The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1868-09-17
IN MBER Is.
From the Prairie Farmer. Sept. s.
The St. Joseph Fruit Country.


Last week we accompanied the Adi3l
: teriM Committees of the Illinois State
/, Northern Illinois, and Chicago Horticul
tural Societies, in their visit to the fruit
region OF St Joseph, Michigan, and here
with present few notes of the trip.
\ Just now the whole talk is peach
i peach-and the people there have cause
for that, for their trees are, as rule
literally loaded with their luscious treas
ures. This is the second season in sue.
cesssion that bountiful crop has rewar
ded their toll, and this year st. Joseph
is all but alone in thai pleasing position.
| The peach growers are also sure of a good
price for their product, some contracts
already having been made for the entire
crops at 81 per basket net, the buyer to
furnish the baskets, the grower to pick
and deliver at the wharf.
The first crop in, Hale's Early-not a
very fayorite peach, except for its earli-
ness having the sad drawback of rotting
badly this season-was netting those who
had no contracts one dollar and sixteen
cents to one dollar and twenty-five the
basket of one-third of bushel We no.
tice this year that the basket are some
what smaller than the old ST. Joe basket,
being now just about the same as the
ordinary box from South Illinois, with
with the immense advantage of being
now given away with the fruit, as they
cost only seven cents each.
Forthe Chicago market, the basket is
liked best, but as great quantities will
have to be reshipped from here farther
West-and, as we heard even East to
New York q great quantity will be put
up in boxes as well, as baskets are of no
use for railroad transportation.
GREAT INcREAs OF THE CROP
We found the estimate Of this years
crop was set at 100000 baskets; last year,
325,000 In 1860, when full crop was
gathered, we find, by referring back to
former pages OF this journal, that the
amount was 10000; than though won
derful yield. In 1861, with light crop,
10000 was the yield.
OF Strawberries, there have been ship
ped here this season 1900 bushels
The blackberries, now fully ripened,
constitute very heavy and important
crop. Nearly the only variety planted,
so tar, is the Lawton. AS much as one
peck to bush is sometimes gathered.
We found some growers praising Wilson's
Early very highly, and the culture of the
Kittatinny is increasing There have
been cases of great success upon which
the fruit men like to dwell. We jotted
down as follows: Mr. Fish, an invalid
had four acres of Strawberries, the product
netted him the snug little sum of $4,000
In 1867, two laboring men hired two
acres Of ground, and worked on shares,
during odd hours. They sold $408 worth
of Watermelons.
Two Cincinnati clerks came there and
took twelve year lease Of 20 acres; they
sold it, with four years to run fol- $4,000
One year after, the crop netted the owner
$4,000
One gentleman in Benton had ninety
pear trees, that brought him the snug
sum Of $4,000 in 1867 this year pear crop
is quite small, and the apple crop, for the
first time almost a failure.
Land, as might be expected, ranges
very high in price, commencing at $1,000
per acre and upward, near the town, and
running all the way down to $l00, back
from four to six miles.
1t is estimated there are from 1000 toI
$500 acres, now in fruit, at this point.
The number Of peach trees is set down
at from 100000 to 100000
The size of the farms range from five
up to seventy acres; estimated number of
growers, between 200 and 800.
Those likely to know, state asarule,
ten acres. is the most profitable size Of or
chard for the to handle as then he can
oveasee it himself, and cultivate more
highly 1t is quite noticeable that really
good culture, including under draining,
is becoming the rule, and on which profit
is likely to follow.