Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1904-11-03
GREAT PEACH CROPS,
COUNTIES IN OHIO WHERE I'M
MENSE QUANTITIES GROW.
Busy Scenes at the Shipping Centers
When the Season Is on-Some
Facts of General In
terest.


terest.
One of the greatest peach-growing
tounties in Ohio is Ottawa, on the south
shore Of Lake Erie, distance Of a few
miles east OF Sandusky. There in the
fall thousands of bushels Of both white
and yellow peaches are shipped from
the chief centers, Gypsum, on the Lake
Shore railroad. and Ottawa harbor. on
the head Of Catawba island, being Two
Of the largest shipping points.
In a busy season, says the Brooklyn
Eagle, the freight yards at Gypsum are
filled with loaded wagons, brilliant with
the red OF the mosquito netting over the
yellow fruit, and the pier at Ottawa
harbor and the bank above are equally
busy and present a handsome picture,
with the wharf covered with tier upon
tier of red and yellow baskets. wagons
loaded with the fruit being tied up
clear back upon the buff awaiting their
turns. Single farms have harvests of
from 5000 70 10000 bushels of peaches
a year.
The fruit or packing houses are many.
each large farm having its own build
ing for this purpose. unless 1t happens
TO be located near some Of the large
fruit companies houses. Each COM
pany has a large building nearly its
whole space devoted to packing and
preparing for shipping From 30 10 40
men at each packing house are employed
in handling the fruit, which is first put
through a grader or machine con-
sisting of tapering wooden rollers,
which. when put in motion by a foot
pedal separates the fruit into sizes, the
largest peaches being those that viii 20
through the rollers at the widest point
only and which are called a double A.
grade Of peaches. the remainder being
divided into three grades. the As .
"Bs" and "Cs'
From the fruit house upon the bluff
AZ Ottawa the baskets are loaded upon
handcars and run down a narrow steel
track to the dock to be put aboard the
big boats, which are loaded even to the
roofs al times The descent Of these
handcars Is a sharp one from the top
OF the limestone blum to the pier and il
IS not long since ono OF them shot from
the tracks into the lake, carrying oil its
load and the man who could not con
troll e.
Port Clinton. Lakeside and Danbury
are other good shipping eenters. and at
any OF these points In a good fruit year
the freight traffic IN peaches is heavy
demand upof the shipping facilities
When prices for picked and hasketed
fruit are low. whole carloads are sold
10 city buyers. who convert them into
brandy and sell Il under foreign names
as an imported article
The peach farms are large. some num-
berine as high as 1900 and 1900
trees the long rows OF even-sized trees
stretching back from the roads over
acres and acres OF ground giving ono
better than anything else could do an
impression Of the vastness Of the peach
industry in Ottawa Among the most
popular varieties are the Smock the
liberia. the Crawford the Salway all
yellow peaches. and Of white varieties
the Old Nixon and the Mountain Rose.
Last winter was a disastrous one for
the peach growers. however. one-half
Of the trees planted having died from
the severity Of the weather one grow
or lost 5000 trees. which were winter
killed and others more or less in pro-
portion to the exposure to the north
winds and low temperatures. So the
peach crop this year was practically a
failure and has injured Ottawa county
to the extent Of thousands Of dollars
In some places whole orchards are
dead and every grower is al work pull
ing out the stumps Of dead trees and
preparing 10 plant again. II will be
four years before the new trees will
yield a return at the best and il may be
longer An average yield Is two bushels
Of fruit TO a tree. but remarkable yields
Of banner trees often run as high as six
bushels and one grower records a yield
IrrabaHs -, one