The National Nurseryman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK. 
Copyright, 1896, by the National Nurseryman Publishing Co. 
VOL. IV. ROCHESTER. N. Y., AUGUST, 1896. No. V 7 
IN THE GEORGIA PEACH ORCHARDS. 
Fort Valley, Ga , July 15.—A two hundred acre lawn 
of peach and plum stock, as smooth and level as a billiard 
table—that was one of the sights that greeted my aston¬ 
ished eyes at J. H. Hale’s “ Edgewood ” place, near Fort 
Valley, Georgia, a few days ago. I had slept over night 
in a Pullman car in the very middle of a mile-and-a-half 
square of peach orchard—an experience worth having— 
had been driven down Connecticut avenue, up Berckmans 
street, to Delaware avenue, all these wide thoroughfares 
through trees loaded with peaches, and had watched 
five “culiud ” laborers abreast hold the cultivators which 
as many mules were drawing toward me down a clean 
quarter-mile of the new Hale plums in nursery rows. 
But great as was the “ peach ” show and impressive as 
was the sight of two millions of clean, stocky peach, 
plum and chestnut trees in the nursery rows, that two 
hundred acre field, in peach and Marianna stocks, hit me 
the hardest, I think. Remembering the old days when I 
followed the budder to tie, I was devoutly thankful that 
I had drifted into printer’s ink, and had no lot or part in 
those interminable rows to be worked. I looked in vain 
for a weed. I don’t believe there was one to a row. Mr. 
Hale believes in clean culture, and what he believes he 
practices. 
The occasion of the above-noted impressions was a trip 
arranged by Mr. Hale and with the courtesy of the Cen¬ 
tral of Georgia and Southern railroads, to the end that 
some of us Yankees interested in fruits and trees might 
see what is being done in Georgia toward making north¬ 
ern markets uncomfortable for the California peaches 
which are so fair to see and so foul to bite. A dozen 
bright and lively eastern fruit commission men, from 
New York, Boston, Hartford, Springfield, Worcester and 
Providence ; a Massachusetts fruit association president 
and a Connecticut peach commissioner; a couple of ink- 
slingers—such was the party. Going from New York to 
Savannah by steamer, we were met in the latter beautiful 
city by the active and broad guage president of the 
Central of Georgia Railroad, H. M. Conner and his 
general superintendent, Mr. Kline. Two private cars 
were provided, and how many watermelons were included 
in the provision I should not like to state ! Many of us 
made our first acquaintance with the Georgia melon 
where it grows and we absorbed a very great respect for 
the fruit. 
Up through the state we were rapidly whirled, Mr. 
Comer and Mr. Kline constantly imparting information 
as to the country as it fell behind us. To Macon and 
thence to Fort Valley, and out on the spur track which 
has been dubbed the “ Red Label Railroad,” we were 
taken directly to the orchards of the Hale, Georgia 
Orchard Co.; on through this ripening crop to visit the 
orchards of the Albaugh Georgia Co., to be welcomed by 
the Hon. N. H. Albaugh himself, with characteristic 
fervor. Back to the Hale place, enjoying in the evening 
a real plantation minstrel concert by home talent, we 
spent the night in the heart of the great orchard. 
Next morning, after an inspiring look from the top of 
the central packing-house over the seventeen miles of 
peach avenues, a sight of the curculio catching gang at 
work, a rapid glimpse of the “ Red Label House,’ 3 Mr. 
Hale’s comfortable and substantial quarters for some 150 
bright young peach helpers, we were taken to Marshall- 
ville to see the old and fine Rumph place, where still 
grows the original Elberta tree, surrounded by thousands 
of its profitable family. Thence back to Fort Valley, to 
be met by several officers of the great and progressive 
Southern Railway Company’s five thousand mile system 
including W. H. Baldwin, Jr., the second vice presi¬ 
dent, and Captain W. A. Green, the general superinten¬ 
dent. With these gentlemen, a quick run was made out 
over the Perry branch, passing through another of the 
great Ohio fruit enterprises, and seeing some enormous 
young orchards not yet in bearing. Returning to Fort 
Valley, the most of the party were taken right on to 
Macon, where an entertaining reception by the Chamber 
of Commerce was enjoyed, and thence up through the 
splendid central ridge of the state to Atlanta. Here 
the Southern Railway took the happy pilgrims in hand, 
delivering them safe and sound next evening in Wash¬ 
ington. 
Several conclusions are certainly justified : That the 
peach planting in Georgia is a success where well man¬ 
aged, paying encouraging profits; that the railroad com¬ 
panies are enterprising and broad minded, giving the 
peach growers every help in their power; that the nur¬ 
sery interests of the state, extensive as they now are in 
spots, are bound to become a great factor as they develop. 
The wholesale and successful fight against the curculio 
in the Hale orchards is a notable instance of what pluck 
and science can do. In April it appeared that the fruit 
was badly stung, and Mr. Hale determined to trap the 
active little chaps who were biting into his profits. Think 
of jarring a hundred thousand trees for the pests often 
enough to keep them down ! A gang of fifty men was 
organized, each armed with a light but large half-um¬ 
brella and a stout cudgel, on the end which a bit of old 
bicycle tire served to form a striking cushion. The men, 
one on each side of a tree, held the inverted umbrellas close 
to the stem, while they gave the tree a sharp rap, then 
