The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1909-02-15

when the bloom DuuS Oh peach
trees are killed from low temperature
the center will turn black. The limbs
and the leaf buds may not be injured
at all and will open out and the limbs
grow in the spring. Sometimes the
bloom buds on peach trees will bloom
out in the spring when they are dead.
On account of these imperfect notions
prevailing about such matters, the
reports from the peach regions are
just now confusing. My sons who
are we'll informed in such matters
reported to me that our peaches are
badly hurt but the trees are all right
except that some of the new growth
on the limbs is damaged. If there
are some buds yet alive we may have
quite a crop of peaches, if they are
not killed at blooming time. We must
always distinguish between killing in
the winter and killing at blooming
time. The killing is done in the win
ter by hard freezing, the killing in
the spring by hard frosts. I never
knew peach trees to be killed by the
spring frosts, but they may be by
winter freezing.
Some reports, if they are not greatly
exaggerated, would indicate that the
peach trees about Kennewick and
Kiona are seriously damaged. l am
not trying to do injustice to those
regions, but am basing my comments
on what l have seen in the papers
and while the reports may be eXag-
gerated, they would indicate damage.
1t is reported that the trees in some
orchards at least are SO much dam
aged that the inner bark is turning
black. This would indicate serious
damage. 1t is further reported that
the growers are contemplating the
grubbing out of their peach orchards.
This would be a very unwise course.
Don't do it. After the severe freeze
of 1896 some people found their peach
trees more or less damaged and
grubbed them out. Not one did this
but afterward saw that he had made
a mistake. | was puzzled about this
matter, but I did nothing hastily
waited and watched. l saw, when
spring opened, that my peach trees
began to leave out well, but not a
blossom could l find. l went into my
orchard with some good hands and
cut it back heavily and new tops grew
during the summer of 1897 and in
1898 we had magnificent crop of
peaches-the best we ever had on
that old peach orchard. That peach
orchard kept on bearing good crops
of peaches for ten years afterward
except when killed in part by spring
frosts. 1t would be bearing yet but
we grubbed out the trees, not because
! L f,pIrit FIJI hIIt "a
cause had better location on higher
ground where I had planted new
peach orchard of 4,400 trees.
If any one should read this who
finds his peach trees seriously hurt by
the freeze this winter, even If all the
limbs are dead, l would advise him
not to grub out his trees. If neces-
sary cut your trees back near the
ground. They will sprout abundantly.
Select one sprout that comes out
above where the bud had been set and
keep all others cut off and you will
soon have as fine a peach tree as you
ever saw and it will begin to bear the
next year. If the sprout starts out be.
low the junction of the top and the
root, you will have a Seeding, but il
that is budded in August and then
properly attended to, you will soon
have a fine budded peach tree. l never
knew the roots of peach trees to be
hurt by freezing. However cold it
may be and however much your trees
may be injured by freezing, you can
cut them back and soon grow new
trees. A peach orchard by cutting
back and growing new tops will never
run out. Remember that with all the
strength of root in the cut off tree, you
can grow a new tree up to the profit
able size in half the time you can
grow one if new tree is set in the
place of the old one.
| see that one man reports that his