tion of the State Tuesday morning was
as half inch thick, and the
20. There was much hail
and the ground was frozen hard.
Strawberries were not far advanced,
and hope is held they may have es-
capped severe damage.
Only one note of optimism was no.
iced in the reports from growers on
Tuesday. Frank Maloney, who owns
'art of the large Terry and Cooper
just south of Dover, declar-
ID that there may not have been as
much damage as might be supposed.
lie said that with the wind blowing at
uch high velocity, as fast as the
ain fell, it did not have time to freeze
efore it was blown away.
F. c. Bancroft, former Master of
Delaware State Grange and a large
each and apple grower of near Cam
en-, Del, states that he finds very
tile encouragement after inspecting
is orchard. With the Thermometer
OWN to 26 at his place, the peach and
)ple trees which were out in full
OssOm, have been hard hit; Just how
I'd, time alone will show.
Josiah Marvel, part owner of the
elaware Apple Company, which owns
e largest apple orchard east of the
ssissippi river, at Bridgeville.
owing more than $4,000 trees, de-
lred that it was entirely too soon
make any accurate estimate of the
mage done, and that it would take
yeral days investigation before a
u estimate could be made. Over
1000 bushels of apples were expect
from this orchard, this crop being
first since the trees were planted
ven years ago.
Whole Peach Crop Killed
'ate reports from orchardists in
sex county to the Farm Bureau
Georgetown, found that early re-
is had been entirely too optimistic,
that despite the heavy winds of
lday night the rain had frozen in
DlOSSomS Oh the fruit. Agents of
big commercial orchards reported
Tuesday afternoon that peaches
e entirely killed as were the
rs. But that early apples were
ut ninety per cent killed and late
les about eighty per cent killed.
Wberries suffered but little dam
These. reports were official.
eports from Laurel say that fruit
5 and small fruits were damaged
nd all hopes. The amount of the
age cannot be estimated at this
but the opinion of the farmers
fruit growers is that the entire
is killed.
short fruit or crop year means
throwing out of employment per
who depend on picking fruit and
ing in the crops to make a livli-
The basket factories near Laur-
Ill be obliged to close, as there
not be sale for the fruit car