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epiphytotic ensued.* Every day thousands of baskets of green and 
ripening peaches rotted upon the trees and on the way to market. 
In consequence of this rot the late peaches were nowhere very profit¬ 
able, and in many instances were an entire loss. The daily railroad 
shipments, instead of increasing with the coming on of the Smock, fell 
off within a few days from scores of car loads to a few dozen, and must 
have fallen away almost to nothing had only sound peaches been 
shipped. The condition of much of the fruit forwarded during this 
week is sufficiently characterized by the following clipping from a Phil¬ 
adelphia daily of September 15: 
The local peach market is utterly demoralized, not ou account of the quantity of 
fruit but ou account of the quality. No such mess called peaches was ever marketed 
before as has been arriving during the past few days. The season is practically 
ended and but few more good Delaware peaches will be received. 
The total shipment of peaches over the Delaware Railway from Sep¬ 
tember 9 to September 17 was but 711 car-loads; ou September 14, 15, 
and 17, it was respectively only 46, 35, and 30 car-loads. None were 
shipped on Sunday, the 16th, and none of any consequence after the 
17th. The shipments for four weeks previous to this time, August 13 
to September 8, averaged about 195 car-loads per day. These spoiled 
peaches went begging at prices ranging from 7 to 25 cents per basket, 
the most of them being sold for 10 or 15 cents. At that time good fruit 
readily commanded 59 to 65 cents per basket of five-eighths bushel. 
From intelligent and trustworthy peach growers on the Peninsula I 
have received many oral and written statements like the following, the 
amount of individual loss varying from a few baskets to many thou¬ 
sand, according to the acreage and the varieties planted : 
In my orchard in Kent County, Md., probably 500 baskets (6,000 trees). In the 
county at large many thousands of baskets were probably lost.—[Dr. John J. Black, 
New Castle, Del.] 
My own loss was perhaps 3,000 baskets.—[Dr. Henry Ridgeky, Dover, Del.] 
1 lost 4,000 baskets.—[Norris Barnard, Still Pond, Md.J 
My individual loss was not less than 2,000 baskets from an orchard of 6,000 trees.— 
[W. H. Burnite, Felton, Del.] 
I am satisfied that my loss was from 5,000 to 6,000 baskets.—[James S. Harris, Still 
Pond, Md.] 
My loss was about 7,000 baskets.—[Thomas D. France, Chostertown, Md.] 
I lost from 10,000 to 15,000 baskets, 3,000 baskets rotting on their way to market.— 
[F. H. Harper, Still Pond, Md.] 
In the week you speak of I lost 20,000 baskets. * * * We lost all our fruit that 
ripened after the Crawford’s Late. The varieties lost will number at least one-half of 
all our orchards. In mine they represented two-thirds.—[Wilbur Eliason, Chester- 
town, Md.] 
* Aside from the repeated precipitation the principal peculiarity of the weather 
was the slight range of temperature. The variation at Dover during seventy-eight 
hours (a. in. of September 8 to p. m. of September 11) was only 14° F., while for the 
first thirty-six*liours it kept between 70° and 82°, and did not at any time fall below 
68°. After this the range was greater, but during the next five days the day tem¬ 
perature was above 70° four times and touched 83° ou the 16th. 
