1238 



PEACH 



makes it unsatisfactory to the best trade, so that it be- 

 comes an open question as to tlie desirability of the 

 plan. It is noticeable, however, that the largest and 

 best growers almost invariably pack and ship their own 

 product, believing that there is greater profit in a high 

 individual reputation than in combination. 



In another manner has the State il..iti.ultunil Society 

 and an excellent system of St:iir r;uifM r^ In mutes 

 worked avast benefit to the ind u s 1 1 ) , , ;, , ,. |„.ld 

 meetings singly and in series in . i I , ! _ i.uiTig 

 locality in the state. At these mr. icilnf 

 modern high-class Peach cultu?. n , , ,^ i,,, 

 been freely given by the most mi. . i! i. ,!- ,.( 

 this and other states. These nii-t i i, , , , ., i , 

 lowed by complete printed report ~ , , i , i, ,;,,; 

 of every grower. In this <-r>niir, n :i i, .,,; h,; ,.. 

 considered too extreme to start- ih.ti Mn Ih ii-m . i\ . ,i i., 

 our growers from a few al'li' prac-tiral .imi -,,.),.|ii Mi,- i,mii 

 cannot be estimated in ilMllar>. Snilicr ii t,, s;n- thai 

 nearly every practicable i.l.a u'i\, n li\ i i. -, m. n lia- 

 been quite generally acted upon Willi -iv ,ii niiaiH-ial ad 

 vantage, and the improvement in handlin- tins .1 (.|. ha- 

 been so marked during the past fivi: Mar- as t,, i„. n allv 

 phenomenal. Nature having d.mr i'l- [nil .luiv t.. tins 

 region, the elements reqiiii ■) I' 1 , are ;i can-tul 

 selection of location witli 1 . ' .1. ilcvation and 

 shipping facilities,awilliiu I 1 n, and a love fur 

 the business, coupled Willi t 1 , ., r honor in mar- 

 keting. The advers.- .•..•pill -I'it selections 



of location orvari. la , an ! •Ih.wsandcuri 

 leaf, both of win. 1 na-cd by ener- 

 getic men. Trrn, , i ,1, . ,. , are promptly 



removed and drst ,,,v , ,1, an.l i. |i|, ,| iinniediately by 



young trees. The curl h-af is not n--ular in its appear- 

 ance, but occasionally a season comes when its attacks 

 on certain varieties are serious. It is easily controlled 

 by preventive spraying. 



The writer has visited many of thn ii..ir,l I'laili re- 

 gions, but nowhere has he ever seen snh ~n. ,.(--, aUaimal 

 by men of modest means as in the .Mi.hiuan Trarli belt. 

 Its future looks even brighter than 11 s pasi. 



K. MOUKILL. 



Peach Culture in Delaware. - 1. Historical 

 Sketch. — 'No one knows when the first Peach trees were 

 planted in Delaware, but undoubtedly there were many 

 before the Revolutionary period. The trees were seed- 

 lings, and every old garden contained a sufficient num- 

 ber to supply the family with preserved and dried 

 Peaches during the winter months. There was also a 

 surplus, which the "lord of the manor" bad distilled 

 into Peach brandy, in which all Ki-nlli-iiicn of tin- old 

 school delighted. We read that as larlv as Is] i, a .Mr. 

 Bayley, of Accomack county, Va. (a rouniv ..onih ,d l>. 1 

 aware on the peninsula), had (ili.iinn I',:,, h i,-. 1 s. ih,. 

 product of which was con VI It 111 inn. I.ini.l I L, ini-s 

 at 6 years of age yielded a ho 111. In _...ii . . . 1 1 rhiss 



brandy per 100 trees, whirh -ohi ,.! . 'fiie 



profits could not have hinn hn- .nn 1. tro.-s 



were planted much closer l.hau ih. \ an imu |ilaiit,al. 

 It is possible that the seed was sown m ro«s, and tin- 

 seedlings allowed to remain as they u-n w. 



The first Peach orchard for coinni. i-ri.-il |Mit-|iosi s in 

 Delaware was planted in the sprini; ot |s:;-j. i,v Isaar 

 Reeves and Jacob Ridgeway on a fai-tn hi-loim'in^' to iIk- 

 latter, about one mile from Delawan- ( iix . on ih,- I), -la- 

 ware and Chesapeake canal. It consist, d ,,( -jn arms of 

 budded trees, and by 1836 they bad [.iann-l I In a.-ms. 

 In a single season Messrs. Reev.-. .1 l,n; . a> 1. 

 ceived $16,000 gross from their I', , n . , n m- hi. 

 then bringing from $1.25 to $:j p. 1 : n 1 .. 1 . i 1 



the Philadelphia market. Tliis sn. i..iini~ 



to embark in tin- Ini-im^,, nn-n 1.1,1 ,vas Mator 

 Philip R.-vhold, ... In. :i '-!■ ' I ' !,,-,.«. .James 



Thompson was .- . ni..i:..rn.-! -inrss. Inl84G 



he stated Iha' \r , I . i d about .T, 000 



acres in I'l-at-h In . ■• , I,'. . hi , so.is nlom- 



had 117,720 tn-.--. ..... -n, I ..-m . n Ir >.. |i,,.| 



63,.'!44 baskets wi-n :.:; i,n \.; ,; .-i 1^1 . In l-i,-, 



the Peach crop wa-- . ■nnial-.n .--l , .nnn I,., I , . ., ,.|,,, [■., 



from New Castli niv, <.( .,..1,1. 1, ih, I;. \i..,l,N ^.l-,■■,^ 



about one-fourth. In Ki-ni i-niiiii\. .1, hn Kccd had 



planted an orchard of Ki-d ili.-nk Mil Ion as early. 



