The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-08-18
A TALK ON FRUIT TREES.
The Bearing Years of the Peach and
the Apple.

From the Philadelphia Record.
1t is seldom that an apple orchard
gives good crop of fruit two years in
succession unless under skillful man
agement, but the peach will produce
an annual crop under favorable condi-
tions. Unfortunately for peach trees,
however, they are subject TO sd many
influences that the conditions are even
less favorable than for apple or pear.
The peach has large seed in proportion
to pulp, and the drain on the trees,
when the crop is large, is very severe.
Peach trees, in proportion to size and
age, perform more work of production
than any others, and the exhaustion of
the tree and surrounding soil is due to
the rapid growth of new wood and the
large number of seeds when u crop is
very heavy. Half century ago, when
the varieties were fewer and ''volun-
teer" trees appeared from seed thrown
in out-of-the-way places, the farmer
sometimes secured a desirable kind;
but more frequently the fruit was lack
ing in quality, the trees being harder,
however, than those now in use. This
is due to the fact that diseases of the
peach are spread by budding from trees
that are apparently healthy but which
are diseased. In order to secure quail
ity something had TO be sacrificed, and
it was hardness. Formerly the peach
trees lived for twenty years or more,
but at the present day they begin to
fail aud die before the orchard is five
years old.
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE.
The climate has much To do with sue
Cess. There are now peach belts"
but these belts do not remain station
AIRY. In locations where the peach
once thrived the trees no longer give
good results. This fact has received
much attention from horticulturists,
though but little light has been thrown
upon it. Mr.. J. +. Taylor, of Michi-
gan, who has studied the subject CAFE
fully, concludes that exhaustion Of the
soil of those elements best suited for the
peach Is the prime cause of failure, and
that when a tree bears a5undantly two
years in succession il must recuperate,
as the strain is too severe. y dry sum
mer, which ripens the fruit buds in
early autumn, if followed by warm
October and cold winter, is injurious
\ very mild winter, which may cause
the sap to flow freely, if followed by
zero weather in March, is also more or
less an obstruction TO good results, and
early blooming, followed by cold, wet
weather, which is often productive of
leaf curl, causes the young fruit to drop
and leads to unfruitfulness. Heavy
rains while the trees are in bloom, and
the depredaiions of insects, are also de-
trimental, but the climate is the main
ca use OF most failures.
NEGLECT AND CULTIVATION.
Trees should not be neglected, and a
crop of grass may ruin a peach orchard;
hence cultivation is necessary, yet it is
not advissb ble to force young trees too
rapidly in growth. As rule the apple
tree makes more growth of wood during
oii;bearing years than when full crop
is produced, and the peach tree also
grows large proportion of new wood,
which adds further TO exhaustion. If
this large am cunt of wood is not cut
back the roots will 6e taxed To supply
extra sap and To feed more buds and
fruit than can be properly performed.
Old wood that is useless also Injuries the
tree to a certain extent. Pruning the
peach tree, even cutting back severely,
is usually beneficial, and thinning out
the fruit, 50 as to prevent overproduc-
ton, will prolong its existence. II the
orchard is on field that was in clover
sod, and plowed under, but little nitro
genous fertilizer will be required, but
the orchard demands liberal applica-
tions of potash and phosphates. As
much as 800 pounds of bone meal per
acre is not an excess, and 300 pounds of
sulphate of potash may be applied.
Wood ashes is an excellent form of
potash, and as ashes are rich in lime
they are better than the potash salts,
half ton per acre being moderate
allowance.