Milford chronicle., 1923-10-05
GOOD CROP SEASON
Continued from first page)

keting, brought about by the bureau
of markets, of which w. T. Dericksol
is the chief.
Keifer pears are bringing highe,
prices this fall and the crop is al
unusual one. Ordinarily the farmer O
lower Delaware was satisfied if he got
20 to rs cents a basket for his pears
This year he is getting 65 to 20 cents
basket or three times the usua.
price. Again, grading, sorting anC
careful attention paid in packing the
pears is bringing this result.
The sweet potato crop in Delaware
this year was about the amount rails
ed last year This is due to the fact
that farmers did not go into the rails
ing of sweet potatoes as they did last
year, and this was brought about by
failure to dispose of the sweets at
profitable prices last fall.
One of the big problems that con-
fronts sweet potato growers is how
to prevent them from rotting in store
houses. Last fall the same farmer
stored the same potatoes in the same
storehouse in Seaford in separate bins.
They were the same potatoes, raised
under the same conditions, and stored
in the same house under the same
temperature-but the potatoes in one
bin rotted and the other kept. What
caused this, no one apparently knows.
The farmers and agricultural experts
have conducted their own private in
vestigations but so far no definite ans
wer has been obtainable. If the pota-
toes could be stored with the assur-
ance that they would keep until the
market made selling profitable there
would be a larger acreage in sweets.
The modern method of marketing
potatoes has been illustrated in one
incident that occurred last winter. A
farmer who did not have to dispose
of his crop of sweet potatoes made a
trip to Philadelphia with Chief Der
ickson and they visited several likely
buyers. They succeeded in disposing
of this mans crop of sweet potatoes
at 50 a bushel hamper, an almost un-
heard of price.
How Good Packing Pays
But these potatoes that brought So |
a bushel were big roasting potatoes,
and each tuber was wrapped in paper
and carefully packed for shipment but
the commission man in Philadelphia
who contracted to receive these po-
tatoes was so pleased with the re-
turns he got from satisfied Philadel-
mia customers that he has come back
at this farmer this year and offered to
take all of the sweet potatoes that he
can raise of a similar size and char
acter at equally as good a price.
The farmer who does not pay Par
ticular attention to the marketing OF
his potatoes and other produce is the
man who loses, Chief Derickson says.
The Bureau of Markets at Dover is for
the purpose of helping the farmers in
+he preparation of their soil, the an
aIvzing of fertilizer and seed and the
marketing of their product. So far the j
Rureau has been able to care for the
calls made upon them in marketing
Delaware vegetables and fruit.
Fine Year for Tomatoes
Not only has the yield of tomatoes !
this year been better but the price
thew have obtained for tomatoes, with
+he execution of one week when a
Iot rinened prematurely, has been the
host average yield in the history OF
Delaware farmers.
Last year the average crop was pc
tween 5 and tons per acre. rms year (
the average yield was to 9 tons an
acre. .,4-, ,,oor
Rridgeville, who paid particular atten-
+ion tn his soil, fertilizer and seed'
nroduced twelve and one-half tons 10
the acre. III. oor-
oors during the winter at % cents
basket were the biggest winners TINS 2
,1oo1 Those who failed to CONTRACT
yvera not so fortunate because when
+bo g1ut came they found themselves
IN the nosition of having to sell thelr
tomatoes at any price they could get
Tho n1ice fell one week to eight cents
a basket ranging from to IL Genus 3
IN +be omen market But at this tlIne g
o1ong came New Jersey Gamers VINO B
I1o,gb+ IN the open crop and as re- g
sult fine price went back to 20 cents
boeI,e+ which was the price paid py 3
Delaware Gamers. s
Attention paid to soil, fertilizer ana s
seed is given as the reason Ior tne 8
boovv crop of tomatoes this year. +
those farmers who examined their H
and and bought only guaranteed 1er- 3
-iIizer and seed have proved the Dig 3
5ast winners. While the cost at the e
7,1tstart to fertilize the ground prop 8
,rly and to buy higher priced SEED g
s more, the returns showed the WIS 8
lom of this expenditure. g
Good Year for Grape Growers &
Although Delaware grape growers s
lid not obtain as abnormal price q
or grapes this year as they did in 3
922, the season just about closing 5
las been a good one. The yield was z
n average one and the prices OBJ s
aimed were sufficient to make fair +
largin of profit but nothing like the E
nusual and tremendous profits OBJ 5
aimed last year. 8
The soil and climate of Delaware is
fitted for the raising of H
rapes and this makes grape growing 3
l middle Delaware very attractive. 1t &
squires three years to produce crop 3
grapes from new vines but through g
le system of marketing the fruit that s
as been in progress for the last few g
ears, those who have devoted their s
,tention to raising grapes have made q
)lendid money. =
Last year grape growers Of Della 3
are got between 81 and $1.1O per g
.sket for their grapes This year the s
rices ranged from 80 cents to 60 p