Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-08-08
Promise of a Great Peach Crop.


Intelligence from all the peach grow
ing districts indicates that a peach crop
this year will be one of the largest on
record. 1t is thought from present APP
pearances that the crops of Virginia,
Maryland and Delaware will reach only
an average, and, therefore, not so extern
siye rs last year, but, as an offset to this,
that the fruit will be larger and of a
much finer quality. New Jersey, how
ever, from which the largest supply of
this fruit is obtained, is expected to pro-
duce larger crop than any previous
year. The reports from all parts OF the
State are most flattering. and the chief
anxiety of the growers is how to forward
all their fruit to market. The various
railroads running through the peach dis
trict have agreed to run special trains
daily to accommodate the growers and
enable them to forward their fruit as
soon as it is picked.
Last year the same arrangement was
made and the peach trains frequently
numbered as many as sixty cars, but this
year it is thought that the trains will be
even larger or else more numerous. The
Central road will, as usual, run a peach
train over the southern branch to ac-
commodate the growers in that neigh
borhood. Many of these growers have
of late years been in the habit of sending
their fruit to Boston, but last year the
prices in that market ruled so low that
they have determined, for this year at
least. to forward their choicest fruit to
the New York market. The increasing
facilities for transporting peaches from
different localities, and the judiciOus
modes that have been adopted of grow
ING early and late varieties, will this year
add materially to the length of the peach
season, and the lovers of the fruit will be
able to enjoy it in its best condition
from the last of July until late in Octo-
Der.
In south Jersey, including Monmouth,
Burlington and Atlantic counties, the
trees are very promising, they are load
ed down with fruit, and unless a hail
storm or q hurricane should intervene,
the yield will be very large. After the
Southern crop is exhausted, Hunterdon
and the neighboring counties will send
forward the supply. The crop in the
western part Of the State is also i'm
mense, and the trees are filled with bet
ter looking peaches and more of them
than for many years past. The Morris
county crop is the latest in New Jersey,
though New York State sends forward
some pretty fair peaches later. In the
neighborhood of Green Village, New
Vernon, Baskingridge and Morristown,
the crop will be large, several of the
growers in these localities expecting
their orchards to produce all the way
from one thousand to two thousand
baskets.
In some of these peach districts quite
a trade is now conducted in the manu-
featuring of baskets to hold the fruit
for shipment One man near Green
Village has manufactured nearly five
thousand of these baskets, and as 3hey
sell for about twenty cents each, he will |
undoubtedly realize handsome profit. |
The baskets are made from white wood, |
which is steamed and generally cut by /
water power. They are then made up
by the neighboring population, and as
the labor costs but little, they can be
sold at a very low price. Within the
last five years the farmers of New Jer- |
sey and Delaware have taken to the cul
tiyation of this fruit on a very large
scale and great pains are taken to raise
the best fruit possible.
In New Jersey this desire is particU-
larly noticeable. The farmers in this
State are now ''cultivating' their fruit,
which is simply done by blowing be-
tween the rows, and this system is now
considered as necessary as the blowing
of corn. The old varieties, such as the
morris Whites" which were once so
popular, have this year in great meas
ure been discarded, and their place has
bpeD filed Inv other and moro dpSiro HE |
varieties. A peach orchard is consid-
cred good for bearing at four years
the trees bear a few peaches the third
year after being set out, and the fourth
year a good crop is expected.