Daily Republican., 1881-04-23
BLIGHTED PEACH TREES.
POOR PEACH PROSPECTS IN THE
PENINSULA:

POOR PEACH PROSPECTS IN THE
PENINSULA:
The Fruit all Killed and but title
hope OF the Trees Recovering
4 Careful Examination
Other Fruits.
The early peach interviewer did not
get badly sold this year. | Sually he
takes run down the State before the
spring fairly opens, listens to some nm
lucky grower talk, and writes OFT to out
side papers and people that tn" crop is
killed, and there will not be a basket of
peaches grown on the peninsula. Nine
chances ont of ten he is wrong. The
genial advance of gentle spring will
bring into beautiful bloom the buds
which TO his unpracticed eye seemed
dormant and dead. The germ will
grow nicely despite the season $ viciSsi-
tudeS, and almost before you know it
there will be- every likelihood OF a
splendid crop. Thus between the sus.
ceptihlc newspaper novice and the
nervous peach grower, the wall from
Peachdom that the crop is dead always
followed, rs it is, by u good yield has
become II synonym III the outside world
for earnest ShtcWdnrsS in securing a
good market. But it iSuot that way this
year. The early interviewer came, and
for once has found out the truth. The
peaches were dead and he said 50, and
even now people are doubling the truth
of the report But ii is only too true.
In fact the peach growers have cried,
"Wolf' and the wolf has come. There
can hc no uOubt OF the fact that the
fruit is k.l'd. \ careful examination
made by the writer, covering central
peach growing points, not only OF the
State OF Delaware but Ot the Eastern
Shore, shows that the Peninsula over
the crop is gone. The trees are bare
and d"soiate from the Pea Patch TO the
pOcomokc. Nota singl" bud with what
appears to he real Ike can he found,
and only here aud there IA chance leaf
can he Srrr putting forth. 1t WAS very
different lLSt year. By the middle OF
April all the trees were in bloom, and
the blossoms were SO thick that fictitious
| farmtr.trpud of the writer declared
that even the SaSSatlaS bushes Skirting
the edge of his fields were covered with
peach buds. Now not only have the
! buds failed to put forth, but tho trees
look rs if they would never grow anoth-
er crop.
THE EFFECTS OF THE COLD.
| Standing in the best orchard Of Mr..
S. ID. Myers, an experienced nursery
man and grower of Bridgevillc, the
other day, the writer saw with wonder
the effect upon the peach trees Of the eX-
trrme cold OF last January. At this
time last year the white bloom from
the trees was falling, covering the
ground with a blo'Pmy carpet, and
leaving the young peach germ healthy
enough upon the bough. Now the buds
have scarcely started. A Number of
! the twigS Of last years growth which
are the ones to bear this season $
! fruit were cut off and examined.
At the end of these twigS are
lateral buds, some Of which ARE
alive. The buds cut open show that
they have swelled slightly, but the in
FAINT peach Is dead, and the swelling on
ly comes from the vitality in the twig
and bark, before the sap commences to
run. The prospect of these twlgS bear
| ing is ont of the question, and II serious
doubt rs to whether they will even leaf
is now disturbing the farmers. Look
where the twig was cut off, and you
will find it dark, rs if it had suffered
permanent injury and was in dying
state. You may go over some of these
trees and you,will not tinda Il bud which
is not quite dead. \ bud in II healthy
condition is Il great curiosity, indeed
"Within three days after the ther-
mOmetcr went down to twenty degrees
below zero, Il Smyrna grower had said
to the writer, "we gave up all hope Of
having any peaches this year. Ten de-
grccs is enough to kill the fruit. The
only hope now is that the trees may sur
vive." In the orchard of the aCCommO-
dating Bridgville nurseryman the effects
Of the cold upon the trees was clearly
shown. A pruning knife applied to the
thick bark of the body Of the tree
brought off huge pieces very easily. The
bark appeared to have been loosened
from the wood and the wood itself was
| VI it idlh uullttllllN FOlpl. HIS Was
the case on every tree from about six
inches above the ground clear out to the
tips of the lateral twigS. The snow was
six inches deep at the time of the cold
snap, and up to the sn0w-linc the trees
are not hurt. This part of the tree be-
ing uninjurcd and the roots being
healthy there is some faint prospect OF
the tree recovering from the fearful
shock sustained.
Shortly after the bitter cold weather
which did the damage, Wcll-known
grower wrote to Charles Downing, an
eminent fruit grower of wide renOwn,
of Newhurg, New York, stating the
case Mr.. Downing replied that there
was some likelihood of the trees in u
measure recovering, with II slow, moist
spring, but the shock had been fearful.
The spring has been very favorable, and
the trees give some slight evidences of
an effort to rally. a whitiSh substance
has collected between the wood and bark
of the body of the tree, where the bark is
trying to adhere again to the wood, but
is doubtful if the trees will recover. 1t
is almost painful to note the interest
with which the growers regard this
unequal struggle. 70 many OF them
the total destruction of the crop will
mean very serious losS-to nearly all
the death of the trees will mean ruin.
1t is altogether likely that the peach
crop has not only suffered temporary
but permanent injury, and that no
more peaches will be raised upon the
Peninsula until new trees have been
planted, If such is the case, and there
is now apparently no earthly prospect OF
it being otherwise, this State has suffer-
ed calamity, the extent of which can
scarcely be estimated, and the full force
Of which will not be felt for IL year or
two.
FEW FORTUNATE ORCHARDS.
A very extensive examination by the
REPUBLICAN representative shows that
in only one respect have the reports of