Pasquotank's First Crop of Spinach on Way to New York, Nov. 21, 1922

Three Cars Spinach First to Leave Here. . . Pasquotank’s First Crop of Spinach Did Well; Climate and Soil Ideal; Big Crops Everywhere

Three carloads of spinach, the first to be shipped from Pasquotank County, were shipped out of Elizabeth City last week from the farm of W.A. Brock of this city. The first carload was shipped Thursday and the others followed on Friday and Saturday.

Mr. Brock planted 25 acres in spinach this summer. In spite of a bad stand, he is expecting a yield of 200 barrels to the acre. The 25 yield acres should yield 5,000 barrels, or a carload to the acre. He says the quality of the crop is good and there is no doubt that it can be successfully grown in this county. And he is now making preparations to plant 20 acres more.

Mr. Brock says he will not make any money on this first crop, because prices are down to $1.25 a barrell in New York City. It is costing him 30 cents for the package, 45 cents for freight and 10 cents for cutting, to get it to the market. And spinach must be shipped in refrigerator cars, or be packed on ice to insure good delivery on the market, so that it will retain its crispness, and freshness, for the brittleness of spinach makes it more marketable.

There are two reasons why the market is poor this year, states Mr. Brock. One is that there has been an abnormally high production of spinach in this country, especially in tidewater Virginia. And the other is an unusually large production of cabbage, which is flooding the market and selling at a ridiculously low price. Mr. Brock is going to keep on raising spinach. It does well in the soil and climate of this section, and is a profitable crop ordinarily. This happens to be an off year. And spinach is a good thing with which to diversify. May peas and potatoes have already been staple crops in this section for a long time, the farmers having begun to learn that it doesn’t pay to put all the eggs in one basket. It is expected that the spinach market will be better in the winter, after other crops have been cleaned up. Virginia has been making food on spinach for the last few years.

Spinach grows in all weather, but a great deal of care is necessary in its cultivation. The seed sells at a good figure, about 50 cents a pound, and a hundred pounds will plant about four acres.

From the front page of The Independent, Elizabeth City, N.C., Nov. 21, 1922