The daily gazette., 1881-01-27
The Peach.
WEST CHESTER, Jan. 25, 1881.
For the Delaware Gazette.

Az NH SAMUEL lOWMSEND, /,
Townsend, DEL: Dear Sir:-Y our
last communication in the GAZETTE
needs but brief reply. There is
q disease Of the peach tree which
il universally designated as the
"Yellows," quite % patent In fact
as there is q disease designated
yellow fever" and Of the cause
OF the former you have given your
views az an "observant practical
peach grower" although invicted
to give facts upon which to base
position, you have in your last letter
omitted to do so, but added one
more cause ofdisease whlchmust have
been brought to your recollection
BY the late severe cold snap to wit:
Extreme cold winters, as the pres
ent, injure the trees by freezing
and bursting the sap cells, and is
no doubt another cause of the peach
ripening, swelling and coloring up
with red spots two or three weeks in
advance Of the time of ripening."
Here We have another guess, like all
the rest, without facts to support it.
I our assertion is left entirely on
your reputation as an "obseryant
practical peach grower" who as
sumes to 'speak by the card" In
assigning your twelve to fifteen
causes for your prematures, yellows,
or measles, has 1t ever occurred to
you that every one of them was in
existence some thirty years before
TINS disease made it's appearance,
and that you enjoyed entire exemp-
ti0n from measled peaches. Here
ther you had the cause at work
without showing any effect-no CO.
Incidence here In cause and effect
logically the case is decided against
you, and should be against any looi.
clan whe is afraid Of dealing in facts.
You say: "In your book you give
no cure for the preamatures," mean
ing "yellows;" nor does this Wash
lngton chemist that ext ,ls vour
book; therefore. both you and your
chemist friend are fat failures"
You must have read my book to
very little purpose; and as to nv
Washington friends writings and il
lustrations on the subject, though
they have been scientific and elab-
orate and has also given remedies as
my book has, l don't suppose that
they have yet reached the library ut
Townsend. To say the least of the
complimentary opinion you have
passed on myself and my Washing
ton friend as you designated him, In
what estimation, / am led to won
der is that man held in who an
nounces on his reputation that he
can assign twelve or fifteen causes
Tor free disease, the most of which
are nat contradictions In themselves.
and he has done nothing towards
arresting it, but stands like the ami.
NAL in the manger, will neither do
nor let do If a growl can prevent it.
As a discoverer of the cause of the
'yellows" in the peach orchard
without remedy let him be Judged
according to his merits. While i
shall be content that the book on
the peach referred to shall be
weighed by New Castle aud Kent
by the opinions of Mr.. Samuel
Townsend, of Townsend, of the for
mer county, in one scale, and the
opinion Of Mr.. Jacob G.. Brown, of
Wyoming, Kent County, in the
other; both representative men In
their respective counties. Mr..
Townsend is in opinion that am
wrong and be is right on the causes
of the "prematures," but says moth.
ing on their cures, therefore, accord
ing to his own logic, lie is "fiat
failure" Mr.. Brown, in his letter
OF December last, says, II have read
and studied your book on the peach
with great satisfaction, and bene-
tit. My experience as a peach
grower convinces me that you have |
been over the ground, and you are
perfectly familiar with your subject,
your treatise of peach diseases and
culture is invaluable to the peach
grower"
This think is sufficient endorse
ment to save me at least from the |
charge of imposing upon the public a
work which can be of no benefit to the |
peach grower of the Peninsula. have
been practical peach grower over 80
years, and what | write 10 practical.
| have raised thousands Of bushels of
peaches in Pennsylvania in the worst
peach diseased districts of the State,
and dent think that l ever sent to
market bushel ofdiseased peaches in I
all that time. The "yellows" 10 as
easily guarded against as the peach
worm and it 10 but . myth. If
peaches can be protected from "yel-
lows" in Pennsylvania where the dis
BASE first originated they can be pro-
5ected on the Peninsula of Delaware
and Maryland, aud by the same means,
and as to soil, climate and disease
peaches can be as easily and abundant
y and moro abundantly grown, for
nave had the experience establishing
hat fact in Eastern Pennsylvania, as
IN the Peninsula of Delaware and
Maryland. For example and / copy
rom the last years report of the
Fruit Growers Socie.
u" Of which am member Henry
Wagner of Berks county, (40 miles
,orth of West Chester, Chester coun-
~, turned his attention ten years ago
o fruit growing an1 has now As acres
n cultivation in fruit. Peaches are
he principal crop. Sixteen acres
we're planted IN 1859, in 1879 yielded
tome fruit in 1878, 100 baskets were
old in 1874, yield 1900 baskets which
we're said in the oity of Raad;po o |