The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1886-08-21
Trip Down the Pen.
inSula.

1nSula.
fonr correspondent on recent ride
down the Peninsula to this town upon a
bicycle was naturally upon the gui viue
for peaches, being in the heart and belt
OF the peach district, and possessing won
derful peach eating propensities like I'M
to most native born Delawareans, but his
expectant scrutiny of all orchards en-
route was soon displaced by disappoint-
ment when the trees were found to be
absolutely destitute of peaches. The Or
chards, were in apparently healthy condi-
ton, with abundant foliage and other in
dications of prosperity, yet it was base
delusion, and one too, quite calculated
to fill with despair, rather than peaches
the capaciOus NAV ola hungry wheel
man. But such was the deplorable state
OF things, and it was not till your repre-
sentative neared Dover that he had the
privilege of even II forlorn glance at the
luscious peach, and then it came in a
formidable manner. 1t was one horse
wagon going to Morton with two small
baskets of peaches that seemed quite lost
in the bottomless recesses of this Della
ware peach wagon. Two men accompa-
MED the wagon and it seemed acted in
the capacity of a guard to the precious
burden. They were politely accosted by
the writer with the request that he be
allowed to gaze moment upon the
"peachblow" complexion of the fruit
supplemented with the request that one
should be given him. This latter re-
quest fell like bombshell upon the
guard and met with preemptory refus-
al framed in such violent language that
my hands voluntarily closed my ears.
Out came my purse in my frantic cndea-
vor to obtain peach at any cost and
successively offered them at the rate OF
two, three, five and ten cents per peach.
This was refused with the remark that
these two lone baskets comprised the
entire crop of a four hundred acre or
chard and they were to be shipped away
to be preserved in alcohol. A wicked
scheme then sprang into my heart 10
wreck the wagon, and spill the fruit.
This was derpier resort, and soon my
brain was simmering with visions Of
peaches, cramp collie, etc. The plan was
to pick up my bicycle from the wayside
where it had lain to escape the sight of
the horse, and suddenly ride past it with
an unearthly toot from caliope This ]
thought would suffice to scare this limo.
cent horse and insure the success of the
plot. 1t worked admirably indeed and
peaches were spilled upon the road for a
half mile. My pockets were soon filled
and was fast riding to Dover, with the
two irate peach guards in vain pursuit
These were the only peaches seen on the
entire road which led past at least fifty
orchards. The growers are much disap-
pointed at the failure of the crop but at
tributed it to the severe weather late in
the winter which came at a very inop
perfume time in the growth of the peach
i. e., when it is particularly susceptible
to the cold and the sap is driven back
into the trunk and the growth killed
This however is not entirely the cause O
the present scarcity of the fruit. The
June dropping" too abundantly helped
to lessen the quantity of the yield, fol
the season and reduced the crop to moth
ing. In conversation with a prominent
grower and owner of orchards your cor
respondent was informed that no peaches
are visible from the car windows on the
Delaware Railroad below Middletown.
There are similar discouraging reports
received from below, and the surround
ing country and growers ridicule the
preposterous estimates of a Delaware
Railroad official late in the season when
he claimed an unusually large deal, and
figured the yield up in the millions
This discouraging report has so repeated.
ly eminated from the peach district just
previous to the ripening of the crops that
it may be characterized as the traditional
peach scare, and it is to avoid any exag.
Grafton that your correspondent has per-
sonally inspected many orchards in Kent
county to ascertain the exact condition
ofthe crop. The above discouraging re.
port is the result of this diagnosis.