MARKETING THE CROP 175 



fined largely to early fruits, but the business by 

 express is exceedingly limited on account of high ex- 

 press rates." 



THE HOME MARKET 



Thus far we have spoken only of wholesale selling 

 in large and relatively distant markets. This is the 

 way in which a large proportion of the peach crop 

 is handled, but the best of the markets after all are 

 those which are near home, and this is peculiarly 

 true in handling the peach crop. True, considerable 

 quantities of peaches are sold in home markets every 

 year, but this amount ought to be greatly increased. 



Mr. J. H. Hale, well known throughout the United 

 States as one of the most extensive operators in 

 large peach orchards, has recently been quoted as 

 saying, that "while commercial peach orcharding 

 on a large scale is undoubtedly being overdone in 

 some sections of our country, one branch of the 

 business has been sadly neglected the little home 

 markets that dot this great country of ours by the 

 tens of thousands. Everyone loves a luscious peach, 

 and nearly all who own land can grow peaches if 

 they will. While I would be glad to see from one to 

 a dozen peach trees in every garden, I fully realize 

 that that happy day is yet a long way off. There- 

 fore there is a great money-making opening for com- 

 mercial peach growing in a small way in and around 

 every center of population. 



"The little home market orchard may have 50, 

 100, 200 or 500 trees, depending on surrounding pop- 

 ulation, and should be planted with varieties suit- 

 able to the climate, covering early and late ripening 

 kinds. One has little idea how many peaches can be 

 sold to neighbors until they try it. I know of many 

 peach orchardists who annually sell $500 to $1,000 



