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The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
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The Modern Line of 
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INTERESTING 
GARDEN BOOKS 
A Woman’s Hardy Garden 
By Mrs, H. R. Ely $1.75 
Old Time Gardens 
By A. M. Earle 
Flowers and Ferns in Their 
Haunts By M. O. Wright 
Plant Physiology By Duggar 
For Sal* by 
RURAL NEW-YORKER, 333 W. 30th St 
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N. Y. 
CIDER Making Pays 
With Mt. Gilead Hydraulic Cider Presses 
Thousandsare making Pig Money on small 
in vestment s. Demand for cider greater 
than ever. Quick, clean profits with 
little labor and expense. Complete 
outfits ready to ship. Sizes up to 
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of accessories. such na juice evap¬ 
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HYDRAULIC PRESS MFG. CO. 
137 Lincoln Ave., Mt. Gilead. Ohio 
Presses in stock at Suffern, N. Y. Warehouse 
TRACTOR SPECIALS 
For prompt acceptance only 
A limited number of 
LA CROSSE 
12-24 
TRACTORS 
at $850.00 
F. O. B. MIDDLETOWN, N. Y. 
These tractors are of the three-wheel, self-steering type, 
are equipped with the model “F” kerosene motors and guar¬ 
anteed by the La Crosse Co. to deliver not less than 22 h.p. 
on the belt and 2,000 lb. draw bar pull (about equal to the 
pull of six 1,400-pound horses). 
These tractors are absolutely new and carry the full 
guarantee of the La Crosse Tractor Co. 
Terms, to responsible parties, draft with Bill of Lading. 
Write today; this advertisement will not appear again. 
BUCK BROS. 
Farm Supply House, Middletown, N. Y. 
Notes from a Maryland Garden 
In the two counties of Virginia on the 
eastern side of the Chesapeake, just south 
of us here, there are probably more bar-* 
rels of potatoes, especially the Irish pota¬ 
toes of the early crop, than in any equal 
area in the United States. I was born 
in the northernmost part of the two c un¬ 
ties, but in all my li e had never visited 
the lower part of the other, county of 
Northampton except to rush down by rail 
to Cape Charles City to take the steamer 
for Old Point Comfort and Norfolk. I 
was invited to go down to Cape Charles 
City on May 26 to meet a number of the 
farmers and to see what the lower end 
is doing as compared with the northern 
section of the counties. Anyone w T ho has 
never been through these cape counties 
even by rail can hardly grasp the condi¬ 
tions in . this great market garden, 
especially the southern end. The rail¬ 
road and steamer town known as Cape 
Charles is really IS or more miles north 
of the actual cape. A local railroad runs 
from Cape C arles station down to Klep- 
topeke station, the actual cape, while the 
Cape Charles lighthouse is on Smith’s 
Island, just south of the tip of the main¬ 
land. 
The land at this lower end of the great 
peninsula is higher than the general level 
north, and one can stand there and see 
the white lines of the breakers over a 
mile away. But it is of the farming of 
this section that I wish to write. Viewed 
from the railroad car, the country for 70 
miles looks like one vast Irish potato 
field, now in full bloom, and the digging 
of the crop was begun the second of June 
at the lower end and come northward 
daily. 
I knew that they planted a good many 
early potatoes, but was hardly prepared 
to see the vast extent of the industry. It 
looked as though there would be “spuds” 
enough to feed Europe and America. Not 
patches, but broad fields of 100 and more 
acres, perfect flower gardens as far as 
the eye could reach over the flat fields. 
I had criticized the general farmer of the 
upper county, and the Northampton farm¬ 
ers wanted me to see that they are real 
farmers. The mellow clay loam there is 
naturally more fertile than the sandy 
soils of the upper county, and I found 
no reason to criticize the farming. They 
told me that they do not allow bare land 
in Winter, but always have a cover crop, 
and that to turn under. In fact, I have 
never seen a more beautiful farming sec¬ 
tion, with a better soil or better farmers. 
