Milford chronicle., 1926-04-02
SUCCESSFUL MEETING OF
BERRY GROWERS AND
BROKERS ON SATURDAY
A Promising New Industry Well
Under Way At Selbyville, Sus-
sex County, Delaware.


meeting helG IN McGees theatre III
SelbyvlIIe recently. Getting to mar
kets quickly Dy trucks prompted the
Fruit brokers TO launcn this move
ment.
Gentlemen: Let me have your at
tention for a few minutes. You have
met here today body OF fruit grow
ers and fruit brokers, an OrSanlZa-
ton of men which has done more for
Selbyville and surrounding districts
than most people realize and more
than any other businesses represent
ed.
For instance, one only has to go
back twenty-eight or thirty years
ago. At that time I used to ride IN
town with my grandfather when he
was bringing his strawberries to
market. At that time, the whole town
of SelbyYille could have been bought
for $4,000 per acre. When you COM
pare that value of real estate in our
town with the present day value, one
can readily see that through some
industry great things have been
done.
While it is true this advancement
cannot all be credited to strawber-
ries directly, it is true that the larg-
er part of the credit can be given to
strawberry growers and fruit brok-
ers. Indirectly it has been developed
through this one industry because in
its infancy there were no other bus
inesses located here as they were
not needed. AS the strawberry in
dustry grew, other industries were
born and have grown.
It is true today we are not here to
discuss the matter of growing straw
berries. Yet it is true we have met
here to discuss a new industry very
similar and that is the production OF
bIackberries, which industry prom
ises to be of great value to our town
and community.
have been asked to discuss the
matter of growing blackberries IN
every detail and will begin first with
planting. When making land ready
for planting blackberries, it should
be ploWed the same as for any other
crop such as strawberries, corn, to-
matoes, etc. After plOwing it should
be made level by the use Of some
machinery. The acme-harrow and
drag are two well-known pieces OF
machinery in this section for such
purposes.
After the land has been made
smooth by such machinery, the rows
should be laid off five feet a part
and checked three feet a part, which
makes a check five by three. When
planting in this way it requires
twenty-nine hundred plants to set an
acre.
Now the question of fertilization
when planting comes into consldera-
ton. If you have or can get conven-
iently weIl-rotted barnyard manure
it should be used when planting un-
der the roots at the rate of small
shovelful for each plant. However
this manure must be very rotten and
spread about in the check. Do moi
throw it in a heap.
After placing it in this position
drag about a half inch of soil over
the manure, which will leave check
three inches to the good before get
ting to ground level. Place the plant
on this soil over the manure, spreac
the roots and then shovel in dirt tC
about one inch above ground level
This extra inch is allowed for rains
and ground settling.
- After they are planted in this man
ner they should be cultivated abou
as often as you would your straw
berries. Many growers report see
ing real action for a period Of three
years by using manure as described
under the roots. Do not use an.
other variety of homemade manure
under the roots. Neither use com
mercial fertilizer. A big handful O.
two of ground bone should be tinel'
spread about properly in the check.
If neither is available when yo'
are planting them, 1 recommend
YOUR spreading around the plants at
ter they are set handful OF hlgl
grade commercial fertilizer. Be care
full. however, not to throw 1t al
down in a heap. Manure from you
poultry houses can also be used al
ter the plants are set, but very spar
ingly and well spread.
compared with strawberries because
the rows are wide a part that yo'
may cultivate them both ways, henc'
having considerable in hoeing worl
which you must do to grow straw
berries. 1t may be necessary at times
during the summer to use the hoe
little around the plants to get ou
weeds and grass. If it it, 1t shoul'
be done.
want to impress upon you, gen
tlemen, the question Of fertilizatlol
at planting time because chemlca
fertilizer Of high analysis and man
ure from your poultry houses con
tain a high analysis of ammoni
which will kill the plants if use
under them when planting. When
was a boy fifteen-years-old remem
ber very well my first experience i.
planting blackberries. drove
horse and buggy over to town on
night and received a package con
tanning five hundred blackberrie
which had been shipped to me. Thes
I planted personally, and like mos
boys, thought if a little fertilize
would do a little good a whole Il
would do a whole lot of good.
therefore used about a pound Of hig
grade fertilizer under the roots {
the plants when setting. The resu
was I lost them all. This was les
son for me and one which paid fc
and it was not easy for poor fl
teen-year-old boy to pay for. Henc
skTTTI