70 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



This past j'ear we had our first real paying crop of fruit. Six 

 thousand trees of nine, eight, and six years of age gave us a little 

 over six thousand baskets of marketable fruit, two-thirds of these 

 coming from less than fifteen hundred trees of Smock, Stump, 

 Oldmixon, and Pratt Seedling, while fifteen hundred Crawford 

 trees did not give us two hundred baskets. A few scattering 

 specimens could be found on the Crawford's Late, while two and 

 three baskets came from Oldmixon trees in the next row, and it 

 was the same with Stump on the other side. 



One great value of our New England peaches, when we get 

 them, is that they are naturally of better color and flavor than 

 those from farther south, and then we can leave them to mature 

 on the trees, which adds greatly to their size, beauty, and flavor. 

 If we are to sell them we hare the best of markets close at hand, 

 and are not obliged to gather them in such an immature condition 

 as our Delaware friends must. In gathering and marketing the 

 past season we had numerous picking and step ladders made 

 of various heights and sizes from five up to ten feet, so that every 

 part of each tree could be easily reached without stepping upon 

 -or bending the branches. The pickers were carefully instructed 

 as to what was a fully matured peach and no others were picked. 

 Beginning in the morning after the dew was off each man was 

 given two handled baskets holding about twelve quarts each. 

 The}' went two together, one taking a long and the other a short 

 ladder, picking onl}' the fully grown fruit, which was usually at the 

 first picking about one-fourth of what was on the tree. Two or 

 three days later about two-thirds of what was left was in condi- 

 tion, and in three or four days after that the last was gathered, 

 having nearly- doubled its size since the first was picked. It is 

 the last four or five days before maturity that add the most to the 

 size of the peach. 



As fast as filled, the baskets were brought to the shed, where 

 we had skilled help to assort it into three grades. All specimens 

 two and one-half inches or more in diameter, if in proper condi- 

 tion, were put up as extra selected. Those one and three-quar- 

 ters to two and one-half inches, if perfect otherwise, went as 

 No. 1 selected. Small and imperfect specimens went in as culls, 

 and all others as No. 2 selected. 



Specked and bruised fruit of all sizes, just ready to eat and 

 luscious, was peddled by our own team to families within easy 



