Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-04-16
rHn rnacH cnor paosrNcrs.
The Effect of L. isf Years DTOuihs
ga tne Peach Crop -Op;ssiOtIa of
Growers on the Maryland ana
Delaware Peninsula.


| New York Times.
BERLIN, MD, April "a subiecl Of great
| interest and mncn investigation Just now on
i the maryland and Delaware Peninsula isthe
condition of the peach orchards, and
scarcely u day passes that each peach
grower Is not drawn into his orchard by the
desire to know if the fruit has been injured.
In consequence 1t is only necessary to talk
II few moments with grower to be told Just
what he thinks will be the probable yield of
his orchard The subject has been so
thoroughly looked into by him that he. is
far more ready with his answers than the
Office seeker before the Civil Service eX-
amirssrs, even after he has been coached
for weeks. In this portion of the
Peninsula peach growing is only slight in
dustry, and less attention is paid to the
orchard than in any other part OF the State; ;
but some farmers cultivate few acres in
peaches very successfully, and it is thought
that no injury has been done to the fruit
here by the severity of the past winter. AS
the season is so very late there is scarce any
likelihood of any injury now by late frosts.
Not within the memory of "the oldest in
habitant" has the LIST OF April arrived with
out finding the peach tree adorned with
their blossoms until this year, and now, on
the 9TH of April, the peach trees present the
appearance usually presented by them in
February. They are not only barren OF
blossoms, but the young wood has scarcely
begun to put on the bright red color and
fresh look which usually precedes the blos-
soming fully a month.
The cause of this state OF affairs was not
the severity of the past winter, but the
unprecedented dryness of last summer and
fall, which very greatly retarded the growth
of the young wood; and us all peaches grow
upon young wood, or twigs grown during
the past season, the chance for n great crop
this year was destroyed last summer. But
there are so many peach orchards on this
Peninsula and such large ones that should
each tree produce q full crop during the
for the fruit at prices large enough to pay
for transportation. While the opinion is
very general throughout the Peninsula that
there will be a very good crop OF peachesin in
every section, there are some few growers
who hold to an opposite opinion, among the
latter Col. George w. Cummins of Smyrna,
Delaware. Col. Cummins owns some of the
largest and most valuable peach orchards
on the Peninsula. He has made peach Gull
ture special study, and his opinions about
the probabilities OF q growing peach crop
are looked upon by the citizens OF Smyrna
as somewhat 0racular. 1t is said that he
has said within the past few days that he
would take 300 for his entire crop of
peaches this season.
AS DIlgrUh IL lllb tb11lTb Vi lllb IlBubSb
peach producing country on the Peninsula,
the results Of Investigation of the orchards
around that town may be worthy OF note.
MIR. W. Hoifecker made an examination of
his orchards a few days ago, and he thinks
most Of the varieties show no signs of
having been injured. The buds appear to
% healthy, and although there is not the
Usual quantity of new wood, what there is
appears to be hearty. Should they not be
nN,1 1nta frp mr. IN n annnrapt
iluses to prevent the growth of a full yield
IN many of the trees this season. But Mr..
Ioffecker thinks some few varieties, and
4hese mostly the choice ones, have been
seriously injured, il not entirely destroyed.
Among those destroyed he thinks will be
found the Reeves Fayorite and Crawford's
Late. These are the choice varieties OF the
yellow fruit, and are the varieties usually
sold in Broadway. Mr.. Hoffecker is OF the
opinion that all the yellow varieties except
ing the Surocks have been more or less
injured and that all the white varieties
excepting the old Mixons and the Stump
are uninjured. Several other growers in
the vicinity of Smyrna entertain like
opinions, and they all seem to think that
the Reeye's Fayorite and Crawford's Late
will be scarce this ssas9l,
Governor Stockley, who lives on o farm
near Georgetown, is largely interested Gas,
indeed, Is nearly every farmer of note below
the eanal,) in the cultivation Of peaches.
In conversation with the. Times corre-
spondent the governor said that 1t was per-
haps too much to expect full crop OF fruit
from the peach orchards of Sussex county.
The orchards had been well taxed during
the past three years, and had produced
large and profitable crops. He said as far
as lie had examined his orchard he was of
the opinion that there would be very fair
quantity of every variety, and that seemed
to be the belief Of most al tho growers OF
the lower counties.
The small fruits will in all probability
be very abundant on this Peninsula this
season. The weather of the winter has been
very favorable for every fruit except straw
berries, and not very unfayorable for them.
The strawberry is plant, the roots OF which
keen close to the surface, and when the
ground freeses and thaYs frequently, as
was the case here nearly all winter, it
weakens the plants somewhat, but there
will be no scarcity OF Strawberries from the
Peninsula this year should the spring be
fairly favorable. Blaekberries, raspherries,
and grapes will, in all probability, be more
abundant than ever.