The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-08
JUST HALF EXPECTED CROP.
RAINS HAVE LEssENED HOPES AND
PEACHES OF THE GROWERS.

Continued Damp Weather Prevented
the Rapid Maturity of the Fruit,
Masses of Water Beat the Peaches
From the Trees and the Rnin-PrO-
duced Brown Rot Is Now RnvnG-
ing the Orchards-SOme Sections
Have Suffered More Than Others.
The Rot. However, Is Everywhere.
Unless Present Fair weather Con-
tinues StiH Greater Damage Is APP
pretended.
There Is reason TO believe that the
peach crop of Georgia, estimated but
few weeks ago as likely to be the largest
and one of the best in the history of The
state, has been or will be reduced TO half
its former magnitude by the unfavoring
conditions that have prevailed since for
mer predictions were made.
Maj c. NJ. Ryals returned yesterday
morning from Griffin, where he has been
in attendance upon the meeting Of the d.
rectors of the State Experiment Station
Prior to the meeting of the directors of
the station Maj. Ryals had spent several
days upon his own orchards at Ty Ty
the directors representing each Congress
sIonal district of the state. are thoroughly
posted as to the peach industry, and his
tnforma ton as to the falling off in the
amount OF the peach crop IS CLEANED from
what he himself saw and what his col
leagues on the board had to say. Com
missioner Stevens was also present at the
meeting and he 1t was who estimated the
loss at one-half Of the crop.
A number OF causes have conduced to
this result. First and foremost are the
excessive and continuous rains tina: have
prevailed all over the state up to a few
weeks ago The rains have brought about
a moist and clammy atmosphere that has
been most unfavorable to the ripening and
maturiey of the peaches, have, by the very
weight OF the masses OF water that have
been precipitated from the skies, beaten
millions of peaches from the trees and,
lastly, have brought on the dreaded black
or brown rot, that in some sections of the
state has practically destroyed the crop
of the earlier varieties of peaches is nov
attacking the Elbertas and other late va
rieties and bids fair TO do damage still
more disastrous. No one of the peach
sections has escaped the ravages Of the
pest, its ominous and destructive presence
having been noted everywhere peaches
are grown. The damage that il will ulti-
mateiy do is perfectly problematic but
the danger is sufficiently emergent and
great 10 dampen or kill the enthusiasm
OF some of the growers.
The brown rot has done more damage
than any other of the rain brought
plaques OF the orchards. For about a
week now there has been but little rain
IN the fruit sections and in the clearing
skies the growers are able to see the bow
OF hope II is believed that with the
continuance of sunshine and dry weather
the ravages Of the pest will be stopped,
and that the damage it will work in the
future will, perhaps. not reach the mag
nitude that has been feared.
The damage to the crop, of course,
varies in different sections but there is
no section where the ravages of the
brown rot have not been apparent. In
Maj. Ryals' orchards where every pre-
caution known to agricultural science has
been resorted 20 TO prevent the damage
that II was known would follow the ap-
pearance of the rot, it is yet present on
many trees and has diminished 10 some
extent the number of cars that would
otherwise have been shipped.
In comparison with other orchards in
the same sections and with all the
orchards in some sections, Maj Ryals
trees have suffered but very little and
the damage 10 the crop has been small
He feels that he has every reason to be
satisfied with the results THAI have fol-
lowed his preventive measures and does
not anticipate that the future injury TO
the trees or fruit will be material
The shipment of Elbertas from the
orchards has already been begun. though,
as yet, in comparatively small quaint
ties. In day or two now the Ebertas
viii be leaving Georgia by the trainload
every hour, almost, OF the day. To those
growers whose crops of this variety of
the peach have not been seriously dam
aged by the rain and the rot, the fact
that the crop in general will not be as
large as was anticipated will probably
be an advantage rather than the con-
trsry. There has been considerable fear
that the very large crop that has been
predicted and anticipated would serve 60
beat down the price of peaches to point
at which there was but little, If any,
profit for the growers