The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-03-23
PEACH CROP UNEURT.
Getting

fEAC6 GAUf UHGuhl.
But the Boy With the Gun is Getting
in His Deadly Work.
In the opinion Of Mr.. J. ". Bauer,
the section direction, the frosts Of this
week did no damage whatever to the
coming peach crops here OF anywhere
else in the State, with the possible
exception Of Edgefeld county, where
ice formation Of the l1th possibly de-
stroyed some of the earlier varieties
which bloom early. The March cold
periods have not been severe enough
to injure the most delicate vegetables.
The danger Of freezes is not yet
over, however, though there is no
ground for any great alarm for the
future in this section so far as tenn
perature is concerned. The freeze
which occurred late in March, 1894,
and which practically wiped out the
orange and pineapple business in :
Florida, was an extraordinary occur
renee which may not be expected to
come again in quarter Of century
OF longer, if it ever comes again. The
general outlook for full crop Of all
kinds Of fruit in this section is favor
able 50 far. What the insects win do
for these crops later, however, IS a
matter that cannot be foFetold.
Insects said Mr.. Bauer, are the
greatest of the farmers enemies
worms, grubs and scale insects Of va
rious kinds. This condition may be
said to be due to the steadily increas-
ing prevalence of the small boy with
the gun. These boys who are out
shooting robbins ought to be spanked,
every one of them. Every Robin they
kill is worth from s5 to $40 in the
number of insects it would destroy It
allowed to live. mention the robbin
particularly because he is above all
others an insectiverous bird, though OF
course all birds are more or less 50.
Birds are, therefore, the farmers best
friends, and unless more effective
means are adopted by the legislature
to protect them and encourage their
propagation the insects will become
increasingly victorious in their war on
the growing crops.
"If the birds had beer let alone in
the last decade there would be enough
of them here now to hold the army OF
insects in check. Nature is amply
able to take care of herself. She had
provided birds to hold these insects In
check. To see people interfere with
the scheme Of nature with their eyes
wide open and then to mourn over the
consequences is one of the most pathe-
tic sights know Of. "
Re serting to the appearance OF frost
this week, Mr.. Bauer said that the
freezing condition had not held an
hour and could not have harmed any
thing. Even as delicate fruit as the
banana could standa temperature Of
30 degrees over an hour without il,-
Jury, and the lemon could see the
banana one better both as to time and
degree of low temperature.
Mr. Bauer was asked why 1t is that
forest growth as well as fruit trees are
not killed outright by these protracted
freezes .uch az occur, for instances, at
points as far south as North Carolina,
where temperature of 20 degrees below
zero is not unknown.
'That such disasters do not occur, -
Mr.. Bauer answered, is due to the
wise provision of nature that there Is
then no active sap in the trees Yes,
no cutting into the tree at that time
you Will see the ice ingrained as 1t
were into the very fibre Of the wood,
but there is then nothing there but
the wood itself scarcely. II such a
freeze occurred when the sap was active
: death would follow. Several years
{ ago severe late spring freeze occurred
resulting in the death Of forest trees
? throughout this and other States. On
the other hand when the sap is active
there is certain amount Of heat gen.
Grated by the activity Of vegetable
: life that is able to resist more or less
, severe freezes.
AS to the effect Of freezes on the
budding fruit trees there is another
wise provision Of nature which the
, matter you directed my attention tc
2 recalls. The buds are divided into
several crops as if in anticipation OF q
: freeze. Nature does not allow all OF
the buds to mature at once, but holds
others in reserve in case the first are
T killed Nature is thus generally able
y to reassert herself and bring out al.
most full crop even if the first buds
are caught and killed. THE State.