Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1909-05-20
HENDERSON WRITES
ON PEACH CULTURE
FEW SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING
PLANTING AND FRUIT.
Many Sections Of Alsehua County
Especially Adapted 10 Culture
Of the Peach.

This paper received the first prize
offered by The Southern Ruralist OF
Atlanta In 1908. Revised and adapt.
ed 20 conditions i'm Florida. especially
this section.
Experience and observation have
taught me that the greatest mistake
the fruit growers Of Florida have
made In the past is 10 plant too
many acres. thereby sacrificing quail
lily 20 get quantity Of fruit.
There Is much more profit In rails
ing one crate Of fruit that will sell
for $3.50 than there Is In raising two
crates that viii only sell for S1.25
each. The picking. packing. crates
and freight will all be dOubly as much
on the common or low-grade fruit as
on the fancy fruit. besides the two
crates Of lOw-grade fruit will damage
your tree more than twice as much
as the fancy fruit.
The most important question, then,
for the peach grower Is how to grow
fancy fruit. This question I viii
strive 20 answer very briefly.
First: The selection OF soil Is very
important. High, weIl-drained pine
land. not too rich. Is best High-grade.
highly cOlOred and fine favored
peaches cannot be grown on rich
damp soil. Hickory and red oak land
win not grow good peaches in Flor
ida.
Virgin soil Is absolutely necessary
In the sandy soils OF Florida. and
virgin soil Is much better anywhere.
There are thousands OF acres Of land
In Alachua county wen adapted 70
growing fancy peaches.
Much depends on the variety OF
peach planted. More failures have
been made I'm Florida by planting
Northern varieties Of peaches than any
other cause. Not one OF the va
rieties OF peaches grown even In
Georgia will succeed here. The best
varieties for this section Of Florida
are Jewel. Waldo. Florida Gem. I'm
perial and a few others OF the PeentO
and Honey class Of peaches.
Nearly all Of the old Spanish or
native varieties succeed here. Hav.
ing selected the location and va
rieties. order from the nearest nur-
sery or from an agent who knows
his business and local conditions.
When ready TO plant. which should
be done from December LIST 20 Feb
ruary list. cut your trees back "a
about l6 inches. and cut on all the
roots 90 one or two inches and plant
just a little deeper than tree grew IN
the nursery. Cultivate well first aud
second year. Put from three TO FIVE
pounds OF fertilizer the first and
second year OF some good tree grower.
After the second year put from FIVE
20 ten pounds OF a fertilizer Analysing
about per cent phosphate. Is per
cent potash and per cent ammonia.
Never plant any crop In the orchard
after the first year and never plant
melons or sweet potatoes the first
year Never pillow deep after first
year plant l5x2O feet and every
third tree each way / put a grated
pecan OF best varieties.
Keep trees well pruned and cut
hack and thin out your fruit till you
think you only have a half a crop
ON the trees every year.
To keep out borers lie a band OF
tarred paper about twelve inches
around the base OF tree.
To prevent wOrmy peaches. destroy
all wormy peaches that drop ON the
ground.
The San Jose Scale. the worst
enemy 90 peach-growing In any sec
ton. Is best overcome with red head
and black fungus.
With these directions strictly fol
loved you are sure 90 grow a fancy
peach which will always bring a
fancy price IN any market
r. p. HENDERSON.