The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-24
PROSPECTS FOR FRUIT
INDIANA PEACHES AND CHERRIES
KILLED But APPLES RIGHT.
Few Early vegetables from the South
Strawberries VIII Probably
BE High.

A year ago the season seemed much
more advanced and the trees were assum-
ing a dress of green. The frost was out
of the ground and farmers had their pota-
toes planted and were doing spring plow-
ing. Fruit buds We're precocious, more's
the Pity. Gardens were started and small
VEGETABLES had a good start. The green
grocers were selling large quantities of
Florida products, both Strawberries and
small vegetables. Prices of the luscious
strawberry and the succulent imported
legume were beginning to decline. Even
that tired feeling had a start when, all
of a sudden on Easter morn the mercury
fell off the roof and dropped into the cellar.
All nature even to Easter bonnets took on
a "rigor mortis" aspect, and hopes of fruits
went into mourning. The dreadful destruc-
ton of native fruit was gone and the i'm
ported went up in price temporarily. But
still there was a large quantity of fruit
shipped in from the sunny South. The
remark was heard again that this country
is too big to suffer in all parts from one
adversely of the weather. or other work
of the elements.
This statement, however, is less true
this year than ever. The terrible cold of
the winter just closing made more of a
clean sweep than has been known since
the development of the South, and the adj
vent of fast express trains with refrigera-
tor cars made it possible for the markets
to furnish early fruit and vegetables two
to three months sooner than our grand
fathers use to have them The cold wave
submerged everything east of the Pacific
and a great deal west of it. Florida. land
or perennial to read the adver-
tisements, was frozen up in January and
again in February. The Thermometer
10 degrees, which concealed the juices Of
the orange trees and the young and tender
stems Of the growing legumes. Florida
advertised climate of the State. and
need but little fire to make them comfort
that she was as'e conpeiled during the cold
snaps to sleep with all her clothes on, all
the bed coverings she could find, and then
to spread her sealskin coat on top of all,
without satisfaction of warmth. When peo-
pie in Florida have to sleep under sealskin
is no use for imagination in the premises.
The result of this freeze was that the
orange crop on the trees was frozen solid,
ana when the thaw came the ground was
golden with the ruined fruit. People who
had the day before counted upon profits in
not only their profits gone, but a grave
question as to whether the orange trees
would ever bear again. The small vege-
work and the sales of the early market. All
must be done over again.
III ~ Oily lIllLS WdS 16II untouched Dy the
first freeze that in February, which sent
the mercury still lower, completed the grue-
some work of destruction. Men who stood
the first attack of nature upon their bust
ness credit could stand no longer and went
into the hands of a receiver for the benefit
of creditors. Fortunes metamorphosed into
liabilities while the frost melted. The ag-
gregate of damages was a multiple of mil
lions, and Florida people write North that it
the losses incurred by the cold weather.
Th1s explains Why the markets of the North
AYE as yet no str awberries or small yege,
by the commission and produce men was the
cabbage, which should have appeared in
handled were from California. The Florida
strawberry was next due, but Florida
shipped no Strawberries this year. Peas,
beans and potatoes ought next to appear,
but Jack Frost devoured them all, except a
few tomatoes from the extreme south of
appear to be shrinking from public gaze in
very shame for having to stand for about
all that the orange State was sending North
this year. CucumberS also went into Jack
frost's NAV, but whether they double him
up or not is not known. The market, how
ever, is just beginning to sport a few Gu
cu1nbers again. Prominent Delaware-street
commission men say that Strawberries also
will begin to show up in the course of a
few weeks.
They will be high" said one of the mer-
chants to a Journal reporter, "and the quail
Florida are very much discouraged, judging
from their letters to US. It is impossible to
compute the loss incurred by the State from
the freezes that it had. There have been
no oranges shipped since then that were
salahle, and 1T will take another season to
tell how much damage was done to the
trees. We have had very little of any early
fruit or vegetables from any Of the South
ern States yet, for the cold was general.
such a season was never known before since
l have been in business"
1t is still a question as to what damage
North. Mr.. Wappenhans. chief Of the local
weather service, says that it is still too
early to report upon the condition of peach
ents." he continued, from different parts
of the State take the view that the peaches
is generally believed that when the mercury
drops to ten or fifteen degrees below zero
the tenderer kinds of buds are all killed.
mometer reached ten below, and indeed the
average daily record shows that the winter
was ten degrees below the normal. Decem-
Der showed about three degrees above the
normal, January about three degrees below
and February ten degrees below, so that
February made the record for the winter.
The season is a month or six weeks behind
last year. and the fruit is not yet out of
danger, though there has been no warm
weather to start them to growing. After
such a winter / look for a cool summer"
that peaches and cherries are reported
killed in jackson, Jennings, Jefferson, Glib
Of th ana st naen and Goani in s ta ben s county nam N
the north half. The testimony everywhere,
however, is that the apple crop is still
safe and is likely to be very large, and
this win be an Improvement Over last year.
Plums and pears are also reported safe.
One correspondent remarked that he saw
killdees on Feb. &c. and another from st.
Joseph county said that the robins stayed
in the county all winter for the first time
since 1886. The producers of maple sugar
had two turns at the running sap, the ex-
treme cold of February having sent the
sap down again. A remarkable feature
OF the winter in Indiana is the lack of rain
fall. The record shows that it was far less
than usual and the reports say that in
most of the counties wells are dry and
farmers are hauling water for stock.