The Mena weekly star., 1912-05-23
POLK COUNTY PEACHES
Helpful Pointers ON the uarLe.
Proposition of Our Bin
Peach Crop.
To The Editor:

' cAVNtAo VI POLK
county now have in sight the larg-
est peach crop ever produced n
the history of the county. it is time
ior some discussion of the market
ing and money-making end of the
proposition, particularly the culling
OF the peaches oil the trees. which
should begin right now, and be kent
up until the fruit is ready TO pick
Tor market. Every successful farm
er thlns his corn down to a propor
stand, and chops out his cotton. and
ne should perform the same func-
ton for his peach trees, especially
when they bear such a crop as they
do this year. OF course. some
growers labor under the delusiOn
that nature will do the thinning in
good time, but not so. Nature will
do her part, it is true, and we find
the peach trees already beginning
to shed myriads Of little peaches.
but we also find that the trees are
still loaded far beyond their ca
Ipaclty to produce large, marketable
fruit, and SO we must assist them
by still further thinning out and
|cutting down their burdens of fruit.
In doing this these facts might be
borne in mind:
First, that six large. perfect
peaches are worth more than six
dozen small, or even medium size
peaches and in order to grow these
big peaches we must give the par
ent tree a chance to grow them by
taking into consideration the age.
size and condition of the tree. and
the soil upon which it is growing.
For instance, -year-old peach
trees that now look as though they
would produce a bushel or more of
peaches, should be thinned out at
least one-nalf. for aside from pro-
ducing a heavy crop of small or in
ferior fruit, excessive bearing
checks the growth of the young
tree. Nature can do wonders, but
she cannot do two things at once
that is, produce a big crop of
peaches, or any other kind Of fruit.
and make the tree or plant grow
at the same time. One time | saw
"a three-year-old liberia peach
tree produce IS worth of peaches.
and that was the only crop it ever
did produce.
Then we must also bear in mind
the fact that a knotty or worm-eat-
en- peach will require almost as
much effort ON the part Of the tree
to bring up to the ripening stage
as a perfect peach. All such fruit
should be plucked Off and the soon
er the better.
In thinning out peaches in this
month, | would advise growers to
shake the trees fairly we'll in or
der to hasten the falling of the
June dropping, and then begin on
the small, ill-shaped or wormy
peaches, and where they are too
thick on a bough or twig take off
the fruit on the under-side Of the
limb, or wherever it is shaded the
most. In other words, shape up
your tree so the sun will shine on
your best peaches, for it takes lots
of sunshine to give good color to
fruit, and it takes good color to sell
fruit.
Right here it might be proper to
say that there are going to be lot
of peaches outside of Polk county
this year, and the growers who
produce the finest fruit and get it
ON the market in the best shape
are the ones who are going TO make
good money out of their output. In
fact, it is going to be a question of
the survival of the fittest. 1t is
evident that some farmers who
have taken the trouble to plant out
or buy farms with peach orchards
ON them are going to fall down"
on marketing their peaches and all
such eases will only give the
croackers a chance to go bawllng
around that This amt no peach
country"
Then there is the picking and
packing factors to be considered,
each one deserving of separate
chapter, and that brings US to the
close of this one.
Who will take up this question
for some more discussion IN The
columns of this paper. | know the
editors would be glad to publish
what you have to say, providing you
know what you are writing about,
and the readers would be pleased
TO read your articles. Every pro-
gressive citizen Of Polk county is
interested in our big peach crop,
and anxious to see the growers get
the best results out Of it. So come
on. men. and let us hear what you
have to suggest for the good OF the
cause.
I. p. Fulton.
Cove, Ark, May 20, 1912.