Milford chronicle., 1922-07-07
STATES SWEET POTA-
TOCROP LEADS UNION
VALUE OF THIS PRODUCT in 1919 Was
MORE THAN $2,OOO,OOO.

Through information gained from
the United States Census Bureau and
careful investigation by the extension
workers, the Extension Department
of the University of Delaware has
compiled some interesting figures rel
atiVe to the vegetable crops of Della
ware. These figures show that Della
ware leads the Union in the growing
of sweet potatoes, and that this crop
has increased 400 per cent in acreage
since 1900. The Extension Depart
ment has given out the following
statement relative to the Delaware
vegetable crop:
THAT vegetable crops play an inn
portant part in the income of the
farms in Delaware is shown by the
value of $1,9O3,O17 for all vegetables
in 1919 not including white potatoes
valued at $95O,953 and sweet potatoes
valued at $2,634,237. OF the ten thous-
and farms in the state 68.5 per cent
are growing some truck or vegetable
crop for the market. The crops most
extensively grown are tomatoes and
potatoes, GIG per cent of the farms
growing the former crop, and 60.9 per
cent of them growing the latter crop. |
While sweet potatoes are grown by |
44.S per cent of the farmers of Della
ware the acreage is restricted to a
few communities in Sussex and Kent
where it becomes a very in
tensive crop. The per cent of farms
reporting the other crops follow:
Cantaloupes, 1877 per cent; peas,
per cent; cucumbers, GA per cent;
sweet corn, Sc per cent and water
melons 5.3 per cent. All other Vege-
able crops are grown on fewer than
i've per cent of the farm, such as as t
)aragus, beans, cabbage, etc. f
The acreage of vegetable crops =
ange as follows in Delaware: Toma- S
oes, 22,797 acres; sweet potatoes, f
,S1S; white potatoes, 8,255; canta- =
oupes, $500; sweet corn, 1916; peas, a
JAS; and the remaining crops are f
ach under 1000 acres. Peas, corn =
nd tomatoes are all grown mainly D
or canning purposes and the other N
rops are sold on the market. =
Delaware leads the Union in grow 9,
lg sweet potatoes. While there are B
lrger states growing more acres of -
weets, Delaware leads in quality of n,
reduction with an average yield of b
53.4 bushels per acre, followed by -
-aryland and the Eastern Shore of ~.
irginia. =
Sussex county, Delaware, leads all j2
le counties of the country in the
7erage acre return from sweet pota- sl
'es of 1926. Seventy per cent of all hi
le farms in Sussex county or a to- q
i of 3,770 are producing sweet po-
toes with a total acreage of 8,062. in
Essex and AccOmac, Va, counties ~, m
ad the world in the acre yield of -
veet potatoes with 1885 and 1863
spectively. The total value of this 20
op in Sussex county in 1919 was re- Ii
'rted as $2,377,44O on total produc- =
IN of 1,358,5S7 bushels.
"The State of Delaware grows an ia,
'erage of 9,813 acres of sweet po- fol
toes with a total production of l. =:
5.278 bushels, valued in 1919 at +rc
,634, ,237 It is worth observing that Hs
1900 Delaware grew but 2,265 acres 12'
sweets and in 1910, 5,229 acres
lich is 100 per cent increase in the on
oduction of the crop in the past two sol
cades. Realizing the strides that pa
We been made in recent years in I
this crop in Della pla
re, who can predict the future pos ga
'ilities of lower Delaware as :
licking centre" +