Daily Republican., 1881-07-15
PEACH CROP FAIrIpr

No Peaches in DeIsva,.
hfth OF Crop in Parts Of ""e' ms.s
land. mary
, A correspondent writing from Ma.
dletOwn, says: "iu-
The failure of the peach cron ;rn,
aware this season will not oniy ca,,a. e..
great loss to those cultivating iarss oauss Ss
chards, but it will deprive tie inS.H! Ht'
tants of Philadelphia and other naul' ,""n
Northern cities of their main sonro" se -
supply for this summer luxury and vi
for the canned fruit for all the ves, eau
The land best suited for the growth of
the peach tree extends from Kirk wood
sixteen miles below Wilmington ~
Laurel, the lower end of the peninsu,u
and from the Delaware to the Chase
peake Bay. The peaches sent to phila
delphia and New York, as a genera
thing, are from this section, and nparIn
all are shippd over the Delaware Tall
road to the p. W. and B. and oths
roads.
In Delaware alone there are, it is said
not less than 100000 trees; and, w6an
the season is favorable, from one and.a.
half TO two baskets are obtained from
each tree, which, at the price pettM
last year-about thirty cents basket
would yield nearly S3,OOO,0O Nearly
all this is lost to the growers this year
as there are no peaches to be shinned
In the neighborhood of Middletown Mr.
E. r. Cochran has 10000 trees, which
cover 300 acres of land. Mr.. j. T, Wi.
son near by has $50 acres with a50OO
trees, and in all Of these orchards tbes
is not peach to be- seen. This is said
to be the condition throughout the
State, except in a few orchards at the
Breakwater, and they will only Weld
about a fourth ofa crop. Messrs Cocb.
ran and Wilson shipped in 1875, (the
most prosperous year since 1862 about
40, 900 baskets, and, though the market
was somewhat glutted, the net profits
on both orchards reached about $4,000.
From this statement it will be seen how
great the loss will be to individuals
throughout the State, while II, n-la
ware Railroad Company will lose a
large revenue. Last year, which was
not a full year for peaches, the freight
for peaches and berries yielded to the
Delaware and p. w. Il B. Railroads
Sl59,00O.
The orchards in the peninsula having
peaches this season are those in the
Maryland counties of the Eastern Shore,
and in none of them will full crop be
gathered. The trees producing are along
the water-courses, such as the SasSa
fras, Chester and Choptank riversemp
tying into the Chesapeake Bay. At
owel's Point, Kent county, is the
large orchard of Mr.. Polk. There are
over 20, 600 trees, and at one time it was
thought there would be full crop, but
now, it is said, only one.ifth of what
the orchard ought to bear will be gather
ed. Near Still Pond and on Kent Is
land, partial crop will be gathered
also along the Chester river, on the
Queen AIMS county side, in Talbot and
Dorchester counties, peaches are to Be
found, but in all of them, it is estimated
the crop will not exceed 100, 900 baskets
and nearly all Of the crop will find Its
way to Baltimore by means Of water
communications with that city.
The berry crop all along the line OF
the Delaware is fair, particularly rasp-
berries and blackberr!es. The straw
berries did not turn OF as well as last
year, in consequence of heavy rains and
cold weather. A train of from 4O to oO
cars passes up the Delaware road every
evening loaded with berries, potatoes
and other garden production.
The canning establishments alongthe
line of the Delaware Railroad will also
suffer severely, in consequence OF tAs
failure of the peach crop.