Milford chronicle., 1928-06-29

Cost of crates and boxes loo
cents for one crate and 81
quart boXes) ........... 44.O
Hauling from farm to local
broker or trucking to New
York, Philadelphia, Boston
or Baltimore markets. no
figures available.
Packing berries in the crates,
etc. .s............. A.U'
Total cost to farmer of rails
ing berries and bringing
them to market, exclusive
of carriage or truckage. .... $220.8C
The cost reduced to crates is
(per crate) ..............S 2.7t
The cost reduced to quarts
is (per quartz ......... 0.O8e
The farmer at various periods OF
the season has been able to get fol-
his berries as high as $3.50 a crate
At other times .I1e has been forced to
accept as low as 81 a crate. The
average, according to the brokers
who purchase them outright in Phil
adelphia from the farmer, has been
50 per crate. At that, they declare
if the farmer has been able to main
tain that return consistently he "has
been lucky"
Accepting 50 per crate as the av-
erage yield, he lost on every crate
76 cents. Reduced to quarts, he lost
Just about 21s cents on every quart.
In terms of acreage production for
every acre he cultivated he suffered
a loss of $6O.SO.
Dollar Loss Per Capita
This is a consequential sum for
any farmer to lose, even the ones
who only cultivated one acre. The
average strawberry grower with his
four acres paid $24S.20 for the priv
ilege.
other farmers, with greater in
vestments in the industry, wish
themselves with great heat "out OF
it."
Figures released by the Delaware
State Board of Agriculture and the
Highway Department show that dur
ing the season $4,000 crates of ber-
ries were shipped from the state TO
fine various centers of distribution
and markets, among them New York
Newark, N. j., Philadelphia, wilkes
Barre and Williamsport. rms n
cludes those trucked to their destl-
nations and those shipped by frelght.
If includes all the berries raised IN
the State that were picked. 1t must
be remembered that today thous-
ands of quarts are lying on Ihe
vines with all welcome to pick them
except the farmers. They refuse TO
further deal with them.
The total loss for the Industry III
the state was found to be S2SS'oOU:
This represents a loss in general
state wealth of 81 for every man,
woman and child in the State.
Much of this deficit is concentrat-
ed in Sussex county, where are To-
Gated the four great strawberry cen
ters of the State, Selbyville, Brldge-
Vile, Laurel and Seaford.
The wives and children of the
strawberry farmers, while sharing
the discomforts and sacrifices occa-
stoned by the virtual crop debacle'
gain a scant solace from crop in the
manufacture of strawberry jams
MES and wines. The last is made IN
the greatest quantity of the three, 1t
is declared, because the farmer can
appreciate a good cordial, whereas
he might not be able to stomach a
tart while counting lts
cost.
The story of the farmers is strong 4
" corroborated by the statements OF
the Philadelphia commission brok-
ers. One firm, which has been deal
ing on Dock street for 20 years, de-
scribes this season as the worse he
has witnessed since 1913. Many days,
the members of this firm declare,
they have been selling berries for 8
cents a quart. They recall that
during one slump in the market
they sold them for cent a quart.
The Philadelphia market reports
list an average of 10000 crates a
dav on sale. Often this has risen
to $4,000 crates-an inordinate
amount for the city's consumption.
The glut was effected by the lateness
IF the seasons in the states of Della
ware, Maryland and Virginia that
brought the crops to ripeness at ap-
proximately the same time. In the
the ledge" has been TAX
IN off the market by the Louisiana
md Kentucky shipments.
The excessive rains have saturat-
I'd the berries to the point where
hey have lost quality and must be +
sold Immediately. This keeps down
he price both to the marketer and
he grower. It was impossible to
lold the shipments for good prices.
The production for 1928 was 80
yer cent greater than in 1927. This.
t is believed, was due to the many
armer non-strawberry growers who
cultivated the berries attracted by
he high prices obtained last year
or the product II
But today they ponder not only on
he improbable crop of strawber- II
les. but broccoli, spinach and as II
ora o11c nc we'll III