The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-05-15
Do NOT CUT PEACH
TREES
EDITOR OF WASHINGTON FRUIT
GROWER SAYS THAT IS NOT
PROPER METHOD OF RECOV.
ERING FROM FROST DAMAGE.

Growers who fear that their peach
trees were killed by the freeze of.
last winter should hesitate before
cutting down these trees" writes DR..
Granville Lowther, editor of the.
Washington Fruit Grower of North
Yakima. He says that some valuable
lessons may be taken from old peach
trees recently cut down on T. s.
Johnson's ranch, near North Yakima,
adding:
"In this orchard there were num-
Der of peach trees dug up last winter
to prepare the ground for the plant
ing of a larger orchard. In saving
them into wood it was discovered that
they were solid and sound at the
root and for a few inches above the
ground, but that further up the
trunk of the tree the wood in the
center of the tree was decayed. At
first this fact attracted little attention
bu on closer examination it was
found that there must have been a
common cause affecting all the trees
alike. On counting the rings it was
found that there were in each and
every tree examined the same num-
Der of rings between the bark ana
the decayed wood. The rings num-
bered IA. All botanists know that
tree in growing forms ring for
each and every year of growth. This
being true, it was IA years since the
heart of the tree, or woody substance,
began to decay.
ION inquiry we found that the old
settlers remember a freeze that was,
for this country, exceedingly severe
about IA years ago. Some of these
old settlers say it was 13 years ago,
some IA years ago and some Is years
ago. One man said it was 16 years
ago, and each and every man has his
proof in support of his contention.
The records in the rings Of the tree
say IA years ago, and it is not mat
ter of memory; it is a matter Of rec
ord of tree building.
''The trees in question, according
to the rings, are 20 years old. The
wood of six years growth, according
to the records, was frozen and is de-
cayed more or less. The wood of
later growth is well preserved and
became the support of the tree, enabl-
ing it to bear it's top and heavy crops
of fruit.
''Some of the rings were much
thicker than others, showing that the
growth was not of the same proper
ton each year. Counting from the
center, six rings were more or less de-
cayed and six showed vigorous
growth. Perhaps the most vigorous
of any was the 18th year, when the
18th ring was formed. The next four
rings formed combined were not
larger than that formed the 18th
year. Why was this true?
con making inquiry it was found
that at that time the orchard was
seeded to blue grass. The blue grass
has done it's work, has written its
history and the record it leaves us
says: IF you want your peach trees
to grow vigorously do not seed the
ground to blue grass This command
of nature is not compulsory. We
may violate it, but If we do we pay
the penalty in the less vigorous
growth of our trees.
"On this point the records are not
very accurate. In relying on the
memory of thee ldest inhabitants we
find that their stories range all the
way from 20 to 80 degree below zero.
Perhaps these differences really
existed, because some localities are
much colder than others. We have
no records available from which to
form accurate conclusions. However,
it Is sure that the mercury was more
than 10 degrees below, for Is is re-
garied by the experts of our agricul-
tural colleges as the danger point. 1t
is certain again that tree. that
seems to have been killed may have
a vigorous root system, may throw
out leaves and branches, may pre-
serve it's circulation Of sap and build
new wood around the parts so frozen
as to decay and it may bear fruit for
~.oor. 70 -