The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1922-06-01
The Georgia Peach Industry-Its ORR.
gin and Growth
By J: c. Carlisle, Manager Georgia Fruit Ezehsns.


In 1784-37 there was a great immigration from r,
rope to the United States of Protestant Christians ~
account of religious prosecutions About that time tb
came large colony from Switzerland to Orangebn
District, South Carolina These people were tbrif
farmers, vegetable and fruit growers.
One hundred years after their landing in Soutb Cow
na they began to into other sections of the conn
try and large number to Georgia LOCATING on A.
level lands of Houston and Macon counties. Among ban
were the Rumps, Murphs, Slappeys, Hieys, and many
other well known names made illustrous by reasonof
the Georgia peach
In 1867 two years after the close of the war bety
the states, money and men who had denand
ed upon King Cotton to supply all their wants found
themselves compelled to look other source for
ready money. The late Donald B. Frederick was among
those who came from Orangeburg District to Georgia
bringing with him few switches cut from peach free
of the Amelia variety, very handsome, snowy peach
From these switches he took the buds and transferred
them to native stock ard finding that he had fruit
than his family and friends could consume, sent some
of it to the passing trains at Marshalve and sold to
the passengers Finding it profitable others followed
his example, and out of this small beginning grew the
present peach industry of Georgia.
Sometime in the eighties, Samuel H. and Lewis Rumph
began shipping to New York by express, packing fruit
in peck crates Finding that damaged in transit
they began shipping in Refrigerator ICES to Savannah
thence by steamship to New YER. About 1888
the Central of Georgia fitted up lev cars with re-
frgerators built on the floor around hich the crates
were packed Upon reaching Savannah, it was trans
terred to the steamship where refrigeration provd
ed for It, This proved successful for small quantity
OF fruit but soon the business grew to such proper
lions that regular refrigerator had to be provided
Nearly every farmer in Houston and Macon counties be-
gan to grow fruit.
The Rumph seeing that the old varieties of peaches
such Finley Crawford Chinese Cling, etc. either
too soft Objectionable other account began
efforts in orchard and nursery to produce good peach
from all points of view There happened to be single
tree of the Chinese Cling variety growing in of Sam
uel H. Rumphs orchard where all the other trees
of the Crawford variety, this being free stone peach
bright yellow and red in color, while the Chinese Cling
was almost white with red cheek. Both the Rumphs
planted seed from this tree and upon maturity of the
fruit from these seedlings chose several from which
they took buds, eventually selecting the peaches
known "Elberta' (named for Samuel H. Rumphs
wfe the Georgia Belle and others that did prove
so valuable. Hence to the efforts of these two men,
descendants from the hardy Swiss stock who left Eu-
rope than two hundred years ago, Georgia owes
of her most profitable crops that has done
than any other thing to advertise Georgia and her
sources. While this industry confined for several
years. to the section where it originated it covers
the state and has spread over the whole country Ei-
berta", Georgia Belle, "The Hiley" early Belle
the last named produced by another of these thrifty de-
scendants from this worthy Swiss stock where
ever the peach thrives.
There many losses and dsappointments to the
early growers and shippers through want of system ana
organization, but about the time this fruit industry had
to such proportions to attract outside capital
and bring in settlers from the North it became evident
that better system of selling must be devised. Out OF
this condition the present Georgia Fruit Exchange
and since it's organization very little fruit has been con-
signed to commission houses it being sold track or
handled by thsExchange Last year the Exchange baud
led over 1O,491 carload shipments which brought into
the state approximately $105OO,O0O.
In the beginning of peach growing for market it was
only necessary to set out the tree and nature did the rest
perfecting the tree and producing the fruit but 1t mas
been truly said that every crop grown commercial
scale furnishes supplies food for its final destruc
ton; Witness boil weevil for cotton, San Jose scale,
brown rot and other pests for the peach etc, etc. all
calling for intelligent effort the part of so that
now success only after hard work and research
on the part of the grower and scientist. But for th
the markets of the world would be overstocked.
With the best climate and adaptable soil there is no
end to the possibilities of the Georgia peach.