DELAWARE. 



255 



hours in addition will be given to practical work 

 in >-hops or laboratories. 



The profe.sMit- in charge of the military depart- 

 ment reported that the new military regulations 

 were " adding greatly to the possibilities for 

 which his department has been established by 

 the Federal Government. There is a class of 

 about 80 of the students now enrolled in the 

 cadet corps. Among them are the best men in 

 the college. The prospects are that at next, 

 graduation the class will show something of ma- 

 terial advantage in exchange for the outlay of 

 expense and labor exerted in this direction." 



The State College for Colored Students had 17 

 pupils enrolled for the year, with an average at- 

 tendance of 13. Besides the president, there is 

 one professor and a teacher for manual training. 

 A farm is connected with the college, which is 

 profitably conducted. Owing to the low state of 

 the finances, the spring term closed on May 15 

 instead of June 1. The last Legislature made 

 an appropriation of $1,000 to the college, and 

 although it was represented that the needs of 

 the college men were urgent, and that the appro- 

 priation should be made available at once, the 

 resolution that passed provided that the amount 

 appropriated should be paid half in July, 1893, 

 and the remaining half in July, 1894, so that it 

 is not available for present necessities. An ap- 

 propriation from the United States Government 

 is payable in August. 



Water Ways. An inland water way has been 

 begun which is to extend from Lewes, on lower 

 Delaware Bay. to Chincoteague Bay, on the eastern 

 shore of Virginia. It will be 75 miles long. The 

 appropriations amount to $145,750. Of this 

 sum, $68,000 has been expended in making a cut 

 between Indian River Bay and Assawaman. It 

 took the whole of the first two appropriations to 

 finish it. The cut was 20 feet wide at bottom 

 and 4 feet deep. The next two appropriations, 

 amounting to about $75.000, it is proposed to 

 apply to the dredging of a channel 20 feet wide 

 and 4 feet deep from near Ocean City, Md., to 

 Rehoboth Bay. The remainder of the su*m 

 will be applied to repairing the cut between 

 Assawaman Bay and Indian River Bay. From 

 Rehoboth the cut will be continued through the 

 highland and marshes to Lewes, or as far as the 

 appropriation will permit. 



This inland waterway, by producing a current 

 through the bays, makes available an area of 40 

 square miles of oyster ground in Chincoteague 

 Bay alone, while the bays to the north, including 

 Indian River and Rehoboth, will add nearly as 

 much more, making altogether 75 square miles, 

 capable of accommodating, at present rate of 

 planting, 40,000,000 bushels of oyster plant, 

 worth at present price at landings $20,000,000. 



Other appropriations for river and harbor im- 

 provements include $40,000 for Wilmington 

 harbor, to deepen the channel ; $5,000 for Ap- 

 poquinimink river, toward cutting a channel 8 

 feet deep at low water and 100 feet wide at the 

 mouth and above, the whole cost of which im- 

 provement will be $39,000; $18,000 for improve- 

 ment of Smyrna river, the estimated cost of 

 which is $90,000; $12,000 for Mispillion river, 

 ost minted to cost in the end $20,000; and $7.000 

 for Murderkiil river, on improvements estimated 

 at $47,000. The channel of Broad Creek river 



is to be deepened from Bethel to Laurel, the work 

 to cost about $15,000. 



Railroads. Work was begun in October on 

 the Wilmington and Chester Electric Railway, 

 which is to give Wilmington direct communica- 

 tion with Philadelphia. It is expected to be in 

 running order by midsummer. There will be a 

 connecting link from the river front at Gordon 

 Heights, and a track from Edgemoor. 



The number of miles of railroad in operation 

 in 1891 was 833; capital stock, $7,057,858; 

 funded debt, $7,137,500; total investment, $15,- 

 184,194; cost of equipment, $112,347,873; pas- 

 senger earnings, $4,472,237; freight, $11,481,- 

 018; net earnings, $6,038,311; interest paid on 

 bonds, $4,006,577; dividend paid on stocks, 

 $485,547. 



Agriculture. The report of peaches shipped 

 by way of the Pennsylvania Railroad this year 

 was given as follows in September: The Penn- 

 sylvania Railroad has carried more peaches this 

 year than in any year since 1875. The Delaware 

 district has shipped more even than in that year. 

 The quantity snipped from points on the Dela- 

 ware division up to the end of the week ending 

 Sept. 16 aggregated 3,720,000 baskets or 6,200 

 cars. On Aug. 30 321 cars were shipped. The 

 number of baskets shipped to various cities is 

 reported as follows : New York, 676,200 baskets ; 

 Philadelphia, 587,400; Boston, 244,800; Wil- 

 mington, 151,800; Pittsburg, 68,000 ; Cleveland, 

 49,200 ; Chester, 40,600 ; Buffalo, 47,400 ; Provi- 

 dence, 34,200. 



The increase in the yield is perhaps propor- 

 tionately greater even than appears, because, 

 from careful estimates made in July, it seems 

 that the number of trees on the Peninsula has 

 decreased since 1890 by nearly 2,000,000. The 

 number from which shipments were made by 

 rail in 1890 was estimated at 7,911,248, and in 

 1893 at 6,010,691. Those along the water courses 

 were estimated this year at about 1,500,000. 



The strawberry crop was not as profitable as 

 usual this year, owing not to lack of yield but 

 to other causes. The first week the berries were 

 injured by the incessant rains ; the second week 

 extreme heat caused the market to be over- 

 stocked. The prices were unusually low. " The 

 ' nonreturnable ' crate," says a newspaper cor- 

 respondent, " has been a great loss to the berry 

 growers this year, as a number have lost from 75 

 to 100 of the ' standard ' crates, which represent 

 an outlay of $40 to $50." 



From a treasury report the statistics following 

 are taken for 1898 : Number of farm animals in 

 the State horses, 25.553, value, $2,049,814; 

 mules, 4,826, value, $491,549 ; milch cows, 81,- 

 880, value, $757,246; oxen, 27,941, value, $635,- 

 396; sheep, 13,551, value, $48,987; swine, 521,- 

 167. value, $865,167. 



Shipbuilding 1 . Of the 9 new-type boats built 

 during 1892, 5 were done in Wilmington, three 

 firms naving been employed. 



The State Line. The boundary between 

 Delaware and Pennsylvania, as newly surveyed, 

 was adopted and fixed by resolution of the joint 

 commission April 11, and the setting of the 

 boundary stones was finished April 26. The 

 new land assigned to Delaware includes a port of 

 entry of considerable importance, known as " The 

 Hook," from the name of the Pennsylvania 



