The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-05-24

and delight of my Philadelphia friend
1he counties seem literally TO roll il
PINK, ana the air is rich with the fra
GRANGE OF the blossom. Such a sight
can be witnessed but once in the veal
anu only In one section of all the
world
Ny friend, in the enthusiasm of the
moment. turned upon an old. weather
beaten gentleman. who was busy
studying the war news IN The Times
ana probably III no good humor with
the luck which sold his wheat at 81. 10
Are You Delaware farmer. sir p
VI, 10, d--n it. Worth double that
now. LII. Beg your pardon-was
thinking how late this Internal wal
came for me. Cost me a round thou
SAND, SIT; so You see I am a Delaware
farmer. or [ Wouldn t have such infer
nal luck
but your peaches, sir, hope. may
repay III some degree the loss of YOUR
grain.
Peaches = and the lip ofour honest
bucollc friend fell. Il sometimes wish
That never peach had been crown:
years ago. sir, when the peach mania
ragged on the Peninsulaas holly as ever
the gold fever did upon the Pacific. [
bought farm down i'll Kent county.
was peach mad. Of the two hundred
ana forty acres of my farm over two
hundred were planted in peaches. In
four years ] had d crop of twenty
thousand baskets and cleared So. 900.
pald Oft q mortgage and bought
another farm; all went in reach
orchards, and in 1869 | had over q
thousand acres Of land and eight hun
ofPd acres OF peach trees In the
meantime had been alternately worth
from SeYentY-tive TO one hundred
thousand dollars and insolyent.
Once my crop failed for three success
SlYe years, and the frost of single
night would have left me a bankrupt:
but the season was propitious. no frost
came ana when the season had closed
from the very brink OF ruin had been
lHted to affiuence. [ had $4,000 in
ballk and but n light mortgage uDon
one Oh my farms. Had | cut down all
my trees two years later [ should have
been worth 100000. didn't and TO-
DAY / am a poor man. If peaches
should pay this year | may be able TO
Keep myself atioat, if not lose all.
A. UNCERTAIN As GAMBLING.
" e were silent moment and our
TREND continued: The life and luck
1f Delaware peachgrower would
many times furnish more STARTLING
instances OF strange and uncertain
fortune than the career Of the most
iarlng gambler. some wears ago y |
gentleman whose character had never /
oeeh questioned and who was deserv- |
e0iy nigh III the estimation of the |
community where he lived. was heavi- I
y involved III the peach business. |
AS guardian and trustee he held in his
possession large amount of money. |
or TWO years his crop had failed. He |
vas desperate. His own fortune and |
he fortune Of others was involved
lnd utng upon the success Of q single
ear. \ single heavy frost would |
complete the ruin OF his fortune and
lis reputation. That year there were
nut few peaches, but one of the
OF that man bore him a full
fop. 1t Is q matter OF notoriety that
le cleared that year nearly $50. 900"
There was nothing exaggerated in
he statement which have Just given
ou-not exactly I'M the words. but in
as it came from the lips Of
ne Of the best known of Delaware
as ! subsequently dis
oVered. The peach business has
rom the beginning been an immense
pecuiation-a speculation which has
esuited lnno good to the real interests
1 the Peninsula. and the immense
rop which IN all human probability
Ill be grown this year viii in conse-
uence be SO large that every available /
iarket VIII be not only 0ver-supplied.
ut absolutely glutted. At the pres
mt time though not absolutely. the
fop IS comparatively safe. The most
season has passed. and the |
foWers are looking forward with !
oine dismay to an embarras sment of
Icnes. Two years ago the largest =,
fop ever grown proved in degree !,
nproftahie. Then at last eight mil
ons OF baskets were grown. and siv J
Illilons and more found their way Tn
he various markets. Even if the :
resent prospect should in the an
%"SAaAc 1G IEUuGEu TTfppn
er cent. by frosts. the crop will he :
zen larger than that of 1875. At this 4
me III that year wrote TO The Times
ON Middletown, estimating the crop
eight millions of baskets: the event
owed that my calculations were not =,
and / think that ten
illions of baskets will be grown
ow many will be shipped remains ia
seen. That viii much depend upon
ices and shipping facilities to other c
aTkets than New Y ork. Philadelnhia
)ston and Baltimore.
SHIPPING FACILITIES.
The growers this year have one
eat advantage which they did not
ssess in lST5-the experience of =
at year in shipment. The growers
out Middletown were able. by !
reful arrangement with railroads ia
e West and interiors of PennsvIya-
4 and New York. to make a fair
argin of profit. and there will this
ar. he concerted move in the same I
rection by nearly all the sections. z
lie fact was demonstrated that with -
rpTul ShiD,eaapr and fast +ra;nu 49, | -