PEACH AND THE PEAR. 379 



any of the other great industries, what is of more 

 importance to her people than this very fruit interest ? 

 That which has made us both fame and fortune, and 

 which with cheery help and faithful watching, bids fair to 

 render us as celebrated in song and story as ever was 



" That delightful province isf the sun, 

 The first of Persian lands he shines upon ?" 



Although what I have to say here applies to the 

 whole Peninsula, yet I ieel at liberty to more particularly 

 address the citizens of my own State. 



As I have said in the Preface to this book, one only 

 has to enter upon work such as I have entered upon in 

 the preparation of this volume, to see how little foster- 

 ing care such a great interest as the fruit interest 

 receives from the State. I say to you, men of Delaware, 

 these great interests are threatened, and threatened more 

 and more, as population increases and the cultivation of 

 trees and plants is multiplied. Just as in the history of 

 mankind, as he increases and multiplies, obeying the 

 injunction of Holy Writ, zymotic disease appears. 

 Every hamlet becomes a plague spot, and his very 

 palaces, much more his hovels, become as sepulchres, and 

 thus mock the proud assertions of his boasted civiliza- 

 tion. And as with mankind, so with the fruits with 

 which God has favored him ; only crowd them, then 

 pamper them, starve them, or treat them as you will, 

 here again the zymotic enemy swoops down, and the 



