152 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[ October, 



jects of o\ir first consideration; and tliat we 

 sliould procure from abroad only that wliich 

 we cannot obtain at home : and, furthermore, 

 tliat when from any cause we may be com- 

 pelled to limit or cf)ntract our patronage, our 

 discriminations ought to be in favor of home 

 industries and enterprises; in plainer terms, 

 when we feel that we cannot subscribe to but 

 a single journal, that single one ought to be our 

 home or local journal, especially when we have 

 reason to lielieve it needs our patronage and 

 support. This may appear like sheer selfish- 

 ness, and in one sense we confess it is; but it 

 is that form of selfishness which is necessary 

 to the material and moral prosperity of every 

 community, and the prosperity of each partic- 

 ular community is necessarily the prosperity 

 of the county, the State, or the nation, in its 

 aggregated capacity. Finally, whom might 

 we reasonably expect to stand up with us, 

 shoulder to shoulder, in resisting the invasion 

 of a foreign foe, but our local yeomanry ? 

 Whom would we naturally expect toco-operate 

 with us in our local enterprises ? Of whom 

 might we expect sympathy in the hour of ad- 

 versity ? Who would most likely occupy seats 

 beside us in the temple of our God ? and who 

 would be most likely to minister to us in our 

 afHictions and follow us to the grave, but our 

 local citizens ? 



THE FUTURE OF THE PEACH-TRADE. 



Much as our peach-i2:rowers have accomplished, 

 much remains to be done. It is not many years ago 

 that " peach brandy" took much of the crop that 

 could not be marketed otherwise, but the internal 

 revenue laws have thrown brandy-makinsc into the 

 hands of a few large monopolists who have learned 

 to dispense pretty much with peaches. Dried peaches 

 opened a'small avenue for profit in; the surplus, but 

 the great progress in the art of fruit-canning keeps 

 dried-peaches rather in the background. They are 

 still extensively prepared and used in this way, but 

 they are by no means as popular, we regret to say, 

 as they once were, and the quantity used for this 

 purpose is not at all proportionate to the great increase 

 in peach-culture. The canning of peaches has been 

 the chief line In peach progress. Already the homo 

 consumption is enormous, and during the past few 

 years our canned peaches have become a recognized 

 " institution" in England. Still it is not enough as 

 outlets for our crop. There are no more grown than 

 can be consumed, but our methods of distribution are 

 faulty; and it is here that shrewd business calcula- 

 tion must be brought to bear. 



At the present writing we have peaches in Phila- 

 delphia, New York and Baltimore, at ridiculously 

 low prices ; and yet but a comparatively few miles 

 west they are among the most expensive of luxuries. 

 They bring almost as much by the dozen in some 

 western cities as the grower gets here by the bushel. 

 But there is no way to help the peach-starved places. 

 Peculiar arrangements have to be made for trans- 

 portation, and these arrangements cannot be made 

 at a few hours' notice. That is, so far it has not been 

 the case, but this is just where invention is needed. 

 There seems to be no insurmountable obstacle. We 

 have succeeded in accomplishing so many supposed 

 impossible things that there is no reason why we 

 may not conquer here. In almost all branches we 

 can find out where there is a scarcity and supply the 

 want at once. When wo can do this in the peach 

 lino, we have the perfection in the peach business ; 

 its absolute control. 



Step by step we are reaching this, and just kow we 

 are all wiitching the experiment being made by our 

 enterprising line of Philadelphia steamers. It is to 

 put fresh peaches direct on to the English market. 

 Those who have the matter in charge have no doubt 

 of its success, but a few more weeks will absolutely 

 determine. If it does succeed it will be the begiiming 

 of a new era in peach-culture, and one that will be 

 warmly welcomed by our whole people, to whom a 

 general diffusion of first-class fruit at low prices has 

 become a sort of national pride, as distinguishing us 

 particularly from almost all other peoples of the 

 earth. — OfnnaHtuir)i Tchyrupk. 



The successful transportation of peaches to 

 Europe will no doubt be ultimately developed, 

 but the experiment the present season, accord- 

 i ng to report, has lieen equivalent to a failure.* 

 The price of peaches in ■this market the present 

 season, abundant as the fruit was, was by no 

 means too low to realize a jn'ofit on. The very 

 lowest at which inferic ir fruit was sold was forty 



•Accoidiug to the following, thiajie uot true'^iu all cases : 

 JjONDon, Oct. .'». — The expei-iraeat of bringiug peaches by 

 the steamer ('auada from New York in a box on deck ar- 

 ranged on the allegretti refrigerating plan was a success, 

 the fruit being delivered here in good condition and eagerly 

 purchased. 



cents iier basket — and this not frequent — whilst 

 the ))etter qualities ranged from sixty cents to 

 one dollar — mediums averaged fifty cents. 

