Milford chronicle., 1923-09-07

industry has grown by leaps and
bounds and today Delaware ships each
week of the Early Apple season about
one-fourth of the carloads of early
apples shipped that week in the United
States.
The apple growers early in the game
learned hat apples could not be
grown haphazardly. The Experiment
Station demonstrated to them that in
sect and diseases could be controlled
by spraying. Every apple grower in
the state worthy of the name now
sprays as a matter of routine of the
seasons work and thinks no more
about it than the wheat farmer does
of plowing his fields for seeding time.
Delaware today has more apple
trees per square mile of her territory
than any other State in the Union.
Enemies of the Apple
The Scab, and the Goblin Moth are
the principal enemies of the apple, but
modern science has demonstrated that
they can be controlled. A rapid evolu-
ton has taken place in control of
fruit diseases. At present the growers
are experimenting with dust to take
the place of liquid sprays. busting for
peaches is now standard practice.
The next few years will probably wit
ness such improvements in busting
materials and busting machinery that
busting will come into general use by
the apple growers.
Delaware has many natural advant-
ages as a fruit-growing State. Stu
n .0f fIa0
apeake and Delaware bays the climate
is so modified that winter killing of
tree or fruit bud is a rare occurrence.
Spring frosts trouble occasionally but
not to the extent to which many otker
fruit growing centers suffer. Della
wares fruit soils are kind, they re-
spond quickly to treatment and cul-
ture and give fine rewards for the en-
ergy expended upon them. Market fa-
cilities are rapidly improving. The
future problems of the grower for as
sured success lie in developing a
standard pack of guaranteed qualify
for his fruit. The experiment station
stands at his elbow to help him in his
problems of insect and disease con-
troll. His future is bright.
Some twenty-five or thirty years
ago young preacher demonstrated to
Selbyville and Baltimore hundred that
the strawberry was paying crop for
that section of Delaware. Almost over
night Selbyville became a great straw
berry growing center and late in May
and early in June of each year hun
dreds of refrigerator cars of straw
berries go out of Selbyville for Nor
thern markets. Bridgeville caught the
contagion and plunged into strawber-
ry growing and for a few years riv-
allied and even replaced Selbyville as
the worlds greatest strawberry ship
ping station.
The town of Laurel is also famous
for a farm product. Years ago that |
section of Sussex county south of the |
Nanticoke river began to develop a |
sweet potato industry and Laurel be- |
came the center of the industry. Sea-
ford, just to the North, realized the |
of the crop and today Sea-
ford and Laurel are rivals in the |
shipment of delicious Sweets" to Nor |
thern and Western markets. Outside |
Of two small districts, Paradise AL
ley," Southeast of FELTON,, and Hous-
ton, the Seaford-Laurel district holds |
The stage in sweet potato production |
in the State. The experiment station |
has worked out all of the sweet pota- |
to diseases except one, and has spent |
time and money on re-
search work on better curing and |
storage methods for sweets. The in
lustry is well established and with
proper advertising methods Delaware
Sweet Potatoes should capture the |
North Eastern markets. New England
S a peculiarly fertile field for Della
ware growers of sweet potatoes to
extend their markets.
Fine CantaiOupes Grown Here
Cantaloupes are also grown to per-
ection in Delaware. Hundreds of cars
ire shipped each season from Delmar,
laurel, Seaford and Bridgeville. South
.rn Delaware is one of the principal
,antaloupe growing sections of the U.
}. Disease control is a serious prob
EN- for Delaware growers. The Ex-
)eriment Station is hard at work try
ng to solve some of the production
problems of the cantaloupe grower.
The cantaloupe grower like the sweet
potato grower, is in need of better
of grade and quality of
Jack.
An article of this kind should not
init the grape industry which is pro-
sressing so rapidly in Kent County.
Delaware is rapidly coming to the
ront as an important grape growing
enter. The Delaware grapes are of
uperior quality. Her growers are in
wide-awake and progressive.
he future of the grape grower is
right.
The fruit and vegetable industry of
Delaware is greatly diversified and
apable of still further development
nd diversifcation.
The tomato canning industry of
delaware is world famous and capable
still further development.
Other vegetable crops of minor i'm
ortance but many of them subject to
reater development are Irish pota-
pes, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, sum-
Ter squash, lima beans, onions, sweet
orn for canning, canning peas, fall
ettuce and numerous others.
In possibilities of markets, soil and
Innate, Delaware is veritable gar
en- Sunday Star.
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