Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-02-23
PROTECTING THE PEACH.
Experiments That Add to the Posas-
biIities of Peach Culture.

Exuerfments That Add to the POsss-
birities of Peach Culture.
A number of methods Of winter pro-
lection of peach trees have been tried
at the Missouri station during several
wears past. Drawing the branches to-
gether, surrounding the top with corn
stalks and binding the whole into a
bundle have given good results. This is
not in accord with results Of very sim
liar methods tried at the Massachusetts
Hatch and Illinois stations. The pro-
tected trees blossomed two days later
and remained in bloom several days
longer than those not protected. About
! 80 per cent of the protected fruit buds
were unjnjured as against only 70 per
cent of the unprotected ones. Some OF
the trees were uncovered at blossoming
time others later, one tree being lett
until three weeks after poisoning.
Fruit set well under the cover except in
the extreme top where the limbs were
bound tightly together. For young trees
this covering was about as effective and
as easily applied as whitewash, but for
old trees it cannot be readily used.
Shading trees with canvas hay caps
proved to he equal to the preceding
methods in effectiveness and with
young trees the expense was about the
same as spraying with whitewash, but
| it is thought that the amount of canvas
required makes the method too expen-
sive for old trees.
Covering trees with temporary board
sheds proved the most effective of the
methods tried at the station, hut the
expense Of this was SO great as to make
its use impraetieable under ordinary
circumstances. The expense of putting
up and taking down the sheds and the
cost of lumber estimating it to last ten
years, amounted to S per tree per
gear. Trees thus protected were net
injured by either the cold Of winter or
the winds of spring In 1897 the trees
protected by sheds biossomed four to
| FIVE days later than the unprotected
ones, remained in blossom longer and set
the station orchard. AT the Missouri
station whitening the trees on account
Of its cheapness and beneficial effects is
considered the most promising method
of winter protection. Whether this
treatment will prove equally beneficial
in other parts of the country can be
determined only by trial. mich will
depend on the cause of injury. 1t is
evident that where winter killing is due
to severe freezing alone the use Of
whitewash viii be Of no appFeciable
advantage since it is used not to protect
trees against cold weather, but rather
against warm weather, and thus pre-
vent growth during warm periods Of
winter and delay it in spring.
In competition with methods of pro
lection against cold any means of Sc
curing thorough maturity of the wood
in the fall will be useful since the
thoroughly matured wood is less liable
TO injury than wood which is not well
InatHFed. In some localities it is neces-
sary to keep the orchard in sod or at
least withhold cultivation in late sum-
mer and fall, in order to check gfcwth
and cause the wood to ripen. Care must
also be exercised in the use of fertili-
gers. A too free uss Of heterogeneous fer
filters tends to INDUCE q succHlent
growth of wood and to retard its ma-
turity.
In commenting upon these methods
of winter protection the department. of
agriculture expresses the opinion that
probably none of them will make possi-
bic the culture of the more tender varie-
ties of peaches in rigorous climates, but
with hardy varieties to begin with the
use of some means Of protection will
undoubtedly add much to the POSSIBLE
ties of peach culture in many parts Of
the country.