Daily Republican., 1880-05-21
John Rutter's Peach Farm-A Hint
On Successful Peach Culture.

| pOdChSo i"t oNthNoe'Ohs
Many Of cur older citizens may remen
bers as yet the peach orchards OF Mr.. /
a short distance north Of West Chester
The writer of this well recollects th
Summer missions performed in boyhoo
after peaches for preserving, and ho'
from all parts came others on a simils
mission. These orchards were in thei
day noted for miles around not only a
a market for this fruit, but as q specie
Of successful orch arding.
Thinking it might prove Of intsres
to the many who will remember thes
vast orchards, I'VE copy Mr.. Rutter's his
tory Of an enterprise that was move
then, and which has not since been at
tempted 50 far as we know on 80 great
scale, at least, in Chester County.
Mr.. Rutter writes "Soms years al
ter my location in West Chester, Pa,
made purchase Of farm on the "Mica
Slate Ridge, "some two and half mile
north Of West Chester. This ridge wai
known as the "Barrens," and the pur
chase was what, at this day, would b.
called a Worn-out farm, but it was what
| considered miserably neglected one,
Most Of the farm was ont in Commons,
and a range for road stock, under a
crop Of briarS and poverty grass.
The prospect was gloomy enough for
making out Of it anything by ordinary
farming, unless by a heavy outlay in
fertilizers and the aid Of q doubtful ten.
ant. It occurred TO me, as 1t was near
West Chester, then q fair market for
foreign peaches upon which we were
depending, that it would be the best
scheme for me TO plant this land in
peach trees, which, ifsuccessful, would
give me a double advantage; by i'm
proving the land and by giving crop
of fruit for the market. u n
Having fully determined on this course,
against the ridicule Of some and the re-
rnonstrance of other friends, with the
old stereotyped declaration "you can't
raise peaches in Chester county, "back-
cd up by directing my attention to the
hundreds of skeleton trees dead and
dying about the yards and gardens of
the town and around the neighborhood,
| went to work. All this was no terror
to me, as l had seen 1t all In my
days in Upper Delaware, and
had inquired into the cause Of it. Il
n n In rejecting all the kind ooun-
sells of my friends, and feeling l could
bear the jocular remarks of others, set
myself to work. l ordered fifty
bushels Of lime to the acre for twenty
acres, but fortunately, through some
seventy.fvs bushels to the
acre we're sent, and it was spread, the
land being first broken up deep and
well narrowed, and the lime after
spreading 1t narrowed in. The rows
were struck eighteen ty eighteen feet
apart, of the depth Of original plowing.
One thousand trees were planted in the
best part of the plot-if there was any
best part to it. The ground in peaches
was planted in corn, and the balance Of
he field sown down in oats and clover,
and the corn after the last dressing in
he peach lot was also sown down with
,lover. The following spring all the
ield was plo&ed down and the balance
planted with peach trees, with other
ands making up 5000 trees, and all the
and constituting the twenty acre field
vas planted in corn, manured in the
ill with ashes, yard scIapings, &C.,
,athered about the barn. The other
ield receiving the balance of 1000 trees
planted that spring was treated as
.bove described, except that the lime
vas reduced to fifty bushels per acre.
After the second year, cropping was sus-
ended on the first twenty acres, but the
nost OF the other grounds were cropped
Or three years in various crops, but
lostly with corn, and after this was
iscontinued the ground received one
lowing and narrowing each year there
fter. The ground was generally plow-
d in the fall, narrowing mostly in the
pring, and there was but little falling
e in the crops Of corn in the second
ear, but in the third year there was
ute a reduction, as by that time the
'ots of the trees had quite covered the
round, interfering with the crop of
,rn. All Of these trees made rapid
rowth, and the first thousand bore a
eavy crop the fourth year from the
laIting. The fruit was as dne as l
YER raised before or since. | continued
lding yearly to the orchards up to
me eight thousand trees;this included
q orchard In Delaware County, Pa, ,oc-
lpying a high piece Of land of loamy
Ill, Of strong Gneiss formation and in
ne condition. A strong grass sod was
Irned down and the trees cropped in 7
I'm for three successive years and q
eated as the Chester County orchards Q
;eept in the question of lining, which
as postponed for want Of time at plant
g, and was not put on till the follow
6 spring. All these orchards came
to bearing condition the fourth sea- /
n, bearing fine crops, except those
ming in on unfavorable seasons, from q
to frosts. Sometimes, the third sea- @
n, if favorable. the young trees would /
axe slight show Of fine fruit. These
chards continued to produce well from