The way these energetic men have dug 
wealth out of the soil is amazing till you 
see their farms. Below Cape Charles 
City there are no large farms, the places 
running from an acre or two to 50 acres, 
and men on little and larger places are 
all making a living and making money. 
I was taken in an automobile all through 
the country. We drove up to a splendid 
looking farm with a hundred or more 
acres in the potato field, a handsome brick 
mansion in a lawn of emerald green of 
an acre or more. I was told that the 
owner of that beautiful i lace was a dozen 
years ago working as a farm hand for 
$10 and board a month; that he had 
been offered and refused $75,000 for his 
home place, and owned two more farms; 
that it would take $500 an acre to buy 
any land in that section, and hard to get 
any for sale at that. The farm buildings 
all showed thrift and prosperity, and the 
land naturally runs into Blue grass, so 
that beautiful lawns are the rule. The 
neatness of the cultivation exceeds any¬ 
thing I ever saw. One man remarked: 
“If you folks want any weeds you will 
have to import the seed.” I saw hun¬ 
dreds of potato fields and never saw a 
weed. The turn rows are as cleanly cul¬ 
tivated as the potato rows. Crop after 
crop there has already been sold while 
growing. Cash buyers have contracted 
for whole crops at $4.50 to $5 a barrel. 
Others prefer to let the exchange handle 
their crop. I was informed that the gen¬ 
eral estimate on the Irish potato crop 
this season is $350 an acre, and some 
crops more. Large areas are being set 
in sweet potatoes. 
After the Irish potatoes go north the 
land is planted in corn or in a legume 
hay crop of Soy beans and cow peas, and 
in the Fall the land is covered with 
Crimson clover or the later land with rye 
or Winter oats. They turn all these 
under. I saw" oats as tall as my shoul¬ 
ders and in the head, all yet to be plowed 
under, for they save no small grain. In 
fact, that lower end of the peninsula is 
one beautifully cultivated garden, and the 
whole of the two counties is fast coming 
the same way. The lighter soils of 
Accomae give them the advantage in 
the sweet potato crop, their potatoes sell¬ 
ing better than those of Northampton. 
Hence the area of sweets is larger in 
Accomae than in Northampton. Pota¬ 
toes are not the only crop, for the friend 
with whom I stopped and on whose lawn 
I had quite a reception with a score or 
more of the farmers, shipped 500 crates 
of cabbages the day I was there, and 
some are growing onions to considerable 
extent. More late crop home-grown seed 
potatoes are being grown. Not quite as 
early as the Maine seed, but far more 
prolific. I have only told of the early 
end of the Delmarva peninsula. The 
truck harvest starts now at the Cape, but 
it will pass along up for two hundred 
miles as the season advances, and when 
we come in here the men on the cape are 
looking around for an investment of their 
surplus cash. W. f. massey. 
June 14, 1919 
Countrywide Produce Situation 
DEMAND AND MOVEMENT STILL ACTIVE, 
WITH SOME GAINS IN PRICE. 
New potatoes and strawberries have 
been leading performers in a rather dull 
market. Both have gained in value in¬ 
stead of losing as the season advances, 
and they are in good demand in all sec¬ 
tions. Other leading fruits and vegeta¬ 
bles have not changed position much 
lately. Comparative newcomers include 
Western cherries and melons, also South¬ 
ern peaches and melons. These new 
lines all started at higher price levels 
than last year. 
OLD POTATOES POOR AND WEAK. 
Prices of old potatoes have not held 
their own in most sections, notwithstand¬ 
ing the fact that new potatoes are mov¬ 
ing in only about one-third of last year’s 
volume in June. Old stock suffers in 
competition, because so much of it is 
withered and sprouted and only a few 
sections are shipping really good old 
stock. Prices sagged close to the line of 
$2 per 100 lbs. in Chicago carlot market. 
Wholesale prices in the MTcfdle West 
range $2.15 to $2.60 per 100 lbs. for such 
stock as Michigan Rnrals, and Southern 
markets, largely supplied by Far Western 
stock, range from $2.25 to $3 per 100 lbs. 
Eastern markets vary considerably, but 
have quoted Maine and New York No. 1 
potatoes lower at $2.30 to $2.75 per 100 
lbs., although a few cities like Baltimore 
reached $3. There is a class of trade in 
most cities that will use old potatoes as 
long as they are fairly good. The attrac¬ 
tive markets ruling lately have brought 
out about everything fit to ship, and the 
movement is now declining rapidly. New 
potatoes are not coming fast enough to 
offset the vanishing supplies of old stock, 
and accordingly the price of new potatoes 
has advanced to about $10 per bbl. in a 
number of Eastern markets. In fact, the 
general wholesale was not far from that 
figure the first week in June. 
TTIE LIGIIT NEW CROP. 
The prospect for future early crop sup¬ 
ply is none too good, judging from crops 
soon to come upon the market. The 
writer went through the Norfolk potato 
section early in June and found the crop 
developing poorly, with small, rather light 
colored tops, indicating a lack of fer¬ 
tilizer. which seems to have been spar¬ 
ingly used all through the South, on 
account of the higher price charged. 
Evidently the Virginia crop will he rather 
light and running considerably to small 
sizes, which is the ease with'the South 
Carolina crop now coming. The outlook 
seems to be pretty good for the New 
Jersey and other midseason or semi-early 
crops. 
ONIONS AND CABDAGE IN MODERATE 
SUPPLY. 
California onions are bringing the 
growers about $4 per bag of nearlv 100 
lbs., contrasting with quotations of 00c 
in producing sections a year ago. These 
are for red and yellow stock of the varie¬ 
ties grown in the East. The early crop 
in New Jersey seems to be planted rather 
more heavily than last year. The decline 
in cabbage values has gone somewhat 
further. _ Weakness seems to be owing 
more to inferior quality than to anything 
else, as the supplies are not especially 
heavy for the. time of year, according to 
indications given by carlot shipments, 
which of course do not take into account, 
the nearby supplies. The general whole¬ 
sale range is $3 to $4 per barrel or barrel 
crate, compared with $1.25 to $2.25 in 
early June last year. 
THE BERRY OUTLOOK. 
Shipments of strawberries from the 
South Central States, especially Mis¬ 
souri. Arkansas and Tennessee, have been 
surprisingly heavy, constituting more 
than half the entire shipments, hut. de¬ 
mand has been extremely brisk and prices 
have advanced despite increasing supplies 
in sight. Buying for manufacture of 
fruit juices has been one of the chief 
sources of strength. Trices for this pur¬ 
pose and for canning have ranged not far 
from 20c per quart in leading districts, 
which may he compared with a general 
range of from 6 to 7c last season, and 
even that price was considered high at 
that time. City markets quote generally 
18 to 38c per quart wholesale, as against 
15 to 23c last year. Latest reports from 
Northern producing sections indicate that 
while acreage is quite large, perhaps 
nearly equal to last year, it includes 
many old beds and accordingly will aver¬ 
age rather small and inferior crops. Last 
year’s high prices came too late to stimu¬ 
late setting many plants, but many old 
beds were held over instead of being 
plowed under. 
OTHER FRUIT HIGH ALSO. 
Sales of Florida watermelons at more 
than $800 per car do not promise a cheap 
supply of the fruit this season, although 
the acreage is enormous and demand will 
need to be pretty brisk to take care of 
the offerings. Peaches are a good crop 
in the South, although not equal to last 
year, hut Northern shipments will be 
much' heavier this season than last. 
Georgia growers are getting $2.50 to $3 
per carrier of nearly one bushel for their 
choice stock. California grapes promise 
to la* abundant this year on account of 
lack of demand for wine manufacture. 
But this matter of affecting all grape 
growers is still on a somewhat uncertain 
basis. g. B. F. 
