Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-08-30
PEACH CULTURE FOR TEXAS.
j. p. STEELE. EDITOR

in strictly Texas varieties Of the peach.
Varieties introduced from other sections
viii prove failures, as d rule; therefore
Texans must settle down to the peach Of
their fathers and turn cold shoulder on
the nice-named varieties originated in dis
tant regions, and presenting such an at
tractive appearance in the picture books Of
nurserymen.
The sooner our people get this fact fully
impressed upon them the better it win be
for Texas. Already the introduction OF
those fancy kinds have thrown it back for
years. IN many localities, to say nothing of
tie bad name that they have pinned to
Texas as peach country. They have
rooted ont the reliable old seedlings" or
caused them to be neglected, and hence
have given US considerable pcachless areas,
50 10 speak, where peaches ought TO be now
one Of our most abundant crops; and, in
many cases, were one Of our most abundant
crops before the nurseryman, handling IN
acclimated and uunaturalized varieties, got
IN his work upon them.
Il is encouraging to notice that our people
arc rapidly getting their eyes opened to
these facts. as named, but we find That IN &
large majority Of cases they are not getting
on to the thing exactly right. They mainly
attribute the trouble 10 grated or bud
ded stock, without al all taking the
strain into consideration. This is decidedly
wrong Grated or budded trees have moth
ing whatever TO DO with the matter; it is
Il, IL, hrT5
ding has been done THAI is bringing about
The mischief \ Seeding tree from New
Jersey, Or Delaware, or Maryland, the
states from which many Of the tine named
varieties have sprung, would do no better,
If transferred to Texas, than would grated
or budded trees with the same origin.
What we need and must have for full sue
cess in Texas is z peach Of the old Spanish
strain--a strain that has been here al
ways as the people say. OF course the
old Spanish peaches are an introduction,
but history gives Us no clew as TO when
they were introduced. They were found
among the Indians near two centuries ago,
ard therefore the most reasonable conciu-
sion st which we can arrive is that they
were introduced by the early Spanish con-
querors of the country or by the early mis-
slonaries. Until about one-quarter century
ago they were the only kind of peaches we
had. and even now they are The prevailing
strain in many of the back regions not i'm
mediately traversed by railroads, and hence
rot easily accessible TO the nurserynan
dealing in varieties Of a different and, to
US, more Improbable strain.
We have been paying close attention TO
the peaches hauled in and exposed to sale
on the Fort Worth market this season, and
with much pleasure we are now able to
state that some of the best peaches we have
Yet seen. offered in quantities large enough
TO be worth naming, were peaches Of the
old supposcd-to-be Spanish strain. They
were usually from regions back twenty-five
or thirty miles from railroad. Not few
we're of quality so excellent that they
would have easily passed muster as really
good peaches IL either New Jersey, Della
ware or Maryland The people hauling
them in couldn't tell Us any thing in partic-
ular about them. All they knew was that
were very old, ii many cases, and that the
seeds producing them had been taken from
an older generation of peach trees. The
seeds were usually selected from some tres
bearing fine quality of fruit, but the new
seedlings didn't always pan out as good as
the original There was some risk to
run in planting 4 peach orchard on this ac-
count, still everybody in those back re-
gions had peaches, more or less, and the
trees rarely if ever failed of bringing L fair
crop. No one went into peach culture on
large scale. owing TO the fact that there was
10 paying market for the product. 1t didn't
pay 10 devote land 10 peaches, haul the fruit
twenty-five or thirty niles to market, and
then get only 20 or 30 cents a bushel for it,
with many unkind remarks from the pur-
chascrs for holding the goods so high As
. result few attempted 10 raise peaches for
sale-if man brought load Of peaches to
town il was IL case where he had to come
anyway, and he merely threw in the
peaches to III! an empty wagon.
Among the sold peaches" seen by us
The well-known Indian peach stood in
The majority, represented rs both clings
and freestoues. OF course the Indian
peach is 4 good peach, but we saw not
few among the old Spanish varieties far
surprising it in point Of excellence. One
man had = few bushels Of frcestones of 4
whitish color with j slight reddish blush on
the side that would have averaged two and
a half iuches in dancer. They were de-
licious.
So much by way Of preface TO what we
have TO say on this occasion.
AS already intimated, ii is not budding or
grating that causes peach culture TO fall
short in Texas, but the varieties from
which budding or grating is done. A bud
ded or grated tree viii live as long aud do
as well as seeding tree of the same va
riety, provided, of course, that it was bud
ded or grated upon stock of the same
strain. To make everything sure we would
prefer grating after 4 particular plan
why, viii be explained presently.
The man with fine seeding peach
might easily duplicate it 10 the extent OF
large orchard should he desire TO do SO, and
We propose telling him how 10 do it, not as
:. nurseryman would do it, perhaps, but as
he. without being 4 Dursergman by trade,
may dc 1t, If he will.
Plant seeds this fall IL hills whore you
,vnull nav. Nl,r,, trees stand Won panl