Smyrna times., 1931-06-17
CANTALOUPE GROWING NOW
SMYRNA-CLAYTON INDUSTRY
FARMERS OF UPPER KENT
SHOWING LARGER ACREAGE
Field Meeting Held on Farm of
Raymond Ford Near Clayton has
Given Impetus to the Industry


Smyrna-Clayton and upper Kent
County is having prospect of be-
coming cantaloupe growing in
dustry of growing proportions.
Thru the ever-ready cooperation of
Rusesen E. ilson, Federal Agent
for Kent County, who is ever in
terested in farmers problems and
glad to aid them along any worth
while line, the acreage is growing
from year to year and what was
started in a small way, promises
to expand into an industry that
will bring profit to the farmers of
this vicinity. With grain crop
prices at so low figure as to
make growing grain Improbable,
many farmers are continually plan
ming to diversity their system of
farming by growing other crops in
an effort to withstand this period
of agricultural and general busi-
ness depression, and this change is
being made in a number of sections
in Delaware and throughout the
Peninsula where the soil and eli
matte conditions are suitable for
growing many different kinds of
crops. One outstanding example
of this change in the agricultural
practices may be found in the
northern part of Kent county
where several farmers in the vi
entities of Smyrna and Clayton are
growing cantaloupes this year with
the hope that from this crop they
will realize more profitable returns
per acre than they have been Sc
curing from corn and wheat during
the past few years. As this is the
first time that some of these farm
ers have ever grown cantaloupes,
and considering the fact also that
it has been a number of years
since these melons have ben raised
to any extent in these areas, there
are many problems with which
these growers are not as familiar
as are those farmers in the south
ern part of the state where this
crop is produced on an extensive
scale for the commercial markets.
Russell K. Wilson Aiding Growers
The question OF disease and in
sect control presents one of the
major problems confronting the
contaloupe growers at the present
time, and assistance in these con-
troll measures is being given by the
extension service Of the University
of Delaware and the agricultural
experiment station. This subject
Of spraying and dusting was dis
cussed at recent meeting of can't
aloupe growers held in Clayton,
and county agent Russell E. Will
son suggested that a dusting dem
onstration be arranged in order
that the proper method of applying
the dust, and other points in re-
gard to the control of insects and
diseases might be demonstrated
under field conditions. A field
meeting was scheduled for the
morning of June at the farm of
which time the most effective
method of busting these plants was
demonstrated by DR.. j. F. Adams,
plant pathologist Of the University
of Delaware and the State Board
of Agriculture, who has had exper-
iapca in oop1Y,otiror q ,,,,yo1,or of
busting experiments with canta-
/ loupes in this state. AS the result
of three years of insect and dis
ease control work in the principal
cantaloupe producing centers in
Delaware, DIR. Adams found that a
/ copper-lime-arsenate combination
containing 20 percent dehydrated
copper sulphate, 20 percent cal
cium arsenate, and so percent lime
was the most efficient and econom-
I ical dust to use for the control of
such insect pests as the striped
cucumber beetle, squash ladybird
beetle, melon aphis, cutworms and
the twelve-spotted cucumber beetle
and for such diseases as the downy
mildew, leaf blight or rust, leaf
spot, mosaic and anthracnose.
! 'Dusting Treatment" and When
The first application should be
made soon after the young plants
push through the ground, or when
the first beetles make their appear
ance. The second application
should follow when the vines are in
blossom, the third when the initial
sets of melons have started to net,
and the fourth about two weeks
later, depending upon the weather
conditions. One of the most effec-
tive and practical methods of ap-
plying this dust is with a hand
crank duster which evenly distrib-
utes the material over the plants,
while with larger acreages it is ad-
visable to use a power duster after
the vines have developed runners.
Smyrna Business Mems Association
At the Smyrna Business Mems