252 TliAKSACTJOXS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



tlie same ground to cabbage, and gathered the crop before fro&t came 

 again in the fall. 



Sweet potatoes yield 300 bushels, or 100 barrels and upward per 

 acre. Early potatoes bring one dollar to one dollar and a half per 

 bushel, and there are many farmers who clear every year the value 

 of the land devoted to potatoes. 



"We saw one farm of 200 acres, leased with buildings on the half- 

 share plan, which netted to the tenant over his expenses, for his own 

 portion, the good sum of $10,000 ; and the produce was solely grass, 

 corn, potatoes and wheat. 



Tomatoes. 



At St. George's a grower sent to New York and Boston the toma- 

 toes raised from an acre o± ground, and the net result was $700, 

 One grower near Dover realized $400 per acre, for tomatoes sold at 

 twenty-five cents per basket to the canning establishment ; the toma- 

 toes were described as being so thick that it was impossible to pass 

 over the ground without stepping on them. A case occurred at, 

 Camden, of a man who cultivated one and a half acres on half shares 

 with the owner. The tomatoes were sold for twenty-five cents per 

 basket, and at the end of the season he handed the owner $275, or 

 $100 more than the land was worth. Such results are remarkable, 

 but are not safe enough to form estimates upon for large culture ; 400 

 to 500 bushels can be considered a good yield per acre. The first 

 shipments realize perhaps five dollars per crate, then the price falls 

 steadily to one dollar, and the majority over fifty cents. 



Beets have been exhibited at an agricultural fair weighing fourteen 

 pounds, and four filled a bushel basket. One thousand bushels of 

 <iorn have been raised from fifteen acres ; one acre eighty-eight 

 bushels — one hill, two stalks, together containing eleven ears. 



There is no reason why, by the same energy as the Bergen truck- 

 growers, all kinds of vegetables may not be grown in Delaware, and 

 successfully supply New York two weeks earlier than they now do. 

 Rhubarb and asparagus will pay finely. Cucumbers, beets, lettuce, 

 spinach, cabbages, cauliflowers, c^g plant, onions, all will do well. 



Raill'oad transportation is easy and quick, and rates are fair. I can 

 liardly see what there is to prevent the State from rising from her 

 position as one of the smallest in the Union, to one where she can 

 claim eminence on account of her wealth and successful fruit and 

 garden cultivation. 



