2-'l0 NORTH AMKHICAN STATES 



NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



of the sniall-fruils raised in Kansas, with stiawhenies 

 stv»wii in importance. The aerea^e of l)lai'klierries 

 and dewberries increased from 'J.Dtt in IS'J'.I to l!,0.S2 

 in liK1<). when the production was 2,535,018 quarts, 

 ViUiuxi at S'Jt)1.131: The acreage of strawberries 

 decrease*.! in tlie sjiuic period from 2,304 in lSi)9, to 

 1,710 in U)Oi>. when tlie production was 2, Hit, IMS 

 quarts, vahiiHt at .?17S,091. The productions of otlicr 

 berries of importance in 1900 were: 61(3,035 quarts of 

 nispberries and lo{;anherries, vahiedat $5G,44t); 138,772 

 quarts of gooseberries, vahied at. $12,400; and 67,005 

 quarts of currants, vakied at .'ffG,023. 



Aiuonj; the vegetables, the iiotato is by far the most. 

 important. In 1!K)9 the acreage devoted to potatoes 

 Wius 79,025 from whicli were produced 5,647,049 

 bushels, v;Uue<.i at S3,471,4SS, more than tlie vahie of 

 all the other vegetables. The more important of the 

 other vegetables, their acreage, and value of their 

 products in 1909 follow: swei^t potatoes and yams, 4,883 

 acres, valued at §373,432; watermelons, 3,317 acres, 

 valuwl at §131,527; tomatoes, 1,237 acres, valued at 

 §84,937; sweet corn, 3,653 acres, valued at .175,499; 

 cabbage, 1,007 acres, valued at .1$.")5,Sr2; and onions, 

 243 acres, valued at §29,753. Other vegetables grown 

 were asparagus, green beans, cantaloupes and musk- 

 melons, poi>-corn, cucumbers, lettuce, green peas, 

 rhubarb, and turnips. 



The acreage devoted to the growth of flowers and 

 plants increase.l from 75 in 1899 to 161 in 1909. The 

 total area under ghiss in 1909 was 781,498 square feet, 

 of which 728,421 were covered by greenhouses and 

 53,077 by sashes and frames. The value of the plants 

 and flowers produced in 1909 was $273,715, as com- 

 pared with $79,765, their value in 1899. 



The acreage devoted to the growth of nursery prod- 

 ucts increased from 3,449 acres in 1899 to 4,003 acres 

 in 1909, an increa,se of 16.1 per cent. The value of the 

 nurserj' products in 1909 was $948,493, as compared 

 with $447,053 in 1899. Albert Dickens. 



SOUTH ATLANTIC STATES. 

 Delaware. 



Geographicallj', Delaware (Fig. 2508) is divided into 

 three counties. New Castle in the north, Kent in the 

 center and Sussex in the south. Geologically, there are 

 but two distinct regions. Piedmont, and Atlantic coastal 

 plain. New Castle, the northern county, lies partially 

 in the Piedmont region and partially in the coastal plain 

 region, the northern ]jortion being hilly and of a rolling 

 topography and the remainder gently rolling with a 

 gentle slope to south and east. The remainfler of the 

 state has no elevations of any consequence, the surface 

 varying from slightly rolling in the north to flat, nearly 

 level lands in the south. All along the eastern side of 

 the state, many inlets and short navigable streams 

 indent the coast. A narrow stretch of mar.shlands 

 borders the coa.st from north to south. The greater 

 part of the state lies below 100 feet above sea-level and 

 the .southern half lies below the .50 feet contour. 



The soils of the .state are well diversified; yet for the 

 most part they are fertile and especially adapted to 

 fruits and vegetable-culture. The soil types of New 

 Ca.stle County vary greatly, while those of the other 

 two counties are rather imiform. The principal soil 

 types of Kent and Stuwex counties are those of the Nor- 

 folk and Portsmouth seri&s, viz., Norfolk loams and 

 sands, and Portsmouth loams and sands. 



The climate of the state is mild, the temperature, 

 except in the extreme northern part, seldom falling 

 below zero in winter. The close proximity of Delaware 

 Bay on the east and Chesapeake Hay on the west ha.s 

 a cfecided modifying effect upon the climate. Injurious 

 early fall frosts are practically unknown, while it, is 

 seldom that late spring frosts are limiting factors in 



PttlLADELPMIA 



crop-production. The rainfall is approximately 40 

 inches a year. The distribution of tliis rainfall varies 

 from year to year, but it is not often that the state 

 suffers from excessive drouglits. 



The leading horticultural crops are tomatoes, aspara- 

 gus, ajiples, peaches, grajx's, pears, strawberries, canta- 

 loupes, watermelons, peas, sweet jiotatoes and white 

 Ijotatoes. Tliere are many kinds of vegetables grown 

 for tlie city markets, but the above-mentioned are tlie 

 princiiial ones grown on a trucking scale. 



Delaware was formerly noted for its peach-produc- 

 tion, whicli industry began in 1832. The high-water 

 mark in iieach-production was probably reached in the 

 late sixties and early se\'enties. With the advent of the 

 yellows and other ])each diseases, the industry began 

 to tlecline and reached its lowest ebb about 1910. 

 Since that time a new interest has been aroused, better 

 m(>thods of culture are being practised and the business 

 is ra])idly centering into the hands of specialists. 

 During 1914 and 1915, thousands of young peach 

 orchards have been planted. Varieties have been 

 standarized and most of the old-time favorites have 

 disappeared. The jirincipal varieties grown are Elberta, 

 Belle of Georgia, Champion, Carman and Frances. 

 The old-time varieties, such 

 as Crawford's Late, Craw- 

 ford's Early, Moore's Favor- 

 ite, Reeves Favorite, Old 

 Mixon, Stump, Mountain 

 Rose and Smock have dis- 

 appeared from the com- 

 mercial orchards. In the 

 future horticulture of the 

 state, the peach is destined 

 to play an important part. 

 The apple is probably 

 the leading tree-fruit of the 

 state. The apple industry 

 is largely centrahzed in the 

 central part of the state; 

 but practically one-half of 

 the farming area of 

 Delaware is suitable 

 for apple- culture. 

 The industry began 

 in central Kent 

 County only a com- 

 paratively few yeara 

 ago and it was not 

 until about 1900 that 

 the apple crop of the 

 state began to attract 

 attention. Delaware 

 is especially suited to 

 the production of cer- 

 tain varieties of win- 

 ter apples of high 

 (juality and the grow- 

 ers are specializing 

 in those varieties. 

 J^ Ivirly apples do well 

 and a large and 

 profitable business is 

 carried on in growing 

 Yellow Transparent, Early Ripe and WiUiams. The apple 

 is destined to be a close rival of the peach and probiibly 

 in a few years wiU surpass the latter in production and 

 value. Unlike the peach industrv', the apple industry 

 has been in the hands of specialists from the very 

 beginning and to this fact can be accounted its steady 

 growth. The farmyard apple orchard [ilays but httle 

 jiart in the economics of Delaware appk^production. 

 The principal varieties of late apples are Jonathan, 

 Stayman, Paragon (Arkansas), Winesap, York Imperial, 

 Nero, Rome and (Jrimes. Of these varieties, the Stay- 

 man is especially adapted to Delaware conditions. 



r 



SCALE. OF MILES 



I I I 



to ZO 30 



2508. Delaware, showing the 

 three counties. 



