Milford chronicle., 1926-08-27

spread and difficult from the fact
that every state produced record
crop of fruit and growers rushed
them off to OverstOcked markets.
Carloads ROtting in Orchards
Precisely the same conditions ex-
plain or will explain later the slump
in the peach market and down
through all the products of the farm
including grain which was grown
this summer in recOrd-breaking
abundance everywhere.
AS an illustration of the losses in
volved by the drop in the fruit mar
ket it may be vited here that under
the trees of Evergreen orchard 40
carloads of the fruit has already rot
ted and perhaps many times more
than that will likewise be left under
the trees. Similar conditions prevail
through the apple belt of Delaware
and it might not be an unreasonable
estimate to place the fruit that will
go to waste on the trees this year at
more than half million bushels.
Instead of being an asset this year
the apple may be a liability. This
applies to every section of the coun-
try where apples are grown.
Cost $1.0O a BuShel to Grow Apples
Mr.. Bancroft estimates that the
, apple cannot be grown and packed
for less than dollar bushel and
the cost of raising peaches is about
the same. From these figures it may
be discerned that the apple and
peach market will leave a void in
the orchardists' strong chest.
The proposal to use the apples for
cider-making brought the response
that the price of cider is so low that
one cannot earn any profit by rails
ing apples for the purpose. Only
surplus ones can be salvaged by the
process of getting the juice. To turn
all that are unsOld into cider would
bring that beverage down to the fig
ure where it would not pay for the
manual labor of the undertaking.
With these losses and setbacks,
Mr.. Bancroft thinks the farmers
should grin and bear their losses as
best they can and he warns them to
not let anything shake their faith IN
the cultivation of the apple as pro-
fitable crop. He points out that
while apples have not proven very
profitable in the last four years, he
insists they will come back strong
in the near future and backs his
faith by continually enlarging his or
chard until 100 acres are devoted TO
the culture of apples. In addition to
the setbacks cited he finds one OF his
worst perpleXities comes from the
cOdIing moth. This elusive pest
pitches it's tiny tent under the bark
of the apple trees, and undistur0ed
by spraying that destroys almost all
other insect life, it matches out It's
cocoon which despoils the fruit by
burrowing into the core. These pests
! seemingly pick the choicest specI-
mems for the home and feasting, and
the losses they infict are not incon-
siderable.
They have appeared in surprising
numbers among the Delaware or
chards in the last two and three
years, but they, too may be overcome
if carefully watched and hunted.
Cold Storage May Tighten Losses
The main hope of orchardists this
year, according to Mr.. Bancroft, Is
putting the best apples in cold stor-
ace in the hope that the market may
improve during the winter. There Is
also the possibility that there will DC
a considerable demand for apples for
export but this is not regarded SO
desirable pecuniarily as the domestic
market.
Such a generally unfortunate sea
son has not occurred before in TIC
experience of the famous orchardist
Never has such combination OF adj
verse conditions been grouped since
there has been farming and fruit
raising in Delaware. Perhaps never
before in the history of the country
have the crops of the field, the or
chard, and the vine been so tremen-
dous.
The old days of peach growing are
recalled by conditions of the NOM
ent: a big full crop of fruit meant
no profit for the growers.
Delaware Apples Best in World
Mr.. Bancroft's confidence in the
ultimate prosperity of apple growers
in Delaware is further substantially
based on the claim he makes thai
our fruit is the best grown on any
soil in the known world. He says the
federal officials are of the same op1n-
| L. l. hnk hn
Delaware are unequalled for theil
splendid flavor and the fine quality
of the flesh. Such claim he declares
is conceded by expert judges of the
fruit in every country especially II
England where Delaware apples are
preferred over all others.
This superiority, unattainable II
any other section, is ascribed to the
properties of the Delaware soils
These the government and analysts
group as a Sassafras series which in
cludes loan silt, loan, sandy loan
loamy sand and sand. Almost one
half of the soil area in the State is
included in this sassafras series
which is said to represent the plus
ultra of soils for fruit.
With the continued adversities ar
rayed against the farmer in 1926 it is
not likely that the value of the pro
ducts of the state will decline as
much as they did during the period
of 1919 to 1924. In the latter year the
value of all products Of Delaware
soil was S11,848,440, a total drop o.
$5,534,261. 1t was $17,482,701 in 1915
following the close Of the war.-Sun
day Star.