The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-07-21
THE PEACH CROP.
II Ia Said 10 he u gAnurs Ia Maryland and
Delaware-DamaRe by spring FroSts
and the Deatructive CurenlIO,,

II Ia said 10 be a Failure Ia Maryland and
Delaware-DanIage by spring FroSts
and the Destructive CurenliO',
Baltimore American; Special Agent
1. N. Mills, of the Philadelphia, VIII
mlngton Baltimore Railroad company
has made his estimate of the peach
crop, and his prediction is that the
peach crop of 1897 viii almost be a total
failure. This is quite a surprise, as sew
eral weeks ago there was u good pros
pect for a moderate sized crop, But the
peaches have nearly all vanished from
the trees, and a little closer scrutiny win
find them on the ground where they
have fallen.
The June drop" this season is the
heaviest In the history of peach cul-
ture on the Peninsula, and growers
who anticipated the lifting of a mort
age by this CROP have had their hopes
blasted and will now have to turn
their attention to something else to
meet the desired end.
The frosts Of the early spring dam
aged the peaches In the lower part of
the Peninsula, but still there was a
prospect for a good crop. The damage
was done by the %curculio, and wher-
ever II stings a peach Is sure to fall, So
numerous have been these destructive
insects that Mr.. Mills noticed in an
orchard near Seaford a peach that had
thirteen stings on it. This orchard is
no exception to the other orchards OF
the Peninsula.
The cause OF the rapid increase Of the
curculio Is a mystery to a majority OF
the fruit growers; but Mr., Mills says 1t
Is the fault of the farmers themselves.
In 1895 and 1896 there were large crops
OF peaches, and the ground under the
trees was covered with peaches that
had either rotted and fallen of or We're
thrown there as culls and left to rot.
Instead OF the growers picking the de-
cayed fruit up, as Is done by the Call
foronia fruit growers, and either feed
ing 1t TO the hogs or getting rid OF 1t In
some other way, It was left there for
these insects to breed In, with the cons
sequence that in 1897 there is an enor>
nous crop OF these insects. and they
have destroyed the crop Of peaches.
The following Is the estimate as fur
nished by the agents along the line OF
the Delaware railroad and branches to
Mr.. Mills. This, he thinks, is too high
by from one-third to one-half:
Delaware railroad-ll2,s 500 baskets.
Queen Anne and Kent Railroads.&c.
400 baskets.
Delaware and Chesapeake railroad
IS, $50 baskets.
Doltt,oro ond nalau-ara Raw railroad
-l27, $50 baskets.
Cambridge and Seaford Railroads.&c.
$50 baskets.
Delaware, Maryland and Virginia
railroad-lO7. CS5 baskets.
Total-537,O75 baskets.
The principal shipping points will be
Wyoming, on the Delaware railroad;
Milford and shelbyville. on the Della
ware, Maryland and Virginia railroad;
East New Market on the Cambridge
and Seaford railroad; Ridgely and
Queen Anne, on the Delaware and
Chesapeake railway: Millington and
Centreville. on the Queen Anne
Kent railroad.
These are the points where the buy
ers will be located and they will draw
from the smaller stations.
Mr.. w. S. Gavan, chairman of the
transportation committee OF the Ma
tional League of Commission Mer-
chants, and member OF the Arm Of C. P.
Tatem & Co, No. 121 Light street, who
are largely receivers of Maryland
peaches, said that they received most
of their peaches from the waterfront
counties of Maryland, but that they
were familiar with the peach crop over
the states of Maryland, New Jersey and
Delaware and the west. He said the
crop was very materially affected by
the curculio.
ut was thought" said he, that the
April frosts would kill this insect, and,
thereby render the crop large. But this
is not so, for the June drop COM
menced to show itself as soon as the
warm sun began to shine" Mr.. Gavan
said that the Jersey crop vas large.
but the fruit was small and Inferior.
The mountain peaches are not so
much affected, and their quality Is finer,
and they possess better keeping quail
ties than other peaches. This makes
them better In price, and gives them n
good outlet TO eastern markets,
All the eastern buyers have agents
In Western Maryland. and these agents
procure the finest peaches. The crop
there is as great, II not greater, than
last year, and as fine in quality. The
waterfront crop. ms that Of Talbot,
Caroline and Dorchester counties, and
which comes to Baltimore, has suffered
n great deal, and there is hardly one
fourth OF the usual yield. Kent and
Queen Anne counties. which ship
mostly to Boston, New York and Phlla-
delphia, nave not escaped the blighting
influence OF frost and insects.
Good peaches said Mr.. Gnvan, ARE
Mt n premium, and will bring more
money than they have for the last four
or Ave years. But this will be made
up In other fruits. such as apples,
pears. canteloupes, grapes and plums,
the yield Of which VIII be very large.
The failure in the peach crop is not
equally distributed. Some growers have
good crops, and some have none at all.
A fair crop Ia n rarity. no that many
farmers viii lose heavily,
Gamers are buying up the peaches,
and Mr.. GavHn said II vas 'blg fish
eating the little ones"
The failure In tho peach crop Ia not
confined to the eastern states, but the
western states are as badly affected.
n IL Straight GoOup.