Fruits, Vegetables and General hiterests. 15 



sively cultivated and produce prolific crops, while currants 

 and strawberries far surpass their namesakes in England, both 

 in quality and fertility." 



Other orchard fruits gave very poor yields throughout the 

 north. Peaches failed more completely than ever before per- 

 haps. In New Jersey, Delaware and southward the failure 

 was due to frosts which followed warm weather, and the same 

 was true of the peach region of Michigan and Southern Illi- 

 nois. In some parts of the country, particularly in New York, 

 the trees set fruit, but it was destroyed by severe attacks of 

 curl leaf {Taphrina deformans') upon the leaves. The yellows 

 is making rapid headway in the orchards of the Chesapeake 

 peninsula and is lessening the peach area. Peaches were 

 probably never more scarce than in 1890. Pears were nearly 

 everywhere much below the average in quantity and quality. 

 The pear scab and cracking of the fruit were prevalent and 

 serious. The Le Conte pear yielded well in some parts of 

 Georgia, however, notwithstanding the March freeze, and high 

 prices were realized. Plums and cherries have yielded fair 

 crops in some localities. Quinces were fair to poor. The nut 

 crop, mostly derived from wild trees, was also small. 



Orchard fruits were below the average in Europe as a rule, 

 and the plum crop in England was one of the smallest for 

 many years. The French prune crop is reported as large. 

 The Smyrna fig crop is said to be below the average. 



Oranges were a fair crop in Florida. About 2,000,000 boxes 

 were secured, against 2,150,000 in 1889. The March freeze 

 did much damage, probably lessening the crop by one-third, 

 but the young orchards and the second crop of flowers held up 

 the yield. Prices are good. The export trade in Florida 

 oranges, which began in 1886, is now assuming considerable 

 importance. The yield in California is probably the best ever 

 secured. Mexican oranges have reached American markets in 

 some quantity this year, and there is reason to expect that seri- 

 ous competition will soon arise from that source. Mr. Tem- 

 ple's account of fruit possibilities in Mexico, on a following 

 page, are instructive in this connection. Bonavia '' predicts 

 that the citrus fruits of India will lessen the demand for the 

 Florida product in foreign markets. ''Orange growers in 

 India and Ceylon, with their command of cheap labor, might, 



*Oranges anil Lemons of India and Ceylon, xi (1890). 



