Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-07-25
GOOD PEACH YEAR.
Harvesting the Delicious Fruit
in Delaware Orchards.
Greatest Peach Area in World--A
Blighting Disease.


SEAFoKp, Del. July s4.-When the Del
swsre peach, just now about making its ap-
pearance in many cities, towns and Villages,
snce fairly takes possession Of the markets.
all other fruits-donestic and foreizn-ae-
knowledge its supremacy. and fruit is
always cheap in what is called down here
"a good peach year" This litiie town on
tn. river Naaticoke and the Delaware rail
road j. as nearly rs may be the center of
the worlds chief peach growing region.
When one speaks Of the Delaware peach.
one means, of course, the peach that grows
On the Delaware peninsula which includes
she state of Delaware and the eastern shores
sf Maryla land ard Virginia
The peach region IS mainly confined To
hose counties Of Delaware and Mary land
lying directly between the Delaware and
Chesapeake bays, specifically Kent and
Sussex counties in Delaware and Kent.
Queen Aune's. Caroline, Talbot and Dor
chester ON the eastern shore OF Maryland.
The peach g0ss, however, in every county
Of the peninsula, though the great bulk of
80 called Delaware peaches comes from the
group Of counties first named seaford may
be esteemed the peach center, though Mel
ford and BridgeVille, both in Delaware,
also contend for that honor. Ten years ago
the peach center was some miles farther
north, aud il has Travelled southwark and a
little westward fully co 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 sini-
lar area III 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
TO the markets Of the great northern cities
Nowhere else in the world have peaches
been grown 50 long in great quantities for
market. and in no other region is the peach
relatively so important a crop. Delaware
ha, been the chief peach growing region Of
the world for nearly half a century. and IN
spite Of many discouragements and i'll fore
bo1ings, 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
5.G00,nl0 baskets of peaches to market.
That means l6s $4,000 pounds of fruit. or
-, coo tons Besides all this there will he
another 800, go baskets sent to market by
water or used in the canneries and evapo-
rstors. to say nothing of 'he immense guam
ir.Fe
will send its peaches to all the northern and
western cities within go to 800 miles Of
this point Peach trains from here or cor
responding points in the peach region reach
Jersey City in IA hours. Boston and New
England cities in 30 hours or less, Cincin-
natl and places in the Ohio valley in 30
hours and Chicago in Jj hours. Peaches
kept in motion will carry in good order to
the most distant place named and if need he
half H. far again, 30 that st. Paul and the
cities in the western states bordering the
Mississippi are not beyond the rs,ach OF the
peninsula peachgruwer. Whole trains OF
peaches are consigned to the great cities
and from one to three ears to small places.
So long as peaches may 80. in bulk to
their place of destination and are kept go
ing they ARE likely to reach these places in
good condition. Ii is stopping and handling
that destroy he peaches and make them
unit to eat The railway charge from Della
ware to Jersey City on a carload Of peaches
Of GO baskets is 800 and to more distant
points in pro- "a. The interstate com
,nerce commission has decided these rates
to ls excessive, and peachgrowers hope for
sonnet hing better Peaches are plucke'i by
hand when hard. but handsomely color"i,
culle,l by machinery and packed in baskets,
often with q few leaves on top by way of
garrlture. They are carried from farm to
railway station in light wagons specially
constructed for the purpose and arranged
tn mold double deck Of peach baskets. The
driver Is negro, and the team is a pair of
horses OF mules.
Time is everything with the peach farm
or, 50 the team is driven at a rapid gait.
There are some illusions touching the peach
that truthful historian must dispel. A
peach orchard ia full bloom is not beauti-
full sight. because all trees planted for com
mercial purposes ara grated, and the bios
som Of the grated tree is not the brilliant
and beautiful flower that ore sees on the
volunteer tree that has sprung up alone
from "A peach seed careles>ly dropped
Neither i the ripe frnit AS 1t hangs upon
the tree specially beautiful sight, save ut
close quarters. because in the case of per
/ fectiy healthy trees that are not laden De
yond their own good the thick green leaves
hide the fruit from an observer standing Ht
q little distance But a peach that really
/ ripens on the tree and is eaten in the or
ehari Is a beautiful and luscious thing
And when the crop is large, as this year.
leachgrp~er does not offer his guest sin
ale peach or a dozen peaches, but sets him
! Il IL hStt,s. ~
his fill
When the peach season has fairly set in,
all other interests become insignificant
Ever body talks about the price aud qual
ity Of peaebes and every idle man may work
if he will The very air about the railway
stations anil along the roads edging the or
chards is retioleut of the peach aroma, and
the dusk is n1elolioss with the songs OF
negroes driving homewarti from orchard o.
landing
! The peach season throughout the penin
| sula sets in between the middle and the last
/ of July. continues to increase in activity
/ until the last week Of August, is brisk we'll
through September and ends late in Dcto
/ her Everybody here knows the varieties
I of the peach by name. The Troth, Early
( Yorks and Mountain Rose come in Jnly,
I Resre~ Favc-its (Avford' : Early, Moore :
Ola Nixon. Crawford s Late, Stump of the
/ World. Silver Medal Prize and Susflue
/ hanna come In August, the Smock in Sep
( ternher and the Aigiers Winter in October.
/ The peninsula peach was never better than
! il HOW Is. and the favorites of % years ago
I are still in demand. \ few special varieties
| snch "a the Heath. white cling peach. sci
1 dom reach the ordinary consumer, bat arr
i bro.ght up for canning, and thus preserved
I fetch a high price.
! There are many ways Of selling peaches
1 Sometimes the peach grower sends his fruit
from day TO day TO commission merchants
/ IN the cities aud takes his chances IN TIE
| market: sometimes buyers come 10 the
| peach region and buy direct from the grow
| ers day by day; sometimes the product oi
| the orchard Is sold outright at so much a
basket weeks or even months before the
fruit is ready to be marketed When the
season is at its height. prices are quoted and
discussed wherever Saen meet, and the rJa-
! raj poastofYiee il center of special interest,
+ because there are received reports--often BY
postal eari-from agent to grower. 1t some
times happens that everybody's postal re
! - ,.asi al ~ sba n-,,.rt1 hsr