AN AMERICAN PEACH FOREST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2153, 24 November 1885, Page 2

AN AMERICAN PEACH FOREST.

Mr John H, Parnell, a great American peach grower, has been letting out. Bome of the secrets of his peach forest, which may have more Interest, as Mr John Parnell is the brother of another and more famous members of the family, Mr C. S, Parnell himself, "In my early days," said Mr Parnell to the correspondent, " I was advised that there were excellent chances for investment in the South, and especially in Georgia. It was my idea that thus located there was money in - cotton, so I paid cash down 12,000 dols for 1,500 acres, To this original purchase I have since added 800 acres, making my possessions 2,000 in all. For three years! planted cotton, only to find it a delusion," It was in this fortunate moment that Mr Parnell made up his mind that there was money in peaches, The great peach forest is described as containing acres and acres of ground, stretching indeed into miles, covered with every variety of tree, The trees, which number 160,000, are planted twelve feet apart, and are kept trimmed ; .to the ground, so that-a person standing can pluck the vrosy fruit from its fastnesß, When the first blush comes, upon the cheek of the - dainty , beauties,'-100 men

women and children are set to work; each, armed with a fiat basket, returning to the rendezvous when the bottom jia covered. Thus they keep, on day after day until the season is over. The story of Mr Parnell's venture is briefly this:— .Ho invested 12,000d015, in his plantation. He has spent B,ooodolß since in trees, seeds, and labor. Upon this investment ho makes from 3000dols to" 10,000dols. . a year, and would not sell his peach forest for less than 300,000d015. Great as Charles Stewart Parnell is an the uncrowned king of Irelandr gteater is John H. Parnell, the peach king, of America, I found it necessary, to ha,ve. resource to English varieties. It was clear that a hard, firm peach which, would bear handling would be a gold mine. In 18711 brought from England 5000 budded treua —the Beatrice, the Early* Rivers, and the Early Louise. I have found that these three varieties ineet every requirement. 1 .have developed a' hybrid, to which I liavo given the name of Parnell. This peach is destined to rank in the peach family as the Le Comte does among" the pears. I secured it from an accidental seedling.- 1 made my first ot tliis peach five years' ago, .when f /lit off at 25d01a. a bushel; • thousand trees of this a dark red skin, white fleshy and is firm and hardy for shipment. ■ The next is the Foster, a peach of yellow skin, saffron 'flesh, and firm mould. • But one crop of this peach, however, is fit to ship. Of the Amelia peach, dark fleshed and brownish red cheek, I have over 8,000 trees. I have spent, much time in experimenting, and ■ believe that I have now solved all the difficulties of this neighborhood. As old trees die I replace ! them, and also make a regular annual increase of 25,000 trees.

" The worse enemy of the peach orchard," remarked Mr. Parnell, ."is the halftaught horticulturist with • a pruning knife. There is no doubt that peach trees understand the art of growing and should be leftalone. Theborerswillnot do half as much harm as the man who tries to exterminate them, If a tree yields bad)? fruit just cut it done and replant, The' ' principal danger, however, is winter killing, which is a misnomer,' because' tljo killing takes place owing to the abaenoe of winter, When no winter comes the eap never sinks. A sudden cold day chills the tree, just as it does a man. I have fully exploded one idea .prevalent, thatit won't do to plantanewtreesinan old orchard, Thousands of my best trees aro standing upon ground which has beon the sight of half a dozen previous orchard's, Trees seem out in the north-east never to fail to have fruit, Peaohea flourish in alternate years, sometimes, one variety, and sometimes another, In 1875 there was a wonderful yield of early peaches. 11l 1875 the crop was equally as good, but In 1879 there was a peach famine, which caught me two ways, The famine in Ireland deprived mo of my rents, and the famine in peaches deprived me of my inoome here. In alternate years since, with wonderful regularity, the yield has upheld the theory, The earliest shipments ever'made to New i'ork was on the Kith of May, and the latest the 10th of August, when the Delaware crop cut off the Georgian sales," ' . 1

" The demand for good fruit has never yet been met, I always have more orders than I can fill. New York is a great market, because it is the distributing point, and always offers regular prices, . Philadelphia stand's next as an Eastern marked. Cincinnati is the great pej\gh depot of the west. I once got 25 dolfl, ft crate in Cincinnati. Mr heaviest phlp. ment in one day was 900- crates to the New York marked, Large quantities I send by freight and small quantities by express. In one year I netted 11,000 dols. This year I have already shipped 1,000 craves," Pall Mall Budget,

An incident happened near the aristoemtio and highly salubrious town of Bournemouth, which ought to have ' happened in France, so fitly would it be described by M. Zola. On the other hand, it has some touches of humor iu it which would be unintelligible to that genius, and one worthy of Fielding himself, One 1 Graham, a professional pedestrian—called by the vulgar a "tramp"—having quarrelled with tho wife of his bosom, agreed to transfer her —she being • quite willing —to another pedestrian gentleman of the name of Smith, and the three high contracting parties resolved to commemorate the exchange by a debauch. ■■ Mr Smith, overcome by liquor, went to sleep, whereupon Mrs Graham stole his' . purse, and went off with it with Mr G. Her defence .before the Magistrate' was that, in the highest and noblest sensp (having been made over to him,' though it is true not by written contract), she was Mrs S., and had a right to |iis money. ' '