Milford chronicle., 1935-09-06
WILL SOON GIVE OUT
WHEAT CONTRACTS

new contract will be the same as
was on the old contract, $40 of tn
average number Of bushels prOduc
ed during the base period.
Sussex county was never cOnsid
cred a wheat area. The principl,
crops for fifty years have been ap
pies, peaches, pears, grapes, swee
potatoes, Strawberries, asparagus
buckwheat, soy beans, string beans
and lima beans for canning purposes
and poultry.
The wheat belt of lower Delaware
is found in the extreme eastern sec
tion of the county and the extreme
western section. 1t stretches in the
eastern section from Milford tC
LeWes and Rehoboth Beach, a dis
tance of approximately twenty miles
and seven miles due west, in the d.
( rection of Georgetown, the county
/ seat and the hub of the county, for
a distance of about ten miles. The
distance from Georgetown to Reho-
beth Beach is twenty miles. In the
western section, the wheat belt is
considered to be in the vicinity of
BridgeYille, fifteen miles northwest
of Georgetown and extends eastward
for an approximate distance of sew
en- miles. There are in Sussex coun-
ty, which contains about 4596 of the
land area of Delaware, eight differ
ent types of soil. This can be deter
mined by a ride from Bridgeville, in
the extreme western section, to Re-
hObOth Beach. in the eastern region.
The land seven miles from
Georgetown in the direction of
Bridgeville is adaptable to growing
diversified crops. Not only is the
area in the Bridgeville section suit
able to wheat, but is also a great
apple and peach center, as well as
being noted for the culture of grapes
and aspasagus. At the present time
it is one of the largest strawberry
producing areas in the country.
Twenty-Five years ago, Bridgeville
and Selbyville, in the extreme south /
ern section of lower Delaware, led
the world in the shipment of straw /!
berries. However. within the past
two decades, Marion Station, in
Maryland, has come to the fore. EV-
en- at that, Marion. Md, Pocomoke, I
Nd. SelbyVille and Bridgeville, in .
this county, are among the leading
producing areas of the
country. +
Within the past ten years. Miss
ouri has been a rival of Delaware,
North and South Carolina, and Vir-
ginia, in the production of straw
berries.
AS a matter of fact. the strawber-
ry plants to get that state started in
the strawberry business we're OBJ
tain from the Del-Mar-Va Peninsula.
Five million plants, back in 1904,
we're shipped from this State to
Missouri. Prior TO 1904 the entire
State depended on Delaware and
Maryland to supply them with
strawberries. Any man who has kept
abreast Of the times, and especially
know this to be a
act.
When Missouri began to send !
lem eastward by train loads, then
Delaware switched to poultry. The
result has been that the transpor-
alton from Missouri to the eastern +,
,ities has been unsatisfactory, and /.
lnce more the teeming millions in I
he east are looking forward to the l
Peninsula to furnish {
hem with the luscious fruit. With
Missouri it was an experiment, but
he growers soon found that it was
.Ostly. because the leading markets {
II the country were in the east and {
hey could not compete with them, l
when truck service from I
he strawberry belt was within five
ours of the eastern markets. The ]
,ast season has somewhat disgusted {
he western states from shipping (
asst. This will be more apparent h
lithin the next two years. Missouri c
ill find that as a result of Della
iare's experiments that they will a
ave to ship their berries west of st. O
.Ouis, or else meet a competing L
larket, which they cannot do. in the c
astern markets. It is a well known
ict that the middle west cannot b
hin berries east and compete with c
ne shipments from the original l
.rawberry belt. There is a move on
,ot. it is said, to drive the middle
estern states out of business. This
an be done throughout the eastern
arkets, in accordance with the Il
1ncerted plans now under way. 1t ST
predicted that within ten years no OF
rawberries will be grown between N
elaware and Missouri. nj