Milford chronicle., 1926-08-06
PENINSULA LAND
ADVANCES $5,OOO,OOO
In PAST nine MONTHS


This was the statement made at
Oceon City, Md, recently by Harvey
I Hill. Executive Vice-President OF
the Del-Mar-Va Eastern Shore AS
sociation in addressing the joint
summer meeting of the Maryland
State Horticultural Society and the
Peninsula Horticultural Society. Mr.
Hill had for his theme, "Del-Mar-Na
Demonstrates.
The year 1926" said Mr.. Hill Will
live in local history as demonstra-
tion wear. In succeeding years we
will look back upon the facts, plans
and experiences which have come TO
ms this year as the result Of work
ing together toward definite ends.
MIR Hill enumerated among the re-
cent valuable experiences OF the
Del-Nar-Va Association a demon
stration of the falsity of the theory
that if a man writes better DOOR,
breaches a better sermon or makes
a better mouse trap than his fellows
the world will beat a path to MS
door" Del-Mar-Va," said the speak
er. has for generations possessed
all the advantages it now enjoys;
but it is only recently that II mas
witnessed an unprecedented rush OF
tourists over her finely built roaus
and been in a position to welcome
the vanguard OF an army Oh ne"
home seekers.
"There are more foreign cars upon
Del-Mar-Va highways" said Mr.. Hill
"than have ever been seen here be-
fore 1t is not an accident that this
inrush comedies with the first COM
nrehensive advertising campaign
ever undertaken by the Peninsula.
A wear ago there were two hoteIs
whose combined registrations served
as an infallible index Of Del-Mar-Na
travel. During the summer OF 1870
both of these hotels were kept open
at a heavy loss; and they were also
usually empty over week ends dur
ing the fall, winter and spring mon
tbs. This year these two hotels are
crowded seven days in the week.
Their increased registrations date al
most from the first week when Del
NIar-Va advertising first made It's ap-
nearance in the press Of the large
cities surrounding the Peninsula.
Another fact which the Assocla-
tion has demonstrated is that Del
NIar-Va lands need not be a drug
lpon the market. Up until very re-
Gently land buyers made land prices
on the Peninsula. This is no longer
true. Within the past few months
there has been a hardening of prices
all over the Peninsula; and in GER
tain sections there has been a mark
ed advance. Del-Mar-Va has enter
ed the beginning of a sellers mar
ket; not one that carries with 1t any
of the aspects of a boom but never
thelesS one which is distinctly en-
couraging to owners of surplus lands
A pI6minent Peninsula banker stat
ed yecently that during the past four
months more land has been sold at
fair prices in Dorchester, Wicomico
and Talbot Counties than was sold
during any proceeding twelve
months since 1918. The market for
all Peninsula general farming and
trucking lands is constantly lmproY-
ing; and it is most encouraging to
observe that the majority of new
Comers are persons of standing and
financial means in the communities
from which they have emigrated. 1t
is this hardening of prices and in
crease of land turnover which is the
basis for my statement that the
wealth of the fourteen counties com
prising the Del-Mar-Va Peninsula
has increased at least S5,OOO,OOO
since the first of the year"
In mentioning other advances
made by the Peninsula during the
past year Mr.. Hill dwelt particular
ly upon good prices obtained for the
earlier crops; and upon the recent
high yield of wheat acreage. 1T is
almost unbelievable that unphos-
phated lands have actually yielded !
ed from 81 to so bushels OF wheat |
to the acre. That is something for |
farmers on the high-priced lands OF
the Middle West to talk about. They
will doubt it. But we can give them
the names and addresses of farmers
whose wheat acreage produced these
results"
The next moves to be made are in
the direction of better marketing
and through highway traffic over the
to Norfolk. eve are now
bottled-up. Our means of egress at
the southern end of the Peninsula
areinadequate. We must appeal to
the Pennsylvania Railroad, which
has done so much for the develop
ment of the Peninsula, to give us
adquate and more frequent ferry
service from Cape Charles to Nor
folk. The Atlantic Coastal Highway
from Florida to Norfolk will be COM
Dleted by spring Of 1927. The hard
highways from Canada,
New England, New York and Eastern
Pennsylvania to Wilmington is al
ready completed. The roads over
the Peninsula from Wilmington to
Cape Charles are well-nigh perfect
The only thing in the way of thru
traffic over the Peninsula from the
North to Florida is the lack of ade-
1uate ferry service at Cape Charles.
We have down there exactly what we
had twenty years ago,-no more and
no less. In the meantime, 1900 miles
Of concrete highways have been built
at public expense on the Peninsula.
We must ask the Pennsylvania Rail-
road which is the Peninsula's biggest
and best business partner to help us
shorten the route between the East
and Northeast and the South, by ex-
Danding it's facilities at Cape Char
les.
With reference to marketing, Mr..
Hill pointed out that eggs from Pet
lluma, California, are regularly SELL
mo- for, hioher nricec in Now York