Milford chronicle., 1892-02-05

gerv interesting letter to the Clayton call a
ou the subject Of peach aid berry growing
on the Peninsula. MI Mills says
"por some years while superintendent Of
.he Delaware Division / was requested by
nnahes-oI peach growers and shippers to
make a statement as to the number OF peaeh
trees on our territory.
On account Of being 50 busy heretofore
take this opportunity of comparing tie ex-
traorninaIy increase in number Of trees
planted along the railroad lines aud wisn to
compare shipments Of berries and other
small fruits with the peaches; my idea being
to show that our territory is overplanted
with peaches, and that taking the results year
bv year.the peach crop has been a detriment
TO the peach growers rather than better
meut; thus enabling those interested to see
bv figures how the matter stands Com
mencing in 1874 and continuing up to last
year we had Western peach market Du'
last year,the states Of Missouri Ohio, Illinois
and Michigan were full of peaches, thus cut
ting off the market west OF Cleveland whieh
for many years took from fifty to seventy
FIVE cars per day.
This market was lost entirely this year
even if our fruit had been fit to ship TO these
points. also wish to call attention TO the
fact that we cannot grow fruit to compete
with California in dried peaches for evapor-
ating. In 1890 dried peaches sold in San
Francisco for IS cents per pound while IN
the spring Of 1891 they were quoted at o. |
cents per pound, thus cutting Delaware out
Of the dried peach market
Another thing we find the market slutted
with California fruit early in the season, and
while it does not bring the price peaches
from the Peninsula are sold for when sold on
the same day, yet it oveIstocks the market
with fruit and cones in competition with
our shippers I thinE when peaches were
first dried it was at Middletown, and brought
from 25 to 81 cents per pound.
At these prices the business would pay
handsomely, but at the prices named we can
not compete; therefore 1t would be wise to
90 into the cultivation of other frnits to PAL
tally take the place of peaches.
find in looking over our past records
that we had in the year 1875 on railroad ter
ritory over 5000, 600 bearing trees. The
great majority of these trees being in New
Castle and Kent counties, Delaware, and
Kent county, Nd. Since then there has
been gradual il crease until last spring we
found we had in actual bearing $500 900
trees on railroad territory. Thrs is from the
reports of actual growers, This would give
a total acreage at the rate planted, los trees
to the acre Of 1888 acres DEVOTED to the pro-
duct
These trees are mostly planted on the Lest
-land, thus showing a great amount of acre
age that could have grown more profitable
crops, which have in many instances been
cultivated at loss
There IS 40 doubt that flour growers would
conine themselves to orchards of moder-
ate size, say from 10 TO 20 acres, and when
they have a crop handle and ship to market
only the best fruit, they will always receive
paying prices, any one observing the fruit
shipped this season could not understand
how the market stood up as well as it did.
The shipment of premature fruit for some
years past ! have noticed almost invariably
sets the price low early in the season, aud
the commission INGREDIENTS fnd it hard to
get fair prices for the good fruit when it
commences to 60 to market. According 10
the best authorities, the California growers
thin all their fruit thus getting only the best
and save their trees from over bearing and
breaking down. Another point, they pack
their fruit better and compete with betiei
favored fruit only by the care they take IN
= shipping only the best to market well
packed; thus enabling them to pay heavier
freight charges aud beat us in our own mar
kets. These are truths that our growers are
fully aware Of In the spring of 1888 ex-
Z Gov. Biggs gave me 20 peach trees which
planted in April Of that year at Clayton the
I ground being very rich; the trees made
= phenomenal growth and bore full last spring
In Iune thinued the fruit Of ail the trees
except two, from some of them picked
: least basket of fruit the size of small wal
/ nuts. Prom all the trees TINS thinned
/ picked two baskets of good marketable frui
= and fron two trees Of GearY's Holdon
e picked three baskets each, from the two tree
+ I did not THU got basket each of very in
3 ferior fruit, and think these two trees WI
e never bear again, some of the fruit rotIinl
G and drying aud still hanging on the trees
; These being at Clayton, 1 will be glad t.
? show to any one interested.
The berry shipments on our territory hav
been steadily on the increase year by year
= according to the prices, and believe tai I'M
T it season by season the berries have beei
better than peaches, beginning with the yea
t 1882
r The actual figures of number OF quarts
e berries shipped BY railroad lines, is as fol
l. lows:
" 5Ss, ros2G,32