 Peaches must rot on the ground where they are 

 grown before they will be sold l.ielow these 

 prices, unless there is an abatement in the 

 railroad freight on them. The transijortation 

 of iieaches is only a spasmodic occasion, and if 

 railroad companies ever cultivate a desire to 

 make an exception in favor of them, they will 

 confer a blessing upon the poorer classes of 

 society, for abundant as peaches were the pres- 

 ent season, so great is the lack in employment, 

 that many of the poor could not afford to con- 

 sume them. 



Canned peaches are also too expensive for-the 

 consumption of the poor; therefore rather than 

 let them rot, it seems to us it might pay to dry 

 them Ijy some of the improved nKides recently 

 invented. But dried peaches with the .skins on 

 are not desirable, and sometimes very disa- 

 greeable; whilst judiciously skinned they have 

 a better taste and flavor than much of the 

 canned fruit. Of the following modes we pre- 

 fer the first. 



Drying Peaches : Never pare peaches to dry. 

 Let them get mellow enough to be in good eating 

 condition, put them into boilinr/ water for a second 

 or two, just long enough and no longer, and the skin 

 will come off like a charm. The gain is at least six- 

 fold — saving of time in removing the skin, great 

 saving of the peach ; the part saved is the best por- 

 tion ; less time required to stone the peaches, less 

 time to dry them, and last but not least, better when 

 dried. A w'holc bushel may be done in a boiler at 

 once, and the water then turned off. Thus, the other 

 morning, a friend had over two bushels skinned, 

 stoned (halved) and on the boards long before a 

 quarter of them could even have been peeled. 



Another way of drying-peaches has been practiced 

 by Thomas Belangee, Egg-Harbor, N. .1. He has a 

 small bouse with a stove in it, and drawers in the 

 sides of the bouse, lathed at their bottoms. Each 

 drawer will hold nearly a half-bushel of peaches, 

 that should be ripe and not peeled, but cut in two, 

 and laid on the laths with the skin downward, so as 

 to save the juice. Tlie drawer having been shoved 

 in, they are soon dried by the hot air of the stove, 

 and laid up. Peaches thus dried eat like raisins. 

 — R. Hecker, Phila. Aug. 2, 1875. 



The above is also from the columns of the 

 Tdcijvdphot the same date. Neither drying 

 nor canning peaches is likel}' to become pro- 

 fitable, except by those who raise them on their 

 own premises. Kor is there anj- other mode 

 of preserving them so cheap andeasy of trans- 

 portation and handling as drying them ; nor 

 is there a less deteriorating or perishable mode. 

 About fifteen thousand baskets of peaches 

 have found their way, the present sea.son, into 

 the markets of Lancaster city from the State 

 of Delaware, and probably three thousand 

 baskets from the county ; but it would be safe 

 to say tliat not any of these were dried or 

 canned, except by private parties and for 

 private use. We have seen and tested speci- 

 mens that were dried by a new and rajtid pro- 

 cess, that were infinitely superior to the best 

 dried figs, and which retahied their original 

 fiavor and color in a remarkable degree. If 

 peaches were skinned before they are dried 

 they would always find a market, even in com- 

 petitifm with canned peaches, on accoimt of 

 the la-ice alone. Therefore, l)y all means dry 

 them rather than let them rot, for if skillfully 

 done there is no danger of their spoiling in 

 keeping them on hand, if only ordinary care is 

 taken. The love of the fiavor of peaches is 

 almost universal, whether they are dried or 

 otherwise, and when the quality is good, they 

 are as healthful as they are agreeable. 



What is "Pot au Fef," and how is it 

 pronounced y " Why the d — 1 don't you write 

 in Engli.sh ?" to which we might reply, "Why 

 don't you rrad in French V" Altln)ugh jware 

 not responsiltle for tlie term (being a selected 

 article) nevertheless we will condescend to say, 

 perhaps, what we ought to have said in our 

 comments, that " Pot au feu" is pronouncctl 

 I'()t-o-/i(i/Ji, and literally means broth-meat: 

 hrotli and meat boiled:, or broth and boiled meat, 

 all of which is inferred in the article >ilself, 

 without an explanation being necessary. Pot, 

 standing alone, is pronounced po, and means a 

 pot; a kettle; two pints. Au is pronounced o, 



and means, to the; in the; with the. Feu is 

 pronounced fugh, and means fire; heat; viva- 

 city. The most literal version of the term 

 would, perhaps, be rendered Pot on the fire ; 

 or. Pot at the fire; and relates to a pot or ket- 

 tle that is constantly kept on the fire, for the 

 purpose stated on page 181:5, September num- 

 ber of The Farmeb. Whenever we speak of 

 the domestic customs of a nation, tribe or com- 

 munity, it seems allowable to make use of the 

 terms by which such customs are designated 

 among the people where such customs obtain, 

 although we confess it would also seem neces- 

 sary to give the plain English of any foreign 

 terms we may find necessary to use. 



