Durango semi-weekly herald. (Durango, Colo.) 1899-1907, 1903-10-26
THIN OUT PEACHES
TO MAKE A BIG CROP.
Experiments at the Michigan Expert
ment Station at South Haven Show
How Size and Quality Can be Great
Iy improved.

By Professor T. A. Tarrand. Director
OF SubeAperiment Station Michigan
College OF Agriculture, South Haven
The peach grower--in fact. the rails.
err of all Kinds of fruits-has come TO
realize that peach growing has become
a science, and that scientific methods
must be employed. Peach growing is
in its infancy, and the next few years
viii see a radical change in the meth
DDS OF peach growing. marketing and
he varieties grown.
Too many now think IL is only nee
essary TO put the trees in the ground
and nature will do the rest. and all
that is necessary is to reap the dol
iars from a large crop Plenty of Ia
Dor and brains must be expended In
peach raising, and the successful
grower is the one who makes study
of the subject During the past five
years many have become disguised
with fruit raising. because they have
not become wealthy in a few years
as they expected. They either sell
out or pull out their orchards.
In the next ten or fifteen years the
| yellow peach will be replaced by the.
white variety. From commercial
standpoint they will he more profit
able. Some of the best bearers. most
beautiful peaches on the experimental
farm. are the white varieties, and they
bring the highest prices.
From our experiments we conclude
that the grower raises too many
bushels Of fruit. They do not thin
the fruit enough. Our growers would
get higher prices and more money
if they would give more care in pack
| Ing the fruit for shipment and thin
the fruit on the trees. AS soon as the
peaches get the size of hickory nuts
the fruit should be picked from the
trees, leaving the peaches five to six
inches apart-e!ght inches would be
better.
This will give fewer bushels OF
fruit, of course, but the fruit Will be
larger, more even in size. better col
or, and trees Will be more healthy
and sure choppers. Considering the
labor required in picking. packing
transporting and freight In shipping
TO the foreign market, believe the
growers who vigorously thin their
fruit will gain go per cent over the
farmer who leaves all the fruit on
the tree II viii hold.
| | AMI convinced from experiments
commenced two years ago of this
fact. We took number of trees OF
the same variety OF 'peach-all trees
had been set in the same year and
mad received the same care and treat
ment standing in rows side by side.
| The iruit on every other tree in these
rows was thinned. number were
| lhlnned ordinarily Il. g., peaches f1ye
or SIX inches apart on The limos).
Several were left unthiLned, ami 9TH
is, the peaches were lett eight inches
apart
All our tests cover three years. bui
the lrost Oh tprll ~ Killed most oil
he buds on ihe trees under test. so
we cannot let any record until next
year.
Our thiri experiment was very sue
cessiul' ana am conndent that all
previous tests Will only prove more
conciusively the value OF vigorous
thinning OF the peach,
we set our iruit as soon as we make
record OF IL. we have records oil
all fruits raised on the station grounds
for twelve or hiteen years, and we
compare the records OF each year with
the previous years, thereby getting
the value OF new variety OF ruit
over one previously grown
our work on the station grounds is
limited because oil space rms season
the fruit grower is cooperating with
us, and blocks OF frult are being sci
on the farms at the some time TO as
certain the values on different SOILS.
We have several oil these tests start
ed this season. and the fruit grower
is becoming much interested in the
work. and we expect 1t VIII be very
extensive the coming season.
Another serious detriment to the
sale oil iruit is the poor grazing anu
made study OF the conditions. This
is the cause OF the cry oil low prices
In seasons OF heavy crops. we ad-