Smyrna times., 1926-02-24
STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE
PLACES WAR ON PLANT DISEASES
LAST YEARS EXPERIMENTS TO
BE PRESSED MORE VIGOROUSLY
By Coping With the Situation Expe-
ditely the State Board Looks for
Better and Larger Fruit Crops

by coping WIN tne SlIudIlOn EApe-
ditely the State Board Looks for
Better and Larger Fruit Crops
Following the efforts made last year
to keep down diseases that attack
fruit, vegetables and produce in Del
aware, and which were very success
full, the State Board of Agriculture
and the University of Delaware, CO.
operating with the United States De-
partment of Agriculture, will endeav-
or this year to minimize even more,
some Of the ills that cut down farm
ers' profits. Professor j. F. Adams,
plant patholOgist of the experiment
station of the University of Delaware,
who conducted important experiments
and investigation of various crop ills,
is authority for the statement that
the plant diseases the past year were
less than during 1924 and were about
equal to the ills that occurred in plant
life in Delaware during 1923. The
most disturbing factor, DR.. Adams
said, in commenting on the crop situ-
alton were the late frosts in the
Spring and the early ones in the Fall
and the prolonged periods of drought
and insect ravages. The general quail
ity of the crops harvested was above
the average with respect to plant ills.
One of the largest crops raised in the
State in the fruit Line is that of ap-
Piles. The production for 1925 is es-
timated at 100000 bushels with a
commercial production of 100000 bar
rels. Some idea of how this crop
prOspered last year may be gained
from the statement that this is an in
crease of $4,000 bushels and 10000
barrels over the year 1924. Last year
was about the best the apple growers
! ever experienced because the diseases
such as scab, black rot, apple blotch,
bitter rot, rust, fire blight and many
other ills were less frequent owing to
the scientific methods which the ap-
pie growers of the State are adopting.
They began with spraying just before
the leaves fell in the Fall and resum-
ed the work in the Spring and this cut
down the scab, which is the most
dreaded of the score of apple diseas-
es. With cherries, which is one of
the fruit crops not stressed by Della
ware farmers, Professor Adams says
the leaf spot and brown rot were min
imized but that the most damage
came from the late Spring frosts.
FrOsts were most damaging to Del
aware peaches, the years output be-
ing estimated at $4,000 bushels,which
was about half the normal crop. Sus-
sex county suffered the most. Brown
rot showed an increase, some of this
being attributed to rainy weather
with low temperatures the last week
in May. This caused peaches to spoil
on the way to market and affected
them considerably from a commercial
standpoint. New Castle county peach
growers suffered severely from this
cause.
For several years one of the best
early field and vegetable crops has
been asparagus. The small amount OF
cultivation and care needed and the
prices obtained has made this an in.
dustry which has been growing fol
several years. Last year the acreage
was estimated at 1850 acres, an in.
crease of $50 acres over the year 1924
The production was placed at $4,000
crates and because of the drought the
commercial crop was extended over {
longer period than usual.
With tomatoes it was a great year
There was less disease and the acre.
age was reported as 10000 acres
There were POI 100000 pounds of to-
matOes produced, which is abou+
double the production for 1924. Will
and leaf spot the most things feared
by the tomato growers, were less il
evidence. Another peculiarity, that o.
damage due to lightning, was Observ
ed, DIR. Adams states, in Kent county
during July.
There was 1000 more acres planteC
in field corn than for 1924. The yielC
was estimated at 5,365,00O bushels
which was an increase of 1,585,OO(
over 1924, with an average increase
of ten bushels per acre over the veal
previous. This is one of the creates
steps forward by the farmers of thi.
State, due for one reason, to the min
imum of plant disease. In sweet corr
there were $500 acres planted, a re-
duction of 600 acres from 1924. But
despite this reduction in acreage, there
was greater production than the yeal
previous, the corn being used practi
cally for canning. There was a yielC
of 2O,600,000 pounds of corn an in.
crease of 100000 pounds over 1924
due to the scientific manner witt
which farmers now have their. seeC
corn tested.