PEACH 



chards ure properly located : 



one light one whe 

 correctly handled. 



The history of the industry can probably be dated to 

 some year prior to 1860, but it did not reach any 

 prominence until about 1864 and was at high tide by 

 1867. At this time and up to this date the commercial 

 orchards were in a small radius around St. Joseph and 

 Benton Harbor, the sales being almost entirely made in 

 Chicago, as there were no railroad communications with 

 other cities and the steamboat service to Chicago was 

 fairly good. During the year 1867 yellows was first 

 noticed by men who knew the disease, although it no 

 doubt existed here a year or two previous. However, 

 little attention was paid to this disease until it gained 

 such impetus and virulence that these orchards, valued 

 at and selling as high as $1,000 per acre, were swept out 

 of existence. So thoroughly did this disease do its work 

 that there were probably not as many as ten live Peach 

 trees in a whole township in 1880. The pioneers of the 

 Peach industry gave up in despair and either left the 

 country or turned their attention to farm crops or small 

 fruits, which latter industry soon gave this port, Benton 

 Harbor, the distinction of being the heaviest shipping 

 point for small fruit in the United States. 



While this destruction of the orchards was going on 

 at this point a few men at South Haven, 30 miles north 

 on the high banks of Lake Michigan, with perfect soil 

 and slopes and most beautiful surroundings, had be- 

 gun the planting of orchards, and with wisdom bom 

 of misfortunes and with a higher intelligence, began 

 to investigate the dread disease; and so well and cor- 

 rectly did they learn its treatment that to this day 

 the yellows has never gotten the start of them and the 

 orchards were never better nor larger than they are to- 

 day, while the yellows had been constantly with them 

 since 1875. In sharp rontrust to this case, another point 

 within 30 miles bftrnn -. ni.,_- I', ,, l,, , :,!,,,;,t isSO, nearly 

 the entire country !>■ :■ - ■ ' I ■ ' i i i titril orchards 



for miles around , 1 1 1 1 1 , [i. ared many 



owners, with stian.: , ; , ., lo destroy 



diseased trees or alli'u ii ii- ; i,- 1 1. ;■ : ihi' law theii 



recently enacted for the pur|iM i pr.iii tins,' orchards 



from destruction by this m- ipihi-r lai^jmis disease. 



They even went into the court- t..~a\i M\ m:; trees from 

 the ax and fire of the legal .a.ninii^^i.iii, rs. The inevi- 

 table result was that in a few viais tlnv l,..autiful pros- 

 perous region was practically iMii ..f rli.' i'.arh business. 



During these years it had l.i, n ,li-,-,.vered that 

 Peaches could be grown with su.rf ss au.l proHt at points 

 far north, and in some cases far inland, where the ele- 

 vation was great, until now immense quantities are 

 marketed in Kent, Oceana, Mason, Benzie, Grand Trav- 

 erse and Leelanaw counties, while Berrien is rapidly 

 regaining her lost prestige as the heavy producing 

 county, an honor long held by Allegan county. 



In all these counties the yellows now exists in nearly 

 all orchards over four years old, but only in the hands of 

 a careless few is it allowed to gain enough headway to 

 menace an orchard. All men now know that as soon 

 as the disease appears the tree affected should be de- 

 stroyed by fire as commanded by law, and if neglected 

 the entire orchard must pay the penalty. Commissioners 

 clothed with power to act stand guard over the careless 

 ones in every township, compelling them to destroy 

 immediately all affected trees or do it themselves, 

 charging up all cost and collecting it with other taxes. 

 So well does this law work and so few are our other 

 difficulties that this Peach belt is now beyond doubt the 

 best in America, the crops being more profitable than 

 those of California and more reliable than those of any 

 other section. 



It is impossible at this date to give statistics as to the 

 acreage of yield, as the business is extending so very 

 rapidly and the census report of 1900 is not yet issued. 

 In a general way it may be said that this entire region 

 is one of small orchards. Nothing like the mammoth 

 orchards of Georgia can be found in the state, but or- 

 chards can be found in every neighborhood producing 

 more Peaches from one acre than these mammoth or- 

 chards do from four, and giving regular annual crops. 

 Trees well cared for usually begin producing at two 

 years old, and at four years old should and do produce 

 4 to 5 bushels per tree, while the best orchards some- 



PEACH 1237 



times produce as high as 8 or 10 bushels on trees 6 to 8 

 years old and with trees set 20 by 20 ft., which is com- 

 mon practice, the yield varies from 200 to 800 bushels 



The cultivation and care of the Peach orchard have un- 

 dergone great change in the past 10 years. What might 

 be styled modern methods prevail now in nearly every 

 neighborhood; fine and thorough tillage, careful timely 

 pruning and rigid thinning previous to the pit-hardening 

 period are the rule among our best growers. They know 

 that a tree overloaded cannot produce choice fruit nor 

 can a tree weakened by an excessive crop of fruit pro- 

 duce a good crop the following year. 



The best fertilization for our soils for Peach-growing 

 seems to be phosphoric acid in the form of bone, and 

 potash in the form of carbonate or muriate, with vege- 

 table mold furnished every year by a growth of oats or 

 other winter cover-crop sown after tillage ceases in 

 August. This cover-crop holds all the Peach foliage 

 where it falls. In the spring it furnishes a decomposed 

 mass ready to be turned under to a shallow depth by 

 gang plows. 



The packages used are of various kinds, but the prin- 

 cipal oni's are thr ono -fifth bushel or 10-pound basket, 

 the 'v-Iii]--1h-1 or jri |ioiin.l liasket and the bushel basket 

 for iiH-.liiim ixraftts. whil.- the 6-basket carrier crate, 

 ..uiaK of frmi. is a favorite package for 



strio 



or .Milwaukee, 

 rioiiiiiii; hours, 

 i~ and express 

 .1 tiiwist region 

 mrr is fhe sup- 

 liile thr larger 

 aded where the 

 'V coujigned to 

 live or six great 

 1,'erators out of 



i;iiriaio,pitts- 



I liaiiapolis 

 ; - lining up 



The markets, as wril as th,- uiv. 

 surpassed. Witli only :.-i'. hours' 

 land the freslil\ pirk.al fruit in 

 where sales are made liuriii- tin- . 

 and shipment made by refrii;.ia 

 for all the cities of the great w.si 

 where Peaches cannot grow. In i 

 ply for the smaller cities distril. 

 cities are supplied by rft'rii,'frat.ir 

 fruit is grown and sold to sjiot I 

 the commission trade. In addition 

 railway systems take solid trains 

 this region every evening on ra|.i 

 east and south, the favorite mttrl.- 

 burg. New York and Boston in 

 and Cincinnati in the south. ^\ii 

 during the past two years a \. i 

 trade with cities in Iowa and Jlis, 



The profits of this crop vary so much according to the 

 skill and judgment of the grower that it is well-nigh 

 impossible to give accurate information, but it is proba- 

 bly a safe estimate to put the average net profit at 

 $100 to $150 per acre for a term of years with ordinary 

 care, but the best growers realize far greater returns. 

 Indeed, in 1899, when all other regions except California 

 had an entire failnf.-. tin- n--_-i..n alionf H.-nton Harbor 



and St. Jos.-pli '"■'■' - <"'■■ ■■- ',■■' .-i-n. of $300 



to $.500 per a.i- , : i,;ird over 



$35,000 was lal I ■ . . I. . k of four 



acres of EUan-ta- LM\r a I. HMii I'l s(;,7mo, ors:i,(;75 per 



turn of more than $600 per acre in a year of great plenty 

 and low prices. Such yields and prices are phenomenal', 

 and shoulii only In- considered as indicating the possi- 

 biliti'- -t' ilo ri.|i under most favorable circumstances 

 and w i ,1 iiatjement. 



Srv.i :! .1 I , at organization for commercial pur- 

 pos.> h 1^' iM . II III i.inpted, but so far none have been 

 eutirtl;, ,su, . t.,siui unless what is known as the central 

 packing-house system now being worked at two points 

 in the Peach belt may be said to be a success. This plan 

 is one by which several growers combine and build a 

 packing "house on the railroad, hauling all their fruit to 

 this central point, wiiiro it isall packed under the super- 

 vision of a sii|ioi intond.iii anil loaded directly into the 

 cars, selling in lar lots liv ^rrade either to spot buyers 

 or in distant inarkots liy wire so far as possible, con- 

 signini; tlio lialam .• to promising markets. This plan 

 has f ho ail Mini a-, of relieving the grower of the burden 

 of o[>. i-aiinu' a jiai king house, thereby reducing cost of 

 paoka^os and parking to a minimum and facilitating 

 sales. The disadvantage is in hauling loose Peaches 

 several miles, and in the extra handling, which causes 

 bruising and injury to quality if fruit is ripe. This last 

 fact necessitates picking the fruit rather green and 



