The Peach Interest in the Central States. 221 



disposition to rot. Amsden and Alexander came next, and marked another 

 advance in maturing. Though originating in different States, they are so 

 much ahke no one but an expert can see a distinction. Evidently they came 

 from the same parentage, and inherited the parents' disposition to rot. 



Other new seedlings from widely separated districts have come into no- 

 tice, each claiming to be just a little the earliest of all. By means of the in- 

 domitable energy and push of the nurseryman, and that scourge to the fruit 

 interests, the oily tongued, itinerant tree agent with the last world's wonder 

 in point of earhness, goodness, and every other point his fertile brain is able 

 to hatch up, these new candidates for public favor have become disseminated 

 and largely planted. What have been the results ? The cry comes up from 

 every nook and corner, rot ! rot!! rot!!! Growers anxious to not lose all, 

 gather and ship fruit when half ripe ; the markets are overstoclccd with green 

 and rotting fruit, much of it is sent to the dump, and instead of remittances 

 on account of sales, bills for express charges are sent for the grower to foot. 

 This is not an imaginary or overdrawn picture. We know of thousands of 

 baskets that were purchased for packing early peaches in within the last 

 few years, that have been returned and ordered sold, or have never yet been 

 used. 



But, some one asks, what about the older and later sorts ? Well, every fel- 

 low had struck a "bonanza." With his brain bewildered with dreams of 

 fabulous wealth from early peaches, " put all of their beans in one bag " by 

 planting nothing but early sorts, and lost sight of the later and better kinds 

 to an extent very damaging to the peach interest. 



We have other troubles to contend with. The borer, the curculio caterpil- 

 lar and a host of other ills that require prompt and determined action on the 

 part of the grower, or all is lost. One of the greatest causes of the decline in 

 the peach interest is, when we do succeed in raising a crop of peaches there 

 are so many "slipshod" growers that plant and half cultivate, or do not cul- 

 tivate at all, grow large quantities of poor stuff, gather it carelessly, pack all 

 of the best so they can be seen, hide the trash in the middle, or do not pack 

 at all, but tumble the peaches into old salt or flour barrels (matters not if one 

 holds a bushel more than the other), load in a jolt wagon, or indeed we have 

 seen loads upon loads put loose into the wagon bed, without springs, and 

 hauled ten, fifteen and even thirty miles. They are sold for just what some 

 dealer and peddler will give for them, and in many instances, if they pay the 

 grower fifty or seventy-five cents per day for his time, gathering and hauling, 

 and the expense of the trees, and enough over to get a jug of " rifle " whisky, 

 he blows it loud and long how well he did. 



This fruit goes on the market by the side of good fruit that cost the grower 

 largely to cultivate, gather, pack, handle carefully and deliver by the easiest 

 mode of transportation. The one can be sold at a very small price because 

 it cost but little; the other must be sold at a price far below its real vahic, or 

 what it would have sold for had it not come in competition with the "slip- 

 shod" goods. Hence, the grower of the good fruit finds the business un- 



