Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-08-13
Revised Estimate of the
Peach Yield.
THE JUNE DROP AND THE yELLOWS
Cause or the Shrinkago of
the Crop.

correspondence Public Ledger, philaaelphia.

tllt lIuEltlu pllOlt VI nidl ll1nN iluo ltI-
4 mitted the Public Ledger TO lay before its
readers some facts regarding the extent
n of this years peach crop and spread of
the peach tree disease known as the
yellows through that section. Visits
were made at most of the heaviest rail
Y road shipping points, and the details
h obtained from the shippers and growers
were printed in the four letters that
M have been published.
IA In summing up the information oh
tained, the first fact worth noting is that
in the districts not affected by the yell
N lows there is full or heavy crop. II
n will aggregate from all sections from
n 2,500,000 TO 100000 baskets. The
w yellows, which has almost devastated
a the orchards in New Castle county,
NJ Del, and is ever driving the peach belt
NJ southward, has spread with greater
VI rapidity and has affected more trees
than in any previous season. 1t has
N secured good foothold in Kent county,
Del, and shortened the otherwise full
crop materially. In New Castle county
the disease has prevailed for years and
has succeeded in killing out the orchards
in the northern half Of the county. The
southern half is greatly affected, more
so ~ all probability than any part of
4 these counties remote localities in which
the orchards are still healthy and are
y full of fruit. But past experience leads
to the belief that these must in time
succumb to the attacks of the ever
spreading blight.
n Sussex, the southernmost county of
IA Delaware, is comparatively free Of the
IA disease. as are the Maryland counties
that lie south of the Delaware line, but,
as has been stated, late frost ruined
what would otherwise have been good
j crop in that section.
The blight has crossed the line into
w the upper eastern shore counties of
Maryland, and Cecil's orchards are suf-
fering as badly as those of New Castle
4 county, in Delaware. 1t has crept
a across the Sassafras river from Cecil into
Kent county, and smitten the orchards
along its northern border. Westward
from the Delaware line, it has spread a
few miles into Kent, Queen Anne and
the northern part of Caroline counties,
where it was not known three or -four
years ago.
There is no disease worth mentioning
in the counties named, except in the
X strip along the Delaware line, but no
one can say what progress it will make
another year. 1t is in these counties
that the bulk of the peach crop of the
", Peninsula will be found. Talbot, south.
ern Caroline and Dorchester are alsc
thickly dotted with orchards, but, like
southern Delaware, the late frost ruined
vi the crop.
OF course, even in counties that arc
said to be producing a full crop in tho
aggregate there are orchards that, from
4 some local cause or atmospheric condi
tion, have poor yield. Generally these
n exceptions are seen among young or
u chards. A shy crop in an old or estab
lished orchard is hard TO find. III;
,average of bearing trees in the Mary
land counties, and probably in Ken
county, Del, also, is larger this season
than ever before. Next year many
more trees will bear for the first time
ard there is no immediate danger of tn,
total destruction of the orchards from
the effects of the yellows alone.
What is known as the "Junc fall, al
effect of late frosts, or cold spring, o
possibly a natural thinning Of the frlii
on too heavily bearing trees, oftei
n causes great decrease in the prospect
i OF the crop Few growers will make II
estimate of the yield of their orchard
until the period for the "June fall' ha
pissed. The "June fall'' this year wa
very slight everywhere, and this is on
cause of the large crop.
THE YELLows.
A century ago, when there wer
orchards in Chester county, pennsylva
mia, trees We're affected with disease
the description Of which shows that
was the yelows, or something Of III
same character. Orchards in Nov
Jersey nearly 50 years ago also suifcre'
from what must have been the sam
disease. Nearly every grower has
different theory as to its origin. som
lay it to atmospheric causes, some f
climatic. Others say the soil or mod
of cultivation is to blame, and anothe
says the young trees are unhealthy
Different remedies or preventatives, al
of which are claimed to be eilicaciou;
are heard Of, hut the fact remains tina
the disease battles growers and scientist
alike and marches on its chosen cours
with no hindrance whatever.
The "prematurc" fruit, about whic
so much has been heard and written,
fruit from diseased trees that from som
cause connected with the condition {
the tree, has apparently ripened and ma
tured before lis season.
N Fruit on u tree stricken with anv rs
ease will generally premature, but tn
premature peaches that have bee
shipped to market this season are fru
from trees affected with the yellowi
Being from u diseased tree and appal
emily ripening in many cases two week
or more before its natural season, tn
4 fruit must be diseased.
An infallibe test of premature peachc
of the freestone varieties, which al
those mostly grown for market is tho
when broken open with the fingers, tn
meat clings to the stone The first sig
of the yellows is the premature fru
and the shriveled twigs growing froI
the trunk, mentioned in Il previous le
\ Ter. The foliage turns yellow and fall
t and in two years, rarely longer, somt
times less, tile tree dies.
a A gentleman who has paid consider
able attention to the matter believe
that the spread of the disease is OWN
81 to the use Of buds from diseased tree
Y for budding.
W Another called attention to the fat
M that the disease rayaged the orchard
the worst in sections long devoted
peach growing. He believed that I'll
W atmosphere of these sections was in
regnated with it.