The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1911-07-28
PEACH RAISING
ON EAST COAST
An Experienced Grower Gives
Rules for Successful Culture
THEJEWELL AND WALDO
Leading Varieties for South Florida For
Marketing with Halls Yellow The Best
For Canning Purposes

The following article on the proper
manner to cultivate peaches in Florida,
appeared in the current issue of the
Taft Messenger. 1t will prove of in.
terest TO many in St. Lucie county who
are contemplating engaging in the in
dustry:
The trees should be planted in Janu.
airy. Fresh new land is absolutely es-
sential for the profitable peach or
chard.
The Jewell for the first early variety,
and the Waldo the next, and for home
market later, and very fine peach for
canning and home use, Halls Yellow.
Plant 100 trees per acre on freshly
cleared land. They will do much bet
ter where 1000 pounds of hardwood
ashes have been broadcast per acre
and narrowed in.
Plant thrifty one or two year old
budded trees. Cut back to about eigh-
teen inches in height. When nicely
sprouted select three or four of the
best sprouts nearest the top of the tree
removing all the Others This is the be-
ginning of the tree and you should keep
all other suckers and sprouts off, throw
ing all the strength of the roots to the
limbs selected.
The peach orchards demands clean
culture. No crops should be allowed
in the peach orchard at any time. |
find the iron cultivator with the teeth
removed, and five 10-inch fiat sweeps
used instead, is the most economical
and thorough tools to use either in
orange groves or peach orchard. The
next best for surface cultivation is
the Acme harrow, but keep the orch
ard clean and in high state OF cult
walton at all times. The summer fer
tilizng should be after the rainy sea-
son commences and should consist of
mixture of pure bone -four, pure nitrate
of sOda,, and high grade of sulphate OF
potash to analize, 6-68; always use
pure chemical manure on peach trees.
This first feeding should be about one
pound, not over one and one. half pounds
to each tree. Scatter around the tree
and rake into the soil. by fall you
should have six foot growth yr more.
Prune heavy in December and January,
remove all earth from the crown roots
and search for grubs. There is very
little likelihood of grubs attacking the
trees until the second year,
In January give each tree one pound
of nitrate of soda, mixed with like
amount land plaster Keep the orchard
clean and it will grow After the
rainy season sets in, fertlize with the
same formula as the previous year but
about double the quantity. If any fruit
sets this year remove it all. When fall
comes remove all the earth from the
crown roots, the best way is with the
fingers and thoroughly tar the roots
and the body of the tree to about one
foot above the surface of the ground.
This will prevent grubs and kill any.
that may be in the trees. Prune back
about one. third of the new growth as
is done in the best orchards of Michi-
gan. Prune out all growth in the in
side of top, form your tree as near like
a cup as possible. Apply nitrate of
soda and land plaster in December.
Jewel and Waldo should both bloom
heavy in February and your first Jewels
should be ready the last week in April.
Immediately after it is set, thin your
fruit tonot less than five inches apart,
this isnecessary to have the best fruit
and the most crates.
Peaches in April and early May will
bring SIS per crate, "a quarts. in the
New York market. The second years
crop should average one bushel per
tree. The tree will yield 81 x or eight
good crops. Trees should be pruned
and fortified each year, and the quanti-
ty should be increased as the trees in
crease in size, and the soil kept in a
thorough state of cultivation.
When an orange grove or grape fruit
grove is going to be planted on new land
it is a good plan to set peach trees mid
way between the orange trees, as the
peach crop will pay all the expense
after the second year. and profit UNI
til the citrus fruit trees are bearing.
The fertilizer recommended for the
peach trees being perfectly adapted to
the growth or the orange trees.
know of no fruit crop in South
Florida that is more profitable than
the peach for the amount invested.
First class trees cost from $50 to $50
per thousand at our nurseries.