Bridgeton pioneer., 1891-06-11
THOUSANDS OF BASKETS,
CREEK FARMERS GOOD
REPORTS.
fruits are Excellent all Through
the StOe Creek Relf..-Investi-
cations of Reporters.


The reporters of the PIONEER who
have been looking after the fruit crops
OF Cumberland County, visited Stoe
Creek township Wednesday afternoon,
and when the sun had set, there had
been a dozen or more interviews with
the prominent growers of Stoe Creek
township
There is great peach belt running
through this section and the reporters
followed it from Roadstown to Can
ton, travelling miles of country roads
through dust and sun. The great or
cherds lying all through there were
visited and viewed by the newspaper
men, and the people have every reason
to be highly delighted with the re
ports of the growers. Unless all signs
fail, there will be thousands of dollars
in circulation in this county from the
sale of the peach crop.
AS in Hopewell, the peach trees
through Stoe Creek will have probably
an average of one and half baskets
of peaches to the tree, and this means
thousands upon thousands of baskets.
The peach growers are sanguine of
good prices. One gentleman who
studies the matter closely believes the
packers will take all the fruit they
can get in anticipation of failures in
the near future as in the recent past.
For year5the people have been de-
pending entirely upon the crop from
California, the Eastern markets being
entirely bare of canned fruit and
evaported goods.
Apples. pears and cherries also look
well and good crops are anticipated.
In fact the situation can be summed
up by saying that the fruit crop of this
year has much better prospects than
for the past four or five years.
With yesterdays trip this particular
work by the PIONEER reporters was
finished, and the readers of the Pro
NEER have the only intelligent idea
given by any newspaper in this i'm
portant matter. and one in which the
entire public is greatly interested.
The stories as learned from the farmers
themselves, are here given.
The opinion of Hon. l. NJ. Smally as
to the prospects of fruit crop was
obtained yesterday.
There is no man in Cumberland
county more able to give a correct
opinion as to the outlook for fruit
than Mr.. Smalley. A nurseryman and
prominent horticulturist and farmer
for many years in Stoe Creek town
ship, he is an expert and authority on
all questions relating to fruit culture.
He says peaches are going to be a
pretty good crop; of course the June
drop will affect it to some extent,
especially the early varieties. which
naturally fall off good deal during
June. We can tell a great deal better
about the crop two weeks from now
than we can at this time.
Iheve about 5000 trees now in bear
ing condition, from five to eight years
old, and 1850 younger trees. My trees
are we'll set with fruit; the average
yield per tree is a hard matter to state.
From the present appearances should
cay it ought to be about two baskets
per tree. Some of my early varieties
are very full, but as usual with early
fruit, the drop may be extensive. 1t
may be found that two baskets to q
tree is too high an estimate and one
basket may be nearer the mark, but
no one can surely tell SO early as this.
The apple crop will be large one; the
trees are very full, all of my varieties
are loaded down. My Fallowaters be-
ing perhaps, the heaviest loaded.
With the exception of the Kieffer
pear, the pear crop right here does not
give such. good promise. Kieffers are
loaded down with fruit. My Bartletts
and Clapp's Favorite are not very full
the Clapps are q little fuller than, the
Bartletts. Sekels are full. l feel con-
fdent we shall have a good crop of
peaches this year, which will be very
good thing fer the farmers, who have
had bad time of it for couple of
years past; almost all other fruits will
be an abundant crop"
John H. Willis, living on,the Fithian
farm in Stoe Greek. says: Il have here
an orchard of 1900 bearing peach trees
some of them are old trees, the others
just coming into bearing. My old
trees are heavily loaded, and the young
ones have as much fruit as they should
have, Indeed a good deal of it may fall
off with benefit to the trees. l con-
slider the prospect for a good peach
crop very good from present indica-
tions, but cannot tell what the June
drop will amount to, but am inclined
to think the crop should average two