The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-23
ALL ABOUT PEACHES.
Delaware Peach Growing Now and
in the Past.
From the Ee,0 York Sun

=
would be in no danger of peach famine,
though perhaps for year or two there
might be a scarcity Of early and
varv late peaches. A short peach
croD on the peninsula of Delaware and
MARYLAND once meant dearth of peaches
in ali the great cities. But the extension OF
reach culture, the use of refrigerator cars
and the expedition OF freight carrying have
greatly altered the conditions, SO that the
actual suspension Of peach culture in that
.soft. half Syrian" region between the
Delaware and Chesapeake bays would not
long embarrass the fruit market Of New
/ York.
The Delaware peninsula is still perhaps
4 the greatest peach-growing region in the
1 world. 1t is estimated that there are upon
1 the peninsula 5000, 900 peach trees, big and
little, good and bad. That means some
/ what less than 10000 acres occupied by
4 peach orchards. When the peninsula
1 peach crop is millions instead OF thousands
/ of baskets it rules the fruit market Of New
York, and with the advent of the Delaware
peach by the carload the price Of all other
fruit drops. But since the time when the
II Delaware peach crop was the only important
one in the United States there has been
II an enormous planting of peaches in various
Dsrts of the country The peach will ripen
II In almost any part of the United States,
H and when IL has the protecting presence or
a considerable body of water it may escape
/ one Of its most dangerous enemies. late
4 Epring frosts. The Delaware peninsula IL
ideally situated for peach culture. In the
extreme southern part OF the region
the fig tree lives through most win
ters. --, Nevertheless, the peach some
times develops its buds under the in
Fl Auence of warm weather in February and
March, to have them nipped by frosts in
April The perennial pleasantly about the
1 ruin Of the Delaware peach crop by frost
really has no foundation in justice, for it
N often happens that the conditions are such
that a late frost blasts all the peach buIs N
a narrow belt of the peninsula and spares
q those in other parts. The news then comes
that the peach crop in a certain district is
q destroyed, and everybody smiles. not knows
81 ing that frost that nips 100000 trees may
spare the other $500 900.
It is a study Of this popularity Of the
peach that has made possible the extension
of peach culture over many degrees of lasi-
tude. New York now receives peaches from
as far south as Northern Georgia and as far
north as Mount Shasta. The California
peach grows from near the Mexican line up
nearly to the borders Of Oregon. Califor-
nia, Michigan, Ohio. Northern New York,
Connecticut, New Jersey, Western Mary
81 land, West Virginia and Northern Georgia
are now sending peaches to New York in
competition with the Delaware peninsula,
and should the 'yellows" really drive the
peach off the peninsula these regions would
8 probably be able to supply this market In
4 great abundance. 1t IS roughly estimated
q that California can ship away 1900, 600
baskets Of peaches year. All these do not
come to New y FORK. Perhaps this city re-
Ceves less than fourth of the peaches that
Il California sends east. The California
peach begins coming to market in June and
is still with us in November The Delaware
81 ur1v Ny,1vv Rh.k l..
e 50 long a range. The earliest Delaware
peaches come into market late in July, and
the latest about the middle Of October
though even later varieties are grown in
small quantities upon the peninsula. The
Georgia peaches come a little earlier than
the Delaware peaches, but do not continue
So late. The crop in Georgia is one of the
largest in the United States. There are,
perhaps, 10000 acres of orchards in the
northern part of the state.
The middle varieties Of the peaches have
been planted in this state, along the southern
shore OF Lake Ontario. in Connecticut, and
and in western Maryland and West VIr-
ginia. These varieties escape spring frosts
by late development. Few Of them come
Il into market before the last Of August, and
their season lasts only from two 70 three
weeks. The most conspicuous peach grower
81 in Connecticut has declined this season an
offer OF $50 900 FOR the product of twenty
acres. Such an offer would strike a
Delaware peach grower dumb. A
tree is a good yield in Delaware, though
much greater yields have been known, and
# II the Connecticut crop is worth 81 900 an
acre the yield must be enormous. The Con-
necticut peach grower, in his canny yankee
81 way, has substituted q half-bushel basket
for the basket OF five half-pecks now used
a by the Delaware peach grower, and women
do q great deal of the peach pluckIng in
Connecticut, while in Delaware most Of the
81 "peach-plucks" are men. The Delaware
& peach basket once contained six hslf~peoks.
& l he tendency seems to be toward a uniform
ha!t-bushel basket.
An uucommonly fine peach crop grows
"a upon two great battle fields, Gettysburg and
81 Antietam. The region covered by these
orchards extend from Southern Pennsyl-
vapia down into Western Maryland, and
thence by the Potomac valley into West
81 Virginia. These peaches reach market in
August and September. The orchards
grow in the river valleys and are thus pros
teced from frost.
The best yellow peach in the United
81 STATES grows upon the Catawba islands in
Lake Erie, near Cleveland. The crop here
ls perhaps 100000 half bushel baskets. The
81 peaches come In late, though earlier than
tne latest Delaware varieties. New York
# gets only a small part of the crop.
no" Jersey sends peaches to New York
late aud early, and rivals the Delaware
peninsula In the range of season occupied
by the crop. The ''yellows," which Is
alarming the Delaware peach growers. has
been known in New Jersey for the last forty
S. years, but the Jersey peach is still extern
slvely cultivated. Many OF the earliest
peaches sent TO market from Southern New
Jersey are the product Of orchards infected
with the yelloWs. These peaches are spoken
- Of as "prematures" in Delaware and Mary
INA. One effect OF the yellows is 20 hasten
tne ripening of the fruit. The tree turns
ted and yellow in midsummer, and the fruit
Is small and often mas hectic cheek.
only the great peach growers of Califor-
ma approach in wealth aud social impor-
lance the race Of successful peach growers
tAaI distinguished Northern Delaware
twenty years ago. when lands that rad
grown wheat for $50 years were planted
WIN millions o: semi tropical peach trees,
anu IL seemed that The markets Of the great
cues we're forever at the mercy Of the
peninsula peach growers. The story Of the
peaGh ls written all over the northern part
o. the little state and of the eastern shore Of
maryland. When Maj Reybold discovered,
my years ago, that peaches could be grown
Iohtabiy and in large quantities upon the
snores OF Delaware bay, he set fashion
t sudt soon became q rage Rv the time the