Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-04-22
DELAWARE FRUITS LITTLE HURT.
DOWN STATE REPORTS INDICATE:
FROST BLICHTS STRAWBERRIES
Ice Formed Last Night Being Pronounced in Northern
Section But Foliage is Well Advanced and Seems to
have Acted as Protection; Pennsylvania Orchards
Hit But Not Killed. Another Frost Due Toniqht

Although Il Is the general belief that
mo strawberry crop has been injured
by the frosts OF last night and the
night before, Delaware farmer. cx-
pressed confidence today that the
main fruit crops of the State have
hcen spared serious injury. The early.
or sweet. cherries are thought 10 have
heen killed. but the later or sour
cherries and the apple and peach trees
seem 10 have been little affected. they
Say.
IN the upper part OF the State. the
conditions are probably trle more
Alarming than In the lower counties
Judging from Information given to-
day by Newton T. Gr,ibb of Brandy
wine hundred. a member ot the State
Board of Agriculture Mr.. Grubb eaid
there was not only white frost last
night In his neiShborhood. but also
Ice formed aud was noticeable as late
MS 7 O'Clock this morning The froe,
there asst night was more pronounced
than on Thursday night. while In the
lower counties Of the State last
nights grost was almost in.ignifican,.
compared with that " the nigh, be
fore. according TO fruit growers
Mr.. Crubb attended dinner az the
Hotel du Pont last night and on his
way homo. around midnight. as he
wae crossing the Baltimore & Ohio
railroad at Harvey. he said he could
see tracks made by an automobile in
the frost covering the road In the
dim hight the frost had almost as pro
nounccd an effect as light fall Of
snow
Mr.. Grubb said he made a hurried
examination ot hie cherries, plums.
apples and pears this morning. and
while 70 ie too early 70 draw any CON
cmsion, he II hopeful that the foliage.
which Is well advanced. has helped 70
protect the buds. Mr. Grubb SPRAYED
his orchards yesterday morning. hut
tho wind later In the day dried things
out. and he believes the rain that fell
in tho afternoon and evening was also
dried out by the wind before the fros,
s~ne. He eaid he did not expect 20
know the rcrult until Monday or Tues
day
Professor {. A McCue q, the De
pertment ~ Agriculture ~ the Uni
Ners!ty Of Delaware said TODAY that
an examination OF the sweec cherry
trees on the college farm at Newark
showed that the buds had been killed
While 81 will take few days 70 de-
termine definitely whether the other
fruit blossoms have been injured. he
said. that. after making an examina-
tion. ne felt safe 20 say that they
were not hurt. especially the apple
and peach buds II the cold weather
continues. howev~. he said the frui;
crops will undoubtedly be affected.
/; was said today. on the Frank c
Bancroft farm. al Wyoming. that the
apple and other fruit blossoms did not
appear TO have been hurt 20 any great
extent. ThS was also the opinion
given by q. w. Newton. who has a
large farm near Isidgevllle. He said
that probably half OF his strawberry
crop had been killed. but outside Of
this he believes he has sustained no
loss worth mehtioning from the e.
fects OF the cold spell
Ice one-fourth OF an inch thick was
seen On some Wilmington lawns this
morning.
The temperature in Wilmington last
night registered as low as s3 degrees
above zero. while 81 was down TO 80
IN som. of the outlying districts.
T'hie was three degrees warmer than
the lowest on Thursday night.
Little Alarm In sussex.
Josiah Marvel. president OF the Del
aware Apple Co. was IN telephone
communication with Senator Oliver
Newton today. and received the as
surance OF the latter. who is the com
panys manager for the orchards
about Bridxeville that the apple and
peach trees OF Sussex county had not
been harmed by the frost and freezing
temperatures 70 the past two days.
Strawberry plants that have been in
blossom have been nipped IN some
places. but this hardly means loss.
only a retarding Of the crop. because
the strawberry plants will bloom
again. These blossoms are also known
as the most tender OF fruit blossoms
In New Castle county reports show
that strawberry plants have been
pretty generally blighted. and the
crop from THE section will likely be
late.