Evening journal., 1891-08-27
PRIME PEACHES eLeN1lEul.
But Baskets Are Very Scarce Among
the Frnit Growers.

the Frnit Growers.
Oh bring forth the fellows.
! Who said that tbs yellows
Would give us all premature fruit.
such premature lies
| The peach now denies,
Aud gives the lie straight to the brute.
h is now out of sight.
/ For his story was light,
And the peach. like the bed-bug, can claim,
| That IL 'mong other thiogs,
/ He Is not blessed with wings.
lie gets IN his work just the same.
Yesterday was, beyond all doubt, the
biggest DAY in peaches this city has had
| this season The estimated mum Der of
baskets of peaches in the market
amounted to IL, 600 Fourth and King
streets being especially well stocked
The fruit was in prime condition, some
OF 1t being trifle too hard for immediate
consumption, if anything The abun-
dance OF fruit produced a fuctuating
market aud good prices ranged like
measles-in spots. A dealer on one
corner got good prices. while the dealer
on another corner found 1t difficult to
sell his fruit at any price The prices
ranged from 20 to 10 cents, according to
the quality OF the fruit.
The shippers claim that the basket
factories down the state are unable to
meet the demand, now that the package
is sold with the fruit, and "a q conse.
quence every effort Is being made on the
part of the commission men TO retain the
package and return it to the grower
More peaches were shipped over the
Delaware railroad yesterday than any dsy
this season, the number being 800 car
loads. Theselcars wereIconsigned to shlrty-
nine places, some Of them going as far as
Waterford, Canada Wilmington re-
ceived 10 carloads; Boston. 80; Jersey
City, 90, and Philadelphia, 40
It is estimated that 200, 900 baskets
will be shipped from Middletown. Sew
eral shippers down the state have lost
considerable money by failing to get
their peaches in market on time. One
Dover shipper sent six carloads, upon
which he lost 81, 400
At Wyoming. twenty carloads we're
shipped yesterday, despite the fact that
the weather was bad on all perishable
freight. The prices paid were 80 cents
for good yellow fruit, and 90 cents for
white fruit
The Delaware Railroad Company car
ried !, ass cars Of peiishable freight last
week OF course, the greater portion Of
this per'shable freight was In the shape
OF peaches This makes the total num-
Der Of cars for the season, 10, 9s3. Last
week New York received sos Boston and
other New England points. 3O2: Phila
delphia, 25l Newark, N. j.. AZ Chester.
90; Wilmington, 107; aud the main line,
A correspondent writes as follows
IT'S an especially propitious season
when the Delaware peach growers can't
q r,la fslFt 4Vav "a
this year is a copious success, but an
early blight fell upon the peach basket
crop and 1t Is reported to be almost a
complete failure. a basket famine i
spreading woe and desolatiou throughout
the fair Peninsula. The crop of peaches
Is estimated at two million baskets but
there are not nearly two million baskets
TO be had. In 1889 and 1890 the peach crops
were practically failures, and q great
many basket makers went out of bust
ness. TIE growers were SO mournfully
sure that this years crop would be
equally failure that very few of the |
remaining factories started work, and as |
a result two weeks after the crop rim |
pened all the baskets In the state were
used up The factories are now running
night AID day with largely increased
forces, but are altogether unable to keep
mp with the demand, and the growers
are securing the whole country for bask-
cts, even going to Michigan for them
The cost Of the baskets has been increased
from 3 to cents each, while
peaches are commanding a much lower
price than usual, and this is playing
havoc with the profits Elk. Governor
Biggs has shipped 10000 baskets and
wants 20, 900 more. but can't get them
Other growers are in the same fix, and
the famine is growing serious. Canned
peaches will be very plentiful next win
ter and so will peach brandy There is
hardly barrel of peach brandy in the |
State of Delaware to-day, hut the distil- |
leries will soon be turning out an abund-
Rnce of it.