490 Transactions of the American Institute. 



Mr. II. T. "Williams — Last year was an exceptional season. The 

 section around Dover was glutted with peaches. They came in late 

 and brought poor prices. It was better in the first part, and southern 

 Delaware and Maryland got good prices and made money. I venture 

 to say that even with all the drawbacks many growers averaged thirty- 

 five to fifty cents per basket, and for the neighborhood of Seaford, 

 Del., seventy-five cents to one dollar. It is fair to state that peaches 

 give a good crop every three years in five. The business in Delaware 

 is not so good now because so many trees have been planted, and 

 because it is being entered into so largely in Virginia and North 

 Carolina. From these points they put their peaches into market very 

 rapidly and a month earlier than from Delaware. The farmers are 

 now using much bone manure in their orchards, and have adopted a 

 system of cultivating the ground without planting any crop among 

 the trees. 



Prof. H. E. Colton — I can confirm what Mr. "Williams says about 

 Virginia and North Carolina. I know of immense orchards that have 

 been planted there, and a friend of mine last year made enormous 

 profits on his crop because he got them into New York so early. 

 The railroads have all low freight rates to encourage this species of 

 farming, as well as to induce immigration. The climate and soil too 

 are especially adapted to the growth of this fruit and vegetables. 



Broom Corn. 

 Rev. D. S. Perry, Urbana, Ohio — Allow me to answer Mr. Fergu- 

 son's inquiries in regard to broom corn, as discussed in your session 

 of January 9. First. The dwarf variety has been tried and found 

 wanting in the essential points. Second. I believe broom corn will 

 do better than any other crop on wild prairie, as it is more of a wild 

 nature than other cultivated crops. Third. It should be drilled in 

 rows three feet apart, at the rate of one bushel seed to seven acres, 

 and should not be covered over one inch deep. "When it is six inches 

 high, thin to from three to four stalks to the foot. If planted in 

 hills, 4x4, it would be coarse as hazel brush, and not worth the 

 transportation to market. We prefer the Missouri to any other 

 variety, but it inclines to grow coarse and should be planted rather 

 thicker than the other kinds. It should be cut green, as the loss in 

 weight and quality will more than pay for the seed. Green brush is 

 usually worth three to five cents more per pound than red, beside the 

 loss in weight. It should be tabled, cat and scraped as near the same 

 time as possible. If it is tabled forty-eight hours ahead it turns up at 



