Smyrna times., 1901-01-09
PRESIDENT CARTER ON
PENINSULA FRUIT YIELD
ANNUAL ADDRESS DELIVERED AT PENN
SULA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.
Three Days Session Opened in the MiddletOwn
Opera House This Morning Many Practi-
cal Questions of Interest to Farmers.

Opera House This MOrnlng-Many Practi-
cal Questions of Interest to Farmers.
A matter of interest to the farmers
and fruit growers of this vicinity this
week, will be the meeting of the Pen
insula Horticultural Society at Mid
dletown, which began three days
session to-day. The meeting will have
more of a local bearing on Smyrna
from the fact that Mr.. Joseph E. Car
ter of this town, is the presid ent of the
society Subjects of wide interest to
the agriculturalist of this Peninsula
will be discussed and the meeting
promises to be Que of interest
throughout the three days session.
In his address to the Society, Presi-
dent Carter makes his greeting to the
society with a most excellent report
concerning the fruit yield on this Pen
insula, with special credit to the work
accomplished by the Peninsula HOrti-
cultural Society in shaping the policies
and practices of the fruit growers. He
advocates strongly the teaching of hor-
ticulture in the public schools, study
which would exercise a far-reaching
and commanding effect upon the fruit
growing sections in the future. Presi-
dent Carter in his address this morn
ing said in part:
''The past season has been prosper
GUS one for fruit growers, and large
majority of them have reaped substan-
tial profit from their crops. In some
instances there has been such an abun-
dance of particular kinds of fruit that
low prices prevailed, but such result
is inevitable when the supply is in ex-
cess of the demand and the market is
glutted. There are but two remedies
for such a condition. One is to re-
duce the acreage and the other to ex-
tend the scope of the market and send
the fruit to distant points, by aid of
refrigeration.
Peach no Longer King.
The peach is certainly no longer the
king of the peninsular fruits. We
have had big crop this year and the
fruit as rule has been fine, but in
many instances the growers made nc
money. In my opinion, if the crop is
to be profitable in the future it must
be made so by judicious thinning anC
pruning, high culture, liberal feeding
of the soil and exercising particular
pains in picking, grading and market
ing the products of our orchards. We
must make it not only the best fruit IL
the market but also the best looking
fruit and thereby restore to the Della
ware and Maryland peach the undis
puted prestige it enjoyed in years gon'
by.
There was a good crop of strawber
rles in 1900. Once more the suppl,
was greater than the demand, and lOy
prices ruled to the detriment of th'
growers. The area of distribution en-
loved by the strawberries is at presen
circumscribed by its power to with
stand the natural process of the deca
without artificial preventives by th
use of the refrigerator car this are
might be extended to such a degre
that by a iudicious system of distribr
ton q glut could be made a matter @
practical impOssibility.
The supply of raspberries and blacl
berries was limited and prices were ia
throughout. Early apples paid we
and we had a fair crop of ''Yello
TRANSPARENT and cred Astrakan."
Japan Plums About Smyrna.
Japan plums have paid we'll in I'll
vicinity of Smyrna and many tons ha'
been sent to market and good return
received. This was due largely in tt
manner in which they were handle
and because of the dryness OF the Sc
son made especially favorable for tu
crop with the fruit in the pink OF co
dition. This locality has enjoyed I
average crop of grapes for which ia
prices we're received. This particul
branch of horticulture will be discu
sed in paper to be read by Mr.. w.
Massey. who is one of the most succe
full growers IN this part of the penl
sula.
The 'Keiffer' pear threatens to :
come a drug upon the market and
disastrous load on the grower. The
has been too much of q rush IN t
matter of setting out orchards al
growing them, and many who ma
done SO have sustained pecuniary los
which will be increased unless I
acreage is reduced or the market
tended. This last season thousand
dollars were lost and hundreds OF to
of fruit went to waste because the pc
pie had a surfeit of this particular XII
of fruit. To add to the trouble the |
dry season causes the fruit to rip
early and with unusual quickness I'll
throwing many more pears on
already er-burdened market at
time ordinarily would have been
case"