Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/112

DELAWARE. of vessels to Wilmington. The Delaware coast of Delaware Bay and the estuary of Delaware River offer few advantages in the way of harbors. Portions of the shore are marshy, and the only good harbors are at Lewes, Wilmington, and New Castle. The Delaware Breakwater has been constructed at great expense near the mouth of the bay, in order to remedy somewhat this deficiency of safe harbors. On the southern border of the State there is an area of swamp land covering 70 square miles.

On the Atlantic coast there are a number of shallow bays or lagoons separated from the ocean by sandy reefs; the shallowness of their entrances, however, limits there usefulness. The largest bays are Rehoboth and Indian River bays, which have a common outlet known as Indian River Inlet, which permits navigation by vessels drawing less than six feet of water. . Situated on the eastern coast of the continent, Delaware has a temperate climate, with a considerable range of temperature and an ample rainfall.

The average annual temperature is about 55° F., varying from 56° at the extreme south to about 52° at the extreme north. The average daily range of temperature, or difference between the highest and lowest temperatures during twenty-four hours, is from 16° to 20°. The highest summer temperature on record is 103° and the lowest winter temperature -17°; even in midsummer the temperature has descended to 50°. On the average August day the temperature rises to about 85°, and on the average January day the temperature descends to 25°. In the fall frosts seldom occur before October 10th, and may not occur until about November 1st; while in the spring they may occur as late as the latter part of April. The advent of spring (i.e. the awakening of plant life) occurs on the average about the end of March.

The annual rainfall is, on the average, from 40 to 45 inches over the State as a whole, but is slightly greater on the coast than inland. The rainfall is rather evenly distributed over the whole year, although there seems to be somewhat less precipitation in late fall and early winter than at other seasons of the year. Damaging droughts are not infrequent, but killing droughts are unknown. Heavy rainfalls take place; sometimes an average month's rainfall occurs in a single day; but damaging rain-storms are rare. Thunder-storms and hail-storms are most frequent from May to August. The prevailing winds are from the northwest from October to May, from the southwest in June and July, and variable during the intervening spring and fall months.

The soils are sedimentary, derived from the underlying Tertiary rocks. In the rolling northern portion of the State the soil is clay, passing through the various gradations from a heavy clay to a loamy clay, and is well adapted for raising fruits, grasses, and grains. In the undulating middle section, approximately covered by Kent County, the soil is generally loamy. Here fruits, berries, vegetables, and the vine flourish. In the flat southern section of Sussex County the soil is sandy, with here and there outcrops of loamy clay. This region is best adapted for strawberry and peach culture. For flora and fauna see the respective paragraphs under.

. The entire State falls within the Atlantic coastal region, and is therefore underlain by strata of recent geological age (Map: Special Map). Cretaceous strata appear in the northern part of New Castle County, while southward Tertiary and Post-Tertiary beds predominate. Clays suitable for the manufacture of brick and terra-cotta, and kaolin, are found in the vicinity of Wilmington. A small area of granite occurs near this city, from which building-stone and road-material are quarried, and some feldspar has been extracted. Glass-sand, marls, and bog-iron ore are known to form extensive deposits. The output of granite in 1900 was valued at $608,028.

. Agriculture is the leading industry, farms constituting 85 per cent. of the total land surface. The figures in this connection have not changed materially in three decades. The fact that the soil is best in the northern part of the State is reflected in the values of land, which average $45 per acre in the northern section, $19 in the middle, and $12 in the southern. During the last half-century there has been a continuous and marked increase in the number of farms, and a corresponding decrease in the average size. In 1850 the average farm was of 158 acres; in 1900, 110 acres. Twenty-seven per cent. of the farms in 1900 were between 50 and 75 acres in extent, while 30 per cent. were between 100 and 175 acres. Compared with other States, a large per cent. of the farms are rented, and the per cent. has increased from 42 in 1880 to 50 in 1900. Share-renting is the prevailing method.

In no State have fertilizers become so generally used, the average amount per farm ($55.65) being three times that for the North Atlantic States. There has been a marked increase during the decade in the two principal crops—corn and wheat. The increased interest in the latter is most remarkable in view of the opposite tendency in most Eastern States. The wheat acreage is several times that for all the New England States. The other cereals are relatively unimportant. The oats crop has decreased to one-third the acreage of 1890. Hay ranks third in acreage. Orchard and small fruits have long constituted one of the main sources of income. In late years, however, the greater number of peach-trees—which greatly excelled all other trees in number and importance—have been destroyed or injured by frosts, and increased attention has been turned to market and farm gardening, tomatoes being the leading crop, to which alone nearly 16,000 acres were devoted in 1899. The proximity of the large coast cities, particularly Philadelphia, is greatly in favor of garden farming. Stock-raising is of secondary importance, and has been about stationary for a number of years. The 1900 census returns show 32,600 dairy cows, 21,600 other cattle, 46,700 swine, and 29,700 horses.

. The manufacturing industry employs over 22,000 people, and rivals agriculture in importance. The location is favorable, inasmuch as the coal and iron of the neighboring States can be put down at Wilmington as cheaply as at Philadelphia; while the position on the coast affords an advantage in shipping and in shipbuilding. The falls near the mouth of the Brandywine have been, from an early date, extensively utilized for manufacturing purposes.