Arizona republican., 1922-01-01
MANY ADVANTAGES OFFERED
IN SALT RIