Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1895-07-10
Ready for Peaches.
THE CROP MAY REACH 1000 600 PAS
KETs If ALL CONTINUES
FAVORABLE.

The Morning Ne,cs of Monday has
the following to say on the prospective
peach crop:
Peninsula peach growers are well
pleased at the prospect of good crop.
Inc estimate made by the railroad
company shows that the prediction
made by the Morning Nelcs some time
ago that the crop would be about one
third of the one of two years ago is
correct. The railroad forecast does
not include the baskets which will he
shipped by boats. The crop NAV reach
100000 baskets if the favorable con.
ditiOns continue. The summer storms
however, are likely to knock MANY
peaches from the trees in the midst Of
the season just as they did two wears
ago, when there were several millions
of baskets lost in that way.
Delaware will furnish the greater
number Of peache2. The MARYLAND
counties will have good crops. but
they will not equal those of Delaware.
The best crop will be within a radius
OF twelve miles of GEORGETOWN. in
sussex county, where it is said that the
crop Will be the largest liz the history
OF peach raising in this State. The
trees about Milford and Seaford are
only in fair condition, but there will
not be full crCps in those sections. II
seems a strange thing that in some
sections the crop will be the largest
ever grown from the same number of
trees, while in other regions there will
be 10 peaches worth shipping. This
is the case.
The smallness of the yield compared
with former years is not wholly due TO
the failure of the fruit in certain places
but 1t is due to the fact that continued
failures have caused the growers to
pull up many trees, while the yellows
have destroyed trees in addition TO
those which have been pulled IN.
Years ago it was not common thing
to see orchards containing thousands
of trees and some of them were i'm
mense in size, but all this has gone.
The present orchards are small and
many of them have been kept up in
the hopes that a big crop would
sometimes result and pay for
them. In the upper part of Kent
county, Maryland, which was for.
merly great peach growing county.
there is not an orchard of 5000 trees
while formerly there were orchards
which contained as many as 10000.
1t did not pay to keep them and the
trees were pulled up and something
else planted; In some places in that
county it is said that there will not he
more than basket of peaches to a tree
whlle IN others the crop will be large.
why this IS so 10 one seems able to tell
FRUIT growers cannot tell what il is
that causes the peach belt to move or
causes the trees to bear sometimes in
one section and sometimes in another
One fruit grower who was talked to
recently was OF the opinion that the
peach trees took something from the
ground which they could not get back
again, and for that reason the crop on
those trees failed. He thought that
the leaves and decayed fruit of the
trees falling upon the ground would
give the trees exactly what thew
needed II the leaves and fruit were al
lowed TO remain there, Forest trees
thrive and grow, he said, for lust this
reason. In peach orchards. however
all OF the fruit is gathered up and
used for some purpose.
The Delaware Railroad Company.
when Will carry most of the peaches
shipped from this Peninsula, is prepar-
ing for the season. All of the cars
aVailaole are being turned into peach
cars for the time being, and will be
USED IN carrying the fruit to the vari-
Gus markets. The men at the local
SHOPS OF the company are busy on this
KIND OF work and peach cars are stored
on various sidings along the road
ready for use when wanted. The
peach yield is in this way already ben
citing the people of the Peninsula and
extra men will be needed when the
trains begin to move,
The growers of Sussex county have
formed an organization to look out for
markets and will try the experiment.
OF attending to the shipment of their
own FRUIT unless they change their
minds from the present decision. The
experiment has been tried before. hut
has never worked. The best plan
seems to be for each man to look out
Tor himself and ship only his good
Iruit: There have been growers on
the PENINSULA who made thousands of
uollars In one season simply by attend.
ing TO their own crops, shipping good
lrult and shipping it to places which
were not likely to be glutted. The
sussex county organization, however.
seems likely to amount to- more than
most of similar kind for the reason
that they will see that only good fruit
shipped and that it is shipped where it
is likely to pay.