Milford chronicle., 1931-02-13
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MILFORD ONCE
TOMATO CENTER
Home OF Famous Delaware Beauty
Seed

The average Mllt0rdlte, according
to the u. S. Department of Agricul-
ture, is said to have consumed at
least IS pounds of canned or bottled
tomatoes last year. The rapidly
growing taste of the American peO-
pie for tomatoes has resulted in the
vegetables becoming a fifty million
dollar crop, ranking third among the
vegetable craft of the nation. To sat-
isfy this appetite, the production of
tomatoes in the United States calls
for 25O,O0O to 100000 acres, produc-
ing an annual crop of more than a
million tons, and among the leaders
are the growers of Delaware. More
interesting still, the neighborhood of
Milford has contributed much to
making tomato history.
Many of the older Milfordites will
remember when this town was a
great tomato center. In fact, Dra-
per and Hirsch made reputation
for its tomato products, and the
Delaware Beauty tomato seed was
born here. It was a creation of one
of the elder Drapers who turned it
over to the Landreth Seed Company,
of Bristol, Pennsylvania, for propa-
CATION. The Draper canneries ceas-
ed packing tomatoes three years ago
and specialized on lime beans for
which they now have wider repu-
tatiOn.
But the vicinity of Milford is still
a great tomato area. To learn
something about tomatoes, and par
ticularly the seed from which they
grow a high school reporter has in
vestigated the subject. The first ref
erence to the tomato in any seed
catalogue is found in Landreth's cat
alog of 1920. This was hundred
and ten years ago. Landreth's is the
Oldest seed house in America, having
started business in 1884, or when
Milford year or two ago had pass
ed its one hundredth milestone.
When Milford celebrates its 250th
this Spring, consider
able reference will be made to to-
matoes, as the farmers in and about |
Milford made much of their income |
from the tomato seeds they bought |
from Landreth years ago, and to
whom many Of the present farmers
go for both seed and tomato culture |
AS the Delaware Beauty" is
really child of Milford we have
looked into its history. We find that
it was introduced by Landreth in the |
autumn of 1912, and SO great was its
the demand the following
year could not be filled. 1t is a
snowy, medium-sized red sort of to-
mato and is said to be extraordinary
productive. It's vine is compact, deep
green, thick stemmed and blight-re-
sistant. It's fruit is smooth and al
most entirely free from splits. 1t is
said to be almost free of waste.
Many farmers prefer it because it is
I favOrite with the Gamers to whom
they sell. Many Delaware Gamers
who grow their own fruit are natur-
ally partial to the Delaware Beau
"" because it serves to thrive to
great advantage in this soil.
We have asked some neighbor-
lood farmers how they get the best
results from growing tomatoes and
hey tell us they SOW their seed in
Hills three feet apart on a warm
border when the apple is in bloom.
For a later supply they SOW a short
ime afterwards in a more open
ocation. AS the plants advance in
growth they support them by
Those who want very
,arly tomatoes, start their plants in
| hot bed. One farmer told us he
planted his in a cigar box in a win
low and subsequently transplanted
hem.
The average production of fruit,
,er acre on cultivated and fertiliz-
ID ground is about $4,000 pounds, or
$50 bushels per acre, although it is
aid that twice that amount has Of
on bpen grown