58 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
December, 1917 
Character Sketch of John Howard 
Hale 
To start an industry by deliver- 
ing your products in a push-cart 
and to see that industry grow un- 
til you deliver in self-owned 
refrigerator cars was the priv- 
ilege of America’s foremost horti- 
culturist, John Howard Hale. 
He was born November 25, 1853, 
in Glastonbury, Connecticut, and 
died in his native town October 
12, 1917, being the son of John A. 
and Henrietta (Moseley) Hale. He 
was known as the “peach king” 
to all American horticulturists. 
His holdings in acreage comprised 
an 1,800 acre peach orchard at 
Fort Valley, Georgia, and two 
peach orchards in Connecticut, 
whose combined acreage is 1,200 
acres. One of these orchards is 
at Glastonbury; the other, at Sey- 
mour. 
When fourteen years of age he 
began work on a neighboring 
farm in New Britain. For this 
work he received $12.50 a month, 
worked fourteen hours every day, 
and seven days every week. Dur- 
ing the first eight months of this 
time he spent only $23.00 the re- 
mainder he sent home. He used 
for personal expenses $7.00 of 
this money and $16.00 was used to 
buy fruit trees. 
There stood in a fence corner of 
a field which John Hale plowed 
the first year at New Britain, a 
peach tree whose fruit Avas very 
luscious. The lad enjoyed these 
peaches. Then and there occurred 
to him the thought that on 
mother’s rocky and hilly farm 
near by peaches like these would 
groAv. From that moment on 
John Hale Avas a horticulturist. 
He started with a spade, shovel, 
hoe, push-cart, and a feAv straw- 
berry plants and increased his 
holdings until at the time of his 
death these comprised 3,000 acres 
of highly cultivated orchard lands 
in Georgia and Connecticut, Avith 
every modern equipment neces- 
sary to carry on the Avork in the 
most approved manner. Most of 
the methods used being of his oavu 
innovation. 
He Avas the first American orch- 
ardist to sort, grade, and pack 
fruit, and to label, and to guar- 
antee it according to its grade. 
John Hale ranks as a creative 
genius, because of the many varie- 
ties of peaches he originated. 
Even in the department of agri- 
culture at Washington he Avas 
considered the best authority on 
peach culture. When that de- 
partment had puzzling problems 
on the growing of peaches it ap- 
pealed to him for information. 
The story of his denuded peach 
trees of one season, best illustrates 
his venturesome spirit. One of his 
Connecticut orchards Avas infest- 
ed with “brown rot”. He 
sprayed with Bordeaux mixture 
to control it, but used too much 
and all his trees lost their leaves. 
He asked the horticulturists at 
Washington for help and all orch- 
ardists in Avhose knowledge he 
had faith, but there Avas none to 
advise him. He next consulted 
Avith his Connecticut helpers and 
soon a boat load of readily avail- 
able nitrate of soda and muriate 
of potash from NeAv York at 
$90.00 a ton Avas on that orchard. 
Providence helped by sending 
Avarm rains at just the right time 
and ultimately leaves were again 
on the trees and in August and 
September these trees bore the 
finest of peaches. 
Mr. Hale is most Avidely known 
for his knoAvledge of groAving 
peaches, but he also greAV apples 
successfully and is equally as 
much a recognized authority on 
apple culture. HoAvever, his 
apple orchard Avas of more 
recent origin. Not many years 
ago he started it in Connecticut 
with the view to revive an inter- 
est in apple growing in his native 
state. 
He Avas a writer on horticultur- 
al subjects for the World’s Work 
and Country Life In America. 
For fifteen years he Avas associate 
editor of the Philadelphia Farm 
■Journal and during that time ay as 
also editor of the agricultural col- 
umn of the Hartford Courant. 
He was numerously and vari- 
ously honored as an intellectual, 
altho denied even a high school 
education. 
The University of Wisconsin, in 
1914, presented him Avith an hon- 
orary testimony recognizing his 
eminent services in the develop- 
ment of agriculture and in appre- 
ciation of his efforts for the im- 
provement of the fruit industry. 
In presenting him with this de- 
gree of honorary recognition, 
