The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1880-02-26
Correspondence Of the New
LETTER FROM LAKE ERIE.

CATAwBA ISLAND, o., Feb, IA, 1880.
DEAR NEws:-Here we are again at
home, and we like it as well as any part of
the "Great West" that we have seen.
The winter here as elsewhere has been
unusually mild. Some Of our fishermen
have drove stakes and put in their nets,
and caught fish during January, and the
little steamer fGolden Eagle" made a
number Of trips from Put-in-Bay and Is
lands to Sandusky.
The ice merchants are fearful that the
crop this winter viii be a failure. No ice
has as yet been harvested, and the season
is nearly gone.
The weather for some days has been
as mild as spring, and we were fearful that
the peach-buds would swell and "cold
snap" might catch them out and kill
them. But the wind changed yesterday
morning, and We were treated to a regular
suow-stOrm. We had severe snOw-squal
a week ago, but the warm weather followed
Immediately. We trust it viii not be so
in this case,
Our Island Is peculiarly a fruit region.
Owing to the quality of the soil and the
location on the lake, we raise the finest
fruit, and have never yet failed to have at
least a partial crop OF peaches.
We could scarcely reconcile ourselves to
a failure of our peaches. Their safety
from frost in the spring depends largely
upon the presence Of the ice in the Lake,
which retards their blooming until danger
Of frosts is past. There being no ice now,
we feel that we are in danger this spring.
The success Of the peach-grOwing busi-
ness on this Island has created intense eX-
element among the fruit-growers in this
vicinity, and many persons are tearing up
vineyards and planting peaches. ''T. Ray
cling" had ] 200 bushels last year, OF the
the finest kind of peaches, from seven acres,
and because they Uere fine, and because he /
takes great pains to put his finest up in
good style, and sends nothing - market
but perfect fruit, he realized the highest
prices. His peaches sold in the Toledo
and Cleveland markets at $3.50 to So per
busheI, netting him from 81 to 81 per
bushel. The "cuLls"-sOft and imperfect /
peaches-amOunted to about One-sIZth Of
the whole crop, and brought 81 per bUshel |
at the orchard.
Mr.. L s. butcher, a near neighbOr, and /
two other growers, two miles away, sold /
their crops at SI.75 per bushel, delivered /.
on the boat at our dock. They were for /
the Detroit market.
There were about $4,000 peach trees /
planted on this Island and the Peninsula /.
last spring, and probably much more
Will be set out next spring. Land sells at
from $50 to S4OO per acre, according to |
location, quality, improvements, &c. /
Bearing orchards are worth from $500 to /
81, 900 per acre, according to location, con- /
ditiOn, &c. 1 have Just made a sale Of /
FIVE acres of bare land, for 81 200, and I
another five acres, with small house and !
800 trees, (set two years. for 81 800.
If eye Editor" Will come up next Sep /
tember, we think we can show him some /
thing to "blOw" about, and we'll fill his |
pockets with peaches more luscious and far
in beauty anything he ever
saw before.
The reason our boarders during the sum /
mer months express so much affection for /
as Is because they wear "chalked hats /
during the summer season, and our house /
stands in the center Of l3 acres Of peaches, /
pears and other fruit.
We are a very modest individual, or we
might brag some on our fruit and our IN /
comparable little island, but we forbear.
Yours, j. w. q. /