Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-08-30
PEACH SHIPPING,
Milford Farmers Contemplate Adopting
System Which They Believe win Be More

:
System which They Believe win Be More
Profitable.
STAFF Correspondence OF Gazette and journal.
Milford, Aug. 90. Farmers here
ahouts are complaining about not real
izing fair profits from their peach
business, and it Is claimed by many
that to continue year after year, under
the present arrangement, they would
be justified In roofing up their orchards
and utilizing the ground and help in
Other ways.
| This town is one of the chief peach
| shipping points in the State, and ever
| since the opening OF the season there
has been great activity among the pench
| men at the railroad station, thus giving
| an opportunity to form an idea OF the
general sentiment among the farmers.
| The freight yard ia near the passenger
and freight depots aud for that reason
the commotion is all the more notice.
able Farmers, shippers and buyers
gather at the station each day and at
times the crush and excitement resem-
BILE that attendant upon county fair.
So great are the crowds that number
of boys have found the selling of lemon
ade profitable occupation. The influx
of peach men has had its beneficial
effect upon the business of the town,
and many of the merchants are jubilant
in consequence.
The farmers, however, are not so we'll
pleased. While they have an over.
abundance of fruit and have shipped
much of it away, theft profits have, as
rule, been small. The unusually
largo quantity Of fruit has had the
effect OF making the peaches smaller
than would have been the case had
the crop not been SO large, and the
value of the fruit has decreased as 9
, result.
, The results of the current week have
been far from gratifying. Some days
: when there was little demand in thu
cities, small peaches sold for mer'
gong, and in many cases the grower
, realized no profit at all. A few day
/. ago one man sold his wagon load at fou
cents basket, while on the following
A day another man received 81 cents
4 basket for his fruit. The crop is s.
4 large that the farmers cannot handle al
Of it. One man remarked few day
Il ago that he had large force of men a
work picking and bringing the peache
v to the cars, but he felt confident tina
"a 1000 baskets would remain in his OF
chard at the end of the season. This, h
"a feels, will cause him a loss. Othe
" similar reports are heard. Anothe
h result Of the large crop is the damag
!. to the trees. Recent rains made th
" fruit so heavy that many tees wef
,s split and much of the fruit has begu
ia to rot. The indications are that til
IN season for good peaches will come to a
err end earlier than usual on account {
I'd the peculiar conditions.
4 A I,,, Ia ,,r v,,,
of the growers have been at sea I,
hours because they did not know I'll
conditions in the cities A few hH
dubbed together to get early report
~ but others were unable to learn viii
80 the demand was until late and som
~ times suffered losses in consequence
az The unusually large crop has set II
~ growers to thinking and it is like
% that the conditions will be difere
the next time they are favored with
ba large crop.
A movement is ON foot to organi
:, for mutual benefit. 1t has been su
- gested, and the suggestion will prob
i. lily be acted uCon, that next winter Il
Ae farmers hold meetings and devise pla
n, for keeping in touch with the nIarke
" during the season. 1t is Likely tn
= arrangements will be made IN every il
II portant city where there is dema
n for peaches for early daily reports viii
~ will be accessible to all and give ever
al, az body an opportunity to know just VII
ID. to do each day at the shipping en-
'en Lack of knowledge as TO the mari
an conditions has resulted in some of {
O r shippers going it blindly. They wor
Ia charter cars and send their fruit
'hu places about which they knew pIao
n cally nothing and take the chances
the result