Smyrna times., 1926-06-23
PEAK OF BERRY CROP PASSED
AND SEASON is ON THE WANE
ONE MORE WEEK WILL SEE END
OF SUCCESSFUL BERRY SEASON
Yield in Some Sections Has Not Been
So Large-Prices Have Been Uni
fOrmly High During Season

Last week, it is believed, witnessed
the peak of the strawberry crop in
Delaware, although if the weather
warns up and the berries now in the
patches ripen speedily, the crop all
the week may continue steady. Be
tween ten and fifteen million quarts of
Strawberries will be the harvest this
year, the question of whether it is the
top or the bottom figure depending
upon weather conditions from now on
for the next two weeks.
Reports coming from the strawber-
ry sections, Sussex county leading in
the output, are varying. Selbyville,
which for years has been proud of the
fact that it was the largest strawber-
ry center, has had, because of wealth
er conditions, to yield the honors this
season to Bridgeville. Farmers, ac-
cording to where they live in Sussex
county, have had good crop or just
mediocre one.
In Selbyville there has not been
enough rain. Berries that came early
remained green on the patches until
they began to spoil. Bridgeville has
had just enough rain to make the
berries ripen nicely and the growers
have in many instances had an excel
lent season.
Prices this year have ranged fairly
high and the oldtime complaints of
berries ripening too fast or it being
too wet or too dry, have not been as
frequent. Berries coming from Della
ware this year have kept better in
transit, and this had added to the de-
sire of the commission brokers in the
large city markets seeking to get
lmore of them. This was due largely
to the slow development. Many ber-
ries reaching market were just about
ripe enough and there was no tremen-
dous over-ripeness about them. As a
consequence they seem to have re
tanned their flavor better and are
frmer to handle and not so mushy
as in other seasons.
Last year the prices were fair and
this years are just as good and on
some days much better than in 1925
This has been a great boom to grow
ers in the favored sections. 1t has not
been unusual in the past ten days tc
see between twenty and thirty. huge
motor vans and trucks at the Bridge
Vile station at in the morning
lwaiting for the farmers to come il
with their berries. AS rapidly as they
ARRIVED and the berries were purchas
led, the farmers received their none!
and the trucks started for Philadel
phia, New York or some Of the east
lern Pennsylvania cities where tn
market was good. Some Of thes
trucks will hold almost half as man!
crates as can be placed in a refrig
orator car, and other motor appar
atus usually gave them clear pat
when they saw them looming up on
Delaware highway. One trucking con
lcern in Wilmington has had as man
as seven truckloads of strawberrie
. out of lower Delaware some days tn
lpast week, and in addition to these
There are scores Of smaller truck
(which have hauled strawberry shiI
lment to nearby markets.
Another thing which aids this cor
dition is the amount Of fruit bein
put up in cold pack. Many cannerit
have been storing away the fruit *
lnext winters consumption at SOD
4 fountains and ice cream plants ar
: whenever the grower could not get
nr;ca he considered right from II