The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-04-14
Fruit Prospects.

Prof. W. G. Johnson, State cnt"m"lo-
gist, and Prof. c. O. Townshend, State
pathologist, having just completed.a tour
of the State, visiting the commercial fruit
growing centres, are in possession of facts
to enable them to make definite statements
relative to the prospective peach crop and
other fruits They make the following
report:
Owing to the very aisconraging reports
that reached us shortly after the February
freeze, and the many conflicting state
ments that were published afterward. we
have deemed it advisable to make personal
examinations of the orchards, in order
that those packers and shippers who are
depending upon the Maryland crop for
their fall trade may not he misled and de-
ceived.
"In Western Maryland it is safe to say
that the crop is q total failure, at least
from a commercial standpoint. We have
found no live buds whatever in Washing
ton county, and practically none in Fred
is apparently injured, so that the growers
are cutting their trees back in order to give
them better chance for new growth.
"Qn the Eastern Shore and in Southern
Maryland the same conditions hold true,
as far as the buds are concerned, except
in those orchards bordering tidewater.
One orchard at the mouth of the PatnNcnt
on Cedar Point has good stand of live
buds; those further inland have practically
none. In general, it may be stated that
the orchards that lie along the water front,
and have therefore been protected, have
suffered less than those inland.
I'm Caroline county the crop is a com
mercial failure. Mr.. John W. Kerr, of
Denton, one of the best informed fruit
growers of the State, says he found only
a few live buds on two varieties, not COM
mercially planted as yet, out of one hun
dred and thirty seven varieties growing
on his place He stated that the conditions
found near Denton would hold largely for
the county in general, and that the crop
W us Il CplIl'lttC " III
observations also confirm Mr.. kerr's re
port At Ridgely, DR.. F. P. Herr stated
that there were practically no peaches,
and that there would not be enough to
supply the local trade. This same condi-
ton is also true of the inland orchards of
Dorchester, Talbot, Queen Anne's and
Kent counties.
at should also be noted that wherever
the buds have suffered from the cold it is
the more valuable yellow varieties that
have been injured most, while the red va
rietes have been little more rcsistent.
For instance, even along the water front,
Reeves liberia, Crawford's late and
Crawford's early have not resisted the
cold as the Sinock, Nixon, Hale, Rivers,
Salway and the like.
From the present indications, it is safe
to state that the bulk of the commercial
crop will come from the tidewater sec
tions of ST. Mary's, Anne Arundel, Balti-
more, Kent, Queen Annc's. Talbot and
Dorchester counties, the main belt being
in Kent and Queen Anne's, along the bay
front, and the Chester and Sassafras river
courses, as far inland as Chcstertown and
Georgetown. The area, therefore, which
promises a fair commercial crop is cN-
trcmely limited, as compared with the to-
tai peach area in the State
''In regard to the other tree fruits, but
little damage has been done to apple and
pear. Pears have been injured slightly in
some sections, but not sufficiently to re-
duce the crop to any appreciate extel t..
In short, it may be stated that the present
outlook is for full crop of apples and
pears. Plums and cherries, on the other
hand, have suffered considerably from the
cold. The japanese varieties of plums
have not been as resistent as the natives.
The crop will, no doubt, be much reduced
by the cold, but in making this report VIC
are not anticipating any Of the evils that
may bcfall these crops yet by frosts,
storms, insects and fungus diseases.
1.-THE outlook for the strawberry crop is
very promising all over the State, and
growers are preparing for a fair yield.
Blackberries and raspberries have suffered
considerably, but the indications point to
an average crop.
"On the whole, the prospective fruit
crop in general is very promising, and
Maryland can congratulate herself that
she has any peaches at all commercially,
considering the reports of the disastrous
results of the cold wave throughout the
peach growing belts of the East and
South