The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-01
PEACH SEASON NEARLY OVER.
SIX GROWERS MADE ABOUT HALF
THE SHIPMENTS.

Large Quantity of Fruit Lost
Through Failure to Get Baskets
and Carriers-Fine Opening for
FactOry-Peach Industry Likely to
he Greatly Expanded Next Year.
The Georgia peach crop is practically al
IN end Fully 90 per cent. of it has been
marketed. Up to yesterday, the Central
/ had handled LAG car loads. A few car
/ loads had been shipped by express to Sa-
vannah and other points near the fruit
orchards. There may yet be shipped in
the neighborhood of 200 cars. Two weeks
more will see the last peach stripped from
the trees. A week more will practically
see the end of shipments of any conse-
quence
Somewhere in the neighborhood of 700
car loads will represent the crop so far
as shipments are concerned. Probably 200
car loads more were not gathered for mar
/ ket. This was due to two causes. tie
| failure of a number of inexperienced grow
crs to properly supply themselves with
! baskets and carriers early in the season.
and the Indifference of some at the out
start because they had suffered in the
past two years from what they considered
the dishonest methods Of commission mer-
chants to whom they had been unfortu-
nate enough to ship their fruit
Just before the season for picking be-
gan Traffic Manager Hinton of the Cen
trail made a tour of the district TO ascer-
tain what the shipments would probably
be. To his surprise he found that many
of the new growers, inexperienced in the
handling of fruit for market had entire
| ~ failed to provide themselves with pack
ages in which to ship their peaches. He
! Immediately sent out kilograms and circu-
! lars to the manufacturers of carriers and
| put them in touch with the growers
There was some difficulty experienced at
| hrst IN getting all the baskets and car
riers needed, as a result of this lack of
! preparation, and considerable early fruit
| was lost as a result. Next year this will
| be guarded against in advance. Early in
| the spring it is the intention to take
| canvass Of the growers and then prepare
directory Of the manufacturers of bas-
| kets and carriers. giving the daily capae-
| ity of each concern. BY this means 1t will
| be possible to put the producers and
| manufacturers in touch with each other
AS to the apathy shown by the growers at
! one or two points owing to their past
| troubles with the commission men the re-
| suits of this season are said to have work
ed a perfect cure. Mr.. Hinton considers
that there is a good opportunity for Sa-
Vahnah enterprise in the making of the
baskets and carriers used by the grow
ers. A good price is paid for them Sweet
| gum, any quantity of which can be found
on the river bottoms In this section, is
said 10 be an excellent wood for this pur-
pose and there Is evidently a good OPEN
ing for some one with push and capital
when the season began Mr. Hinton es-
| timated, after seeing the growers. that
the product of 1,00J trees would be needed
to make car load of peaches, on the av-
erage. AS the census showed that there
We're 100000 trees in the orchards
this meant about 1000 car loads of fruit
for shipment. The total for the season
will justify the traffic managers estimate.
This basis would give shipments Of 300
cars 10 the Ohio fruit packers at Fort
Valley, they having 800, COO trees in their
orchards; 140 cars to Mr.. j. b James:
100 to the Halle Orchard Company. and
200 to Mr. H. A. Matthews, all at the
same shipping point while from Mar
shallville Mr.. S. II. Rumph would ship
100 cars, Mr.. w. S. Shepard, As cars, and
several from 10 to % cars. The six par
ties named made fully half Of all the
shipments. Their profits are somewhat of
a matter of estimate, but each derived a
fortune from this years crop A net re-
turn OF 500 a car allows snug profit to
the shipper with such a yield as this sea-
| son, but the returns have been far in ex-
cess of that in many cases ranging from
$500 to $40O, while returns of 5000 to $3.50
a car are said to have been quite COM
mon. out of this, of course, had to come
the expenses of picking, of baskets and
carriers, and other items incidental to
shipping. Small orchards have yielded
their owners net profit Of 81 800 to s., 800.
I rrrt0f1 f1A Low.
| put anywhere from $4,000 to $4,000 in
bank for their proprietors
1t is hardly probable that such another
season will be had for several years again.
Last year the crop was failure, the
year before there were $50 cars shipped
and in 1895 749 cars. The planting of new
trees was not stopped by the discourage
ments of the past two seasons and The
magnificent results of this year are natur-
ally expected TO lead to further rapid de-
velOpment of peach culture. 1t would not
be surprising if a half million new trees
were put out during the next spring
The peach industry in Georgia has been
peculiarly free from setbacks The San
Jose scale has APPEARED in few localities
to limited extent but has done but little
damage. The curculeo, an insect which
attacks the fruit in the bloom, is easily
gotten rid of. Sheets are spread under the
trees and the limbs are gently Jared with
"a
drops to the ground on the sheet Child
rem are employed for the work by the
growers and gather up the curculeo, being
paid so much a hundred for all destroyed
One small planter told Mr.. Hinton thai
he had paid for IS go of the insects last
spring and had not found one on his place
throughout the summer. The orchards
are watched over with the greatest OF
care and on the first appearance of any
thing likely TO cause trouble remediable
steps are taken.
Only three things are calculated to dc
the Georgia peach crop much damage
freezes, frosts, and heavy rains when the
trees are in bud. To the heavy, sweep
ing rains of spring time were due the
poor yield of last year. The water wash
ed away the pollen and fructifying was
prevented.
JULY'S UNUSUAL WEATHER.