Smyrna times., 1888-08-01
Editorial Correspondence.
THE TRIP OF THE PENINSULA EDITOR.


The trip which a streak of good for
tune placed at the command of the
Peninsular Press Association, is one of
the most varied and enjoyable it has
ever had. A part reached the Blue
Mountain House on Friday but the
larger part came on Saturday, reaching
here about six o'clock. Those who
came on Friday had an experience of
encOuntering on the way a terrific
mountain storm, something like a
clOud-burst we read of in the West.
From their elevated position the cloud
was a little way above them and
black enough, Mr.. Cruikshank said, to
write on with chalk. The thunder
and lightning played about them and
the rain came down in buckets full
The train had to stop, the hail fell
thick and heavy, and the rushing
waters covered the track a foot or two
deep. The train had to stop twice be-
sides to remove distractions or guard
against washOuts. The evidences of
the storm were very perceptible on
Saturday in the corn fields ribboned by
the hail, and much of it blown down.
The ride from Baltimore to the Blue
Mountain House is an interesting one
| throughout to person used only to
| the straight, level roads of the PENN
sula. Leaving Union depot in Balti-
more, the Western Maryland road
commences with hill and dale, and
keeps it up until we reach the highest
| point of our destination. For a con-
siderable part of the way out of Balti-
more the country is hilly like Pennsyl-
vania west from Philadelphia, but fur
| ther on the valleys become deeper
and spurs of hills sharper and the road
| bed more cirCuitOus. The turns are
frequently so sharp as almost to throw
you from the seat, incontineutly caus-
! ing a sudden grasp Of the arm of the
seat as if the thing was going over.
The longest curve is very much in the
shape of a horseshoe, 3nd known by
! this name.
The country is we'll cultivated, even
the steep hili-sides are made available
for corn which seems to be the princi-
pal crops. A number of the oat fields
were still uncut. The numerous val
leys give find grazing tracts. A notice.
able feature Of the landscape are the
number of trees in the fields and val
leys. The farmers do not regard it a
sin to let tree stand along the road.
side, fence row or field, like they ap-
parcntly do in Delaware. There was
not hedge observable on the whole
line of road. The barns which in the
main are large ones, have as many
windows built in them as in the dwell
lings. There we no peach orchards
visible on the route to the mountains
but at the foot of the mountains on the
west and south side the growing O
peaches was tried a few years age
with such success as to amount now tC
a craze. One man, a pioneer in the
matter. cleared last year S22 ,O0O and
others who were growing them in &
smaller way in proportion, and til,
consequence is, a general rush into the
peach business One hundred thou.
sand trees were planted in the Cum.
berland Valley this Spring in sight o1
the foot Of this mountain. And what
is more, they are claimed to be of bet.
ter flavor than the Peninsula peach
that was thought unrivalled. A basket
of Amsden June l saw this morning
were fine in size and perfcct-a mucl
better specimen than any l have seer
| at homo