Smyrna times., 1926-09-29
THE DEL-MAR-vA PENINSULA
What is Being Accomplished in Var
ious Counties on Eastern Shore

Cecil County-Is fourteenth in size
in the State. Land area 241, ,280
acres, 70 per cent of which is improv-
ed farm land. In value of farm prop
erty the county ranks eleventh lin
value of domestic animals eighth, in
value of crops thirteenth. The agri-
cultural system followed is largely
general farming, with dairying the
major livestock industry and hog pro-
duction next. The third in importance
in livestock is poultry with sheep and
beef cattle occupying relatively minor
positions. In fruits, apples and
peaches are raised commercially and
either sold locally or shipped to Phil
adelphia. There are a number of very
successful orchards in the county.
During the past year there has been
a tendency to establish blackberries
on a commercial basis. Sweet corn,
oats, alfalfa hay, timothy, and clover
hay, tomatoes, asparagus seed, as
paragus roots, asparagus, soy-bean
seed, soy-bean hay, and grapes, are
commercial crops in this county.
Talbot County-Is devoted to gen.
eral farming with canning crops, dairy
products and orchard fruits among
the specialized industries. This coun-
ty was the first county in the country
to secure county agent with the or
ganization of the Extension Service in
1914. Talbot County is the second
county in Maryland in point of stand
ard schools. Talbot has six schools
sufficient to meet the standard re-
quirements.
Somerset County-The present pop
ulation is evenly distributed over the
county, with the exception of the is
lands and marshes. There are some
thickly settled districts where agricul-
ture is of secondary Importance to
the sea-food industry, as in the neigh
borhood of Crisfield, Danes Quarter,
and Deals Island, and sections on the
necks that extend into the bay. The
population of Somerset County, ac-
cording to the 1920 census, is 24,6O2,
of which 20,486 is rural. The popula-
ton of the most important towns are:
Crisield, 4,116, and Princess Anne,
968. There are numerous smaller
towns and villages scattered through
the county. A number of these are
off the railroad, having been settled
when public roads and navigable
streams formed the means of trans
portation. The most prosperous and
growing towns, however, are along
the railroad. Crisfield is one of the
leading shipping points for seafood in
the United States; and Princess Anne,
the county seat, is in the center of a
good farming district. New York,
Philadelphia, and Baltimore are the
most important markets for the pro-
duce Of Somerset County, and when
prices warrant produce is shipped to
more distant markets The local mar
kets, which are small, consume only a
small part of the farm output. The
towns along the railroad and all the
steamboat landings are important
shipping points. Land values in this
county range from SO to $3.50 an
acre, the average assessed value, ac-
cording to the 1920 census, being $44-
so an acre. The important factors
that influence the sale price in this
section are drainage conditions, ,wheth-
er there is any merchantable timber
on the farm, and the condition of the
buildings.
Salisbury-Bank clearances, repre-
senting cash business transactions
during the month of July were equal
to many cities twice to three times as
large as Salisbury, according to the
reports of the "Babson's Sta
tistical Bureau"
According to the Marketing of
Farm Products" by DR.. A. H. Benton,
Head of the Department of Market
ing and Rural Organizations at the
North Dakota Agricultural College
the Eastern Shore of Virginia Pro-
duce Exchange is a fine example of |
what successful cooperative market
ing organization is. 1t has served as
a model for other Associations and is
with having brought prosper
ity to its members whereas operating
crops but selling independently have
not enjoyed the same prosperity.
"In 1924 the Eastern Shore of Vir-
ginia Produce Exchange handled g.
'69,397 barrels of Irish Potatoes, and
;45,072 barrels of Sweet Potatoas !