Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-01-10
The Last Peach Ctop.

Editor Star:-The late peach crop was fin
ished and the season ended, somewhere from
the 18th to the Goth Of October. 1t was one Of
magnificent magnitude-too abundant per tree
for Large, fair, handsome fruit generally, and
for profit to the right man, the grower. Such
an abundant set of peaches on the trees is
always sure to result In small, inferior, and un.
salable fruit.
The late crop has given to the grower some
very remarkable facts but whether they are all
common to all seasons or whether some of
them are peculiar to this one alone or not do not
to say
nected with crop popularity.
Growers generally exhibit kind of damaging
avarice In th1s:-The trees may be loaded to the
utterm0St and they never pull any OF, on the
principle that every immature peach pulled off
and carried to the pig yard is an actual loss, re-
ducing the crop just in proportion to the num-
teashe ha the oyerns that s noop Of fSe
growing fruit in excess Of what the trees can
produce of full sized fair and finely favored
fruit, can be so disposed of advantageously.
Such thinning out Will give an equal quantity
with the overloaded tree, and probably more,
whilst the quality of the fruit of the thinned out
trees is fncomparably better, and more salable.
tees, and yet when matured there did not ap-
pear to be any lack Of fruit on the trees, and it
was fair and excellent
OVERLOADED TREES.
But inferior fruit is not the only .maging
circumstance attending the allowing of over
loaded trees to mature all the fruit. Prop I'D
the limbs as the grower may there will be serf,
the limbs. Many orchards al the close OF the
season looked wretchedly from the breaking of
limbs Frequently, trees which had but Just
reached their full bearing capacity, have not a
limb left. In such cases the only reparation is,
new trees. SOmetimeS|I ought to state how
eyer-sprouts will start out from the limb
stumps and afford partial restoration. But it
better have Saved
by partial, or even for one season, total
destruction OF the fruit
1t was currently reported last spring one year
ago, when the late frost killed much the greater
part of the peach blossoms, that the late varle-
ties bloSsomed first in the season and that the
very earliest the last. Last spring the Alexan-
der and the AmCden, the earliest peaches grown
In this region, bloSSomed first. l can't say
whether the time Of the poisoning of the var-
Gus varieties with reference to one and another
every season Is uniform, Or whether dependent
on some popularity or condition of the season.
only know what was the fact last season. The
curculo the past season did their most injurious
work to the earliest varieties. l did not sec many
indications OF injury to the peaches ripening in
the middle of the season, and I did not observe
any such evidences of injury to the late vare-
ties.
PECULIAR PEACH ROT.
With me during the middle portion of the sea-
son the peaches rotted on the trees very badly.
They were white 1eshed peaches, large and
handsome; but just as the fruit was coming
a
cred on the peaches which spread, in most in
stances, over them entirely. had but very few
unhurt peaches during this portion OF the sea-
son. l did noeobserve any cause for this rot.
In regard to this destruction Of the fruit 1t
seems to me that If the Department of Agricul-
ture has microscopic he might render almost
invaluable service to the growers by investigat-
and give the remedy II he should be able
to do so also. The Hale's Early few years
ago, the earliest of the peach family, but in the
several other varieties, rotted as largely as
usual. This is great misfortune, for the Hale
where 1t does r1pen sound Is magnificent fruit,
Of good SIZE beautiful and delicately Favored
Department of Agriculture might, unquestiona-
bly,, make itself OF indispensable practical ben
eft to all classes of growers and producers,
at once and for ali time, the ciamors against It
from the country. l believe in such depart
ment, conducted by capable, experienced and
practical man. r, ,r .c,, .o.,.
is the great destroyer yet to the peach tree. 1t
is not SO easy a matter to kill and keep out of
the trees this destructive Hnsect by the methods
10 clear away the earth and examine the trees
two or three times IN the course OF the season,
and then the examiner can not always be sure
that all the grubS ore taken out. What Is need
ed is this:-A protection to the trees when first
planted, that can be renewed IL necessary, and
continued through the entire bearing period OF
the trees. SO InaC une lnSeCU snail not De dDle 10
deposit it eggs about that portion OF the tree
favorable for the Matching OF them and the
growth OF its progeny. do not doubt but that
this may be done. Indeed some growers of the
more enterprising class declare now that they
are able to do this. ] have plan of my own
that shall test the coming season.
TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES NEEDED.
Generally, 1t may be doubted whether the late
peach crop, so extraordinarily large, was any
pecunlary benefit to the grower. Peaches
grown, picked, packed, and transported to mar
ket and sold at from 10 to 30 cents per box,
there is no money In, to the growers. the mer-
chant, mechanic, In fact all sorts Of tradeSmen,
and the book and newspaper men. must see 1t to
be loss to them, also, In business view, for
the great purchasing classes do not buy goods
nor reading matter when their crops do not
furnish them money to buy with.
II the region round about Washington Is to be
devoted to fruit growing mainly-and 1t is
adapted to an eminent degree to that purpose
transportation to market in the western and
northern cities should be secured at once. Safe,
quick and cheap transportation for fruit is what
is needed, and we shall have no more such sacri-
fees of the growers as this last season exhibited.
II application was made to the railroad COM
panies think that they would come to Satisfac-
tory terms with the growers. L. S. A.
Falls Church, Va, January, 1880.
The CapOul Bang.
A new style of dressing mems hair is raging
at present in Paris and has already shown
signs of existence in this city. The new abomi-
nation is called the "Capoul bang" from hav-
ing been first inflicted upon human sight by the