The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-08-01
PEACH CROP OF THE
UNITED STATES
Under Scientific Methods the Yield
is Quadrup1ed Per Acre.

Under Scientific Methods the Yiclt
, is Quadrup1ed Per Acre.
Washington Special to News and Courier
The peach crop Of the United State:
will amount this year to about 10000
oCO bushels. 1t is the fruit on whicl
this c0uhtry pridcs itself most, aud re
Gently the gigantic industry II repre-,
scnts has been Transformed by the IN.
tr0ductlon Of various new and sciCnti
'ic ideas. Most important among
these is an "mtcnsivc' method Of
culture, by which one acre is made tO
yield more than used TO be oblaincC
rcckOncd III bushels, from four times
that area.
1t is in Michigan that this idea has
has been carried broadcst its most cs-
scntial requirement (apart from care
ful t,llagc and rigid prunng) being II
wcll-nigh ruthless thinning Of the
| fruits on each tree. TO the Cld.fash
iOncd grower the notion of cutting off
lhr>c-fOurlhs OF the peaches Just when
they arc beginning to develop seems
| absurd and even outrageous; vet in
| u
tanned than would be produced if there
was no such interference, and the in
dividUal peaches are very much finer,
| briuging far higher price in the mar
| kCt. by such means maximum OF 10
| bushels to \ tree, or 500 bushels TO the
| acre, is secured.
Now this is business, and of kind
to astonish The planters OF The old
school. An important point about It
| is that the number Of seed O. e. :,
pcach-stOncS) produced is only one
fourth Ct ihC normal, and, inasmuch
as their development is the greatest of
all drains upon the vitality OF the tree
(using up incidentally large quantities
Of potash and phosphorus acid from
the soil,) Il profitable saving is effected.
incidentally, regularity Of yield from
season TO season is promoted.
The greatest enemy of the peach
grower is frost. \ peach tree is a
born fool, and On the slightest provo
cation in the way Of warmth it per-
| mltS lis buds 10 expand, III the mis-
taken notion that gentle spring has ar
rived. Then comes cold weather and
| il is nipprd, with disastrous inau"lal
| results TO the planter. own South
| tins kind of mischief is even worse
| ihan in The North, because of the
warm spells that arrivc during The will
| ter.
| 1t has been asCcrtaincd that trouble
| OF tie sort may be miti-atrd 10 4 con
siderable extent By spraying the twiys
| and dormant buds with solution of
whitc-wash, the effect being tD hold
back the blossoms. Bcin" white, ,hc
buds and t,",gs lhnS coated reflect the
sun. rays, instead Of absorbing them
and their temperature being not per-
ccptib,y raised, ripen!ng is retarded.
In cold laliludGs the trees are some
times bent over horizontally close to
The ground during the winter, aud
covered with straw or calth TO protect
them.
This Is the age Of increasing luxury,
and people nowadays arc willing TO
pay almost any price for exceptionally
chuIcc fruits. In winter as much as
y Il piece is often paid for peaches,
and gardeners in this country are try
| lag 10 Introduce some Of The intensive
horticultural methods Of Europe. In
France and England peach trees are
commonly trained flat against walls
| with southern exposure, or ON trclliscs
Il foot or 50 away from the wall, and
| all The branches arc cut away except Il
| few, which are compelled to assume
| certain patterns, frequently gcomctri.
| cal. Then most of the fruits are cut
| off rs soon as oct, only dozen, or pos
| slkly Il score being allowed to develop.
\ peach tree thus treated is nothing
| like Il tree, but the few peaches that
mature upon it arc narvels of beauty
and julcincss. Half dOZcnOf them III
Il cotton lined basket fetch Sc or IS.
The peach seems to have come from
China originally, being introduced into
| Europe by way of Persia. This year
| there are :l9l recognized varieties on
| the marlct in this country, some new
strains having been introduced directly
| from China. Just as cultural methods
| have improved, so valicIics Of un-
| questioned superiority have gained
prominence, and there is no question
that our best peaches to-day arc far
superior to any that were Oblainablc
about fifteen or twenty years ago. The
average size is mach increased for one
thing.
The peach season i'll The North has
been greatly Heightened by the intro
ductlon Of Southern peaches, largely
from Georgia, the shipment Of which
to Northern markets has been render
ed practicable and profitable by The
modern refrigerator car. AT the pres
cnt time immense tracts in Georgia
are occupied by peach orchards, ;
single one Of which packs and ship:
more than 5000 bushels Il day in th,
busy season. These orchards may b'
said TO represent the "cXtcnsivc.'
. method Of peach culture, as opposc'
l to the "inlensivc.n In July, whicl
t is their busy month, they employ vcri
{ table armies Of lahorcrs, and on cacl
plantation IS big packing house, witt
| <idctracks connecting with the mali
| railway line. At important centres o
: the growing industry arc huge ic
+ storage houses, built by the rcfrlgcrS