BERRIES AND BRAINS. 



The following from the Gerriiantoicn Tele- 

 graph of the 1st ult., in reference to tlie "ten- 

 dencies" of the American Pomological So- 

 ciety, of which clie veteran Col. Marshal P. 

 Wilder is the distinguished presiding officer, 

 contains so much that is rationally truthful, 

 and withal comes so near our own sentiments 

 on the subject, that we do not hesitate to 

 transfer it to the columns of The Faumer. 

 Indeed, we think the thing would "fit" in 

 other places than the association in reference 

 to which it was written. Displays of fruits, 

 vegetables and flowers are unquestionably a 

 great attraction, and also eminently useful, on 

 occasions mainly gotten up for display, but 

 under the most favorable circumstances they 

 ought to be rather regarded and made use of 

 as means auxiliary to the illustration of ends, 

 than as ends themselves. The individual who 

 can practically illustrate how two blades of 

 grass may be made to grow, where only one 

 could have possibly grown Ijefore, does in- 

 finitely more towards satisfying the material 

 wants of humanity than the most showy ex- 

 hiliition based on mere display. Displays of 

 fruits and flowers alone, at least, only exhibit 

 what has been done, and not necessarily what 

 caii be done, and bow to do it : 



The talents for organization and leadership are so 

 pre-eminent in Mr. Wilder that whatever he under- 

 takes is sure to be a success. The successful presi- 

 dent, however, cannot always direct the tendencies 

 of large bodies, except to a very limited extent. He 

 has rather to anticipate its wants, and lead it to the 

 fulfillment of its wishes, than to accomplish his own. 

 We think there i^ danger of this great society 

 degenerating into a mere fruit-show. It is quite cer- 

 tain that this is not Col. Wilder 's intention or desire. 

 But he cannot help, nor can any one now help, the 

 consummation of this error with the whollf popular 

 machinery against him. There must be a wholesome 

 public feeling, or the evil is sure. The tendency this 

 way is greater than we have ever noticed it before. 

 The most urgent appeals are being made to the va- 

 rious States to " bring their fruits ;" and on this oc- 

 casion a valuable medal is to be awarded to the 

 State or individual that shows in this respect to the 

 best advantage. In all such interests, new lands with 

 newly-settled populations, and orchards of just such 

 an age as to be in their best bearing vigor, are sure 

 to come ofl' victorious. Insects have uot found them 

 out, and the orchards are not close enough together 

 for blights an<I moulds to be contagious. Practical 

 fruit-culture is very little advauced by those exhi- 

 bitions of maiden fruits. They are beautiful. They 

 eaptivate the youthful heart. They draw the multi- 

 tude to look at them. But " beauty is but skin-deep." 

 It does not wear. And by the time those who look 

 at them now come into close relations with them, 

 come to have orchards of their own, they generally 

 find that their early beauties are blotched and 

 wrinkled, and that the least handsome fruits are 

 often the best after all. 



That some fruits are useful accessories to a meet- 

 ing of a society like this, is certain. But the fruits 

 retiuircd are such as will aid in correcting the names 

 of varieties, or in some way illustrating some pecu- 

 liar phases of fruit-ctriture. What possible use can 

 be served by the exhibition of bushels of Baldwins, 

 Greenings, .Maiden's Blushes, or the scores of kinds 

 with which every tyro in fruit-culture is familiar 

 with, and can bebought at every apple-stand in the 

 country ? In a State or county fair, where it becomes 

 a legitimate object of a society's existence to encoiu'- 

 age the jiroduction of fine fruit between neighbors, 

 this can be understood ; but in a ease like this there 

 is no point. The fruit-grower of Maine or Canada 

 cannot bo expected to compete with Missouri, Kansas 

 or California. 



We take it that the Pomological Society will find it 

 more to its interest to bring together brains than ber- 

 ries, and to encourage fruit-culture by the develop- 

 ment of principles than the exhibition of pears . It is 



