The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-07-27

PENINSULA PEACH REGION.
The peach region is manly confined to
those counties of Delaware and Maryland
lying directly between the Delaware and
Chesapeake bays, specifically Kent and
Sussex counties in Delaware and Kent,
Queen Anne's Caroline, Talbot and Dor
chester on the eastern shore of Maryland.
The peach grows however in every county
of the peninsula, though the great bulk of
so called Delaware peaches comes from the
group of counties first named. Seaford may
be esteemed the peach center, though Mel
ford and Bridgeyille, both in Delaware
also contend for that honor. Ten years ago
the peach center was some miles farther
north, and it has travelled southwark and
little westward fully 60 miles in the past 30
years
Peaches grow in constantly increasing
quantities at many other points in the
United States-north, south and west
Earlier peaches are grown in Georgia, big
ger peaches in California and perhaps later
peaches in Connecticut, New York and the
lake states of the west, but no other SINH
lar area in the United States or in the
world grows so many peaches, and on the
average peaches so good, as this penin.
sula. The peach season here is longer than
elsewhere, and the fruit is the best sent
Nowhere else in the world have peaches
been grown so long in great gu utities for
market, and in no other region is the peach
relatively so important crop. Delaware
has been the chief peach growing region of
the world for nearly half a century, and in
spite of many discouragements and i'll fore
bodings, in spite of ravaging disease and
increasing competition, it is likely to re
tain its supremacy for many years to come,
perhaps for many generations.
The peninsula peach crop of this year Is
one Of the largest in the history of peach
growing, though some hundreds of thou
sands short of three or four famous crops of
the past 30 years. The railways that net
the peninsula are making ready to send
100000 baskets of peaches to market.
That means 16S,OOO,OOO pounds of fruit, or
81, 900 tons. Besides all this there will be
another 100000 baskets sent to market by
water or used in the canneries and evapo-
rators, to say nothing of the immense guam
tity consumed at home. This peninsula
will send its peaches to all the northern and
western cities within 900 to 200 miles of
this point. Peach trains from here or cor
responding points in the peach region reach
Jersey City in Il hours, Boston and New
England cities in 80 hours or less, Cincin- |
hours and Chicago in 86 hours. Peaches
kept in motion will carry in good order to
the most distant place named and if need be
half as far again, so that st. Paul and the
cities in the western states bordering the
Mississippi are not beyond the reach of the
peninsula peachgrower, Whole trains of
peaches are consigned to the great cities
and from one to three cars to small places.
So long as peaches may 60 in bulk to
their place of destination and are kept GO
ing they are likely to reach these places in
good condition Itis stopping and handling
that destroy the peaches and make them
unfit to eat. The railway charge from Della
ware to Jersey City on a carload Of peaches
of 900 baskets is 500 and to more distant
points in proportion, The interstate COM
meroe commission has decided these rates
TO be excessive and peachgrowers hope for
something better. Peaches are plucked by
hand when hard, but handsomely oolored,
eullsd hY mAehinery and packed In baskets. |