perhaps, as 1829, and scvi-ral M-ai-s hiti-r bad 10.00(1 



PEACH 



trees. J. (i. Brown in the seventies had one of the most 

 extensive orchards in Kent county. Iti Susse.\ coumy 

 Capt. Chas. Wright was one of the fn--t 1,, |.Iii,i mis 

 on an extended scale, and in the sixti. in. . ;i,,-i 



of a 10-acre orchard for $."). 0011 11. -t I , ,-,. 



Troth, Early York, Golden Kar.-ri|i. , - . . ] ,,,,, 



Stump, Crawford Late, Maninioih M,; n 1 1 ... loit 



White and Smock. Ex-Governoi- i;os> ,,nd ,1. In 1 ..iims 

 were also extensively engaK-i-d m tin- I'r.i.li i.n m.-ss 

 but the orchards in Sussex ai ili.-n tim. l-i ,1. r. ill, , ,,n' 

 sisted of from 1.000 to .■j.ikiii tn , ~ , a, h 



A-orld 



Di-h-mari- «as tin- [ii-.i stain io<h-v<-lop Peach culture 

 nil a lari;i si-ali, and tor M-als produced more fine 

 r.-ai-li.-s iliaii any ..th.-r loi-aliiy in the world. The i|ual- 

 ii.v. a|i|., arain-i- ami size of the fruit when grown nnder 

 lavoraldn i-ondiiioiis have never been e.xcclli-d. if 

 i-Miial.-d. Iiy .iiiy otlier section of the United Stati-s. but 



""' -'I'li'-ii'-in if the yellows in New Castle and Ivi-nt 



'■""ii'i' ^. tin rr.i|ii.-iit lii-struction of the crop by un- 

 tini. ly fn.-is. .-iinl tin o|,i-iiing of other sections has 



♦•''■^'■'i ^"11 1' 'In- i,'lor\ away from the once famous 



Pi-ai-li iliMi-ii-is ,,r K. Ill ami New Castle counties. The 

 CBUtL-r ot tin- imlusii vwas .Middletown in the late sixties. 

 Then it movi-d to Smyi-na. After a few years Wvoniiiig 

 was the great :\li-r,-a lowarils which all the connnission 



The Peach belt ha.s beeii niovino- sonflnvard V-.r^.-M-ral 

 years, until now Sussex county i-ai~.si|,- 1 , , -. |..,, ,',f 

 the crop. The trees do not attain tin 1 ; . ,,f 



those on the heavier soils oi Niu 1 1 ,1 .1 knit 



counties, but Sussex, ex<'e|it in 1 li. 1 ,.i .h,,. ,-s- 



caped that bugbear of I'l-ai-li _ I . I , I . . Mows " 



There are probably ahniii 1. . 1 -h trees in 



Delaware, though no ai-i-in an n n. .. . l„-(-n made 

 since 1890. Tlie l),-la«an- i-.-.i I , . -m! ...nipm^ .-stimated 



that thi-n- wcnihl 1m- (.."iiin. 1 i.a-L, 1 -, of imui along its 



various Ijn,.^ in Iliiin. Inii its n annis tm. ihi- crop are 



a demand 

 white Peai 

 are shippm 



are not i.rolnhitiv,-, and to smalk-r liitnrior cities of 

 I'l-niisylvaiiia, New York and New England. 



L>. (■»//„,•<.. -Most of the trees are set in the fall. 

 Whim fall planting is practiced the tree pushes out 

 yotinj; roots all winter during mild weather, and as a 

 rule .grows ln-ttcr than \\hf-n si-f in the spring and is 

 compelled to -row mots and h-ax. s at the same time. 

 The ground, i.mf.-ralilv a .-lov.-r soil, high and dry, is 

 plowed deep, tliomn-hl) liarmw.d and checked into 

 rows generally 20 xL'ii l.-i-t a|iait. Soim- ]ilanti-rs si-l 22 

 font, others closer. .\ hoh- is dn- of siilVn-i.-nt sizi- to 

 admit the roots witliont n-ow din-, and in Nnnilnh. r 1 lie 

 trin* is planted aVmnt tln-.h-pih 11 loi-nni-i\ -lood in ilm 



l'"or planting, the win. 1 11. 1. 1 1 - I om-year tree 



of the second or tliinl - 1 :. ni in hiiL-tii'. without 



many branches. Tin . 11. 1 I, w ill nuikegood 



tmi-s if properly cam, I i.,i-,-in,l vm 1 1 last as long, bear as 

 inn. h irnit and conu- into betiriiig as young as trees 



' liiKh. It is a great mistake to suppose the 



II I I 1 1, n is better. It is more sightly, but that is its 

 - Ill ; . ni. It will not di-vi-lop as many roots, nor will 

 "!'" n I - :- I -lia|.i r..i- -Ini-i-in-, and the shock of 



plant; and the 



Either is applied at the ba.se of the tree during 

 inter. Before the sap starts the trees are usuall 



