Evening journal., 1909-05-18
Some Recollectlons of Peach
Growing in New Castle County

over those in the interior. which had
to depend on tho railroad for trans
portation The toll to Philadelphia
from Middletown was perhaps nine OF
ten cents or more.
Some Of the main growers IN the
vicinity Of Odessa were: John c. Cor
bit. d. W. corbit. f. NJ. Moore, II. ].
Appleton. John NJ. Appleton, George
l.. Townsend, Henry Whittock, Man
lovo Davis, Theodore Perry. j. B
Fenimore, William Dudley, William S.
Vandyke, Joseph w. Nandegrift,
Jonathan X. Williams and David J.
Cummins. ] represented as salesman
and agent in Philadelphia, g. N. Moore.
Theodore Perry, G.. H. Townsend and
j. X. Williams. The 26th day OF Au-
gust In 1876, was Saturday. and the
bluest day and the lowest prices I'm my
whole experience. That year one could
walk from pier to pier on peach barges
without going ashore at Race street
In Philadelphia, and that was the COLI
dition of things there. Our boat was
late that morning, and we did not get
TO work TIN tho twilight In tho morn
ing Usually we would start business
from two TO four o'clock
Among the other growers who be-
came conspicuous in the cultivation
OF peaches was the lato Clement
Reeves OF Delaware city lie had ths
distinction OF having originated one
of the finest of peaches, that which
bore his name Reeves Favorite." II Is
a large yellow peach of lucous flavor
and did much to establish the fame
OF Delaware peaches II came into
bearing along with the Moore's. Craw
fords and MiXons and the Reeves al
ways commanded the highest prices
Mr. Reeves was gentleman out OF
the common order and l will recall
how he impressed me when ] was quite
a lad Living as / did in a different
neghborhod about twenty miles away
I'm tho lower part OF the county | had
never had the pleasure OF his ac-
quaintancc. I once met him when ]
went down from this city 10 Delaware
City 10 call sale for John II. Rod
ney at the Steamboat Hotel in 1887
Mr. Reeves was a man Of magnetism
who would attract notice anywhere
Mr. Reeves lived on fine farm bound
ed by the canal on the north and the
Delaware river on the cast. A portion
OF his farm was afterwards sold 10 the
government.
on Saturday, tho 26th Of August,
1875. the boats got I'm late Just before
sunrise. and my boat was loaded solid
IN the hull and two tiers deep on deck
TIL there was scarcely room to walk
or work. Tho bottom was out of the
market and apparently there were
enough peaches left over from the day
before TO supply tho demand The
wholesale buyers were laying off, and
/ declining TO buy except I'm small
quantities. Perhaps a man who would
/ buy 1000 baskets on a strong market
would take 200. All Of this had a very
/ discouraging appearance. I began the
selling with a few Susquehanna extra.
al 81 for "A few only. II was not a
question of price but 10 sell at any
price. My boat had three hatohways
about six feet square, and / had two
assistants, for when the wholesale
/ buyers let 20 and declined to buy only
in such a small way VIC were left 10
the tender morcies Of the cart boys,
which meant empty the baskets on the
spot and get your money before empty
ing This was a lot of work / put
one assistant at a hatch and took
ono myself and we sold and took
money till ! was afraid II would fall
out Of my pockets. then went 20
tho hotel and got a newspaper. omptied
my pockets. put il in the safe. and
went back and at Il again till II came
time 10 send my report home. after
which ! went down to my breakfast.
abclt I o'clock p. m, FOR I had not
had any time to cat anything yet.
more dead than alive.
But after I got something TO cat /
was somewhat revived. and went into
Il again and sold out about o'clock
at 10 cents for extras and cents for
( primes and had sold at almost any
price YOU name between tho first ard
/ last prices. There were plenty of other
statesmen who never sold out, but left
them In the boats TO so down the
river 10 be thrown overheard. After
/ that the market rallied and brought
/ better prices.
Tho remarkable fine and widely
known peach called Moores Favorite
was named in one of the orchards on
the farm where elias w. Moore now
lives by James " Moore. father Of
Elias and one of his nelghbor growers.
] lllltI dONiNA % ftnnlil0Itt dNiln APP
pleton or Daniel w Corbit. II hap
pened in this way They were walk
ing through the orchard discussing
the merits OF the different varieties.
They came to a peach and Mr.. Moore
remarked 20 his neighbor. This is
my favorite peach and / don't know
what q is and don't find II in the cata-
loguc. and don't know what TO call IL,
When his neighbor suggested. call IL
Moore's favorite. and they did and
from that the nurserymen took buds
for grating from IL and the namo was
established. James V. Moore was one
Of the leading growers at that time
but retired from the farm I'm 1857 and
Elias took the old homestead in 1870
and IS still there. In 1875 there were
no less than three ful lines OF three
barges each. running out Of Appoduin-
mink Creek and one from Blackbird
creek to say nothing of what went by
steamboat from the Liston farm, inn
mediately below and another line OF
harges from Augustine, Immediately
above. I could scarcely estimate what
the aggregate was. including a distance
Of two miles on the river shore above
Listens high woods farm. but would
be safe to say from i75000 TO 200. 00C
baskets. The net average price for that
year was very low. Notwithstanding
the low rates OF transportation. and
would vary from 10 70 25 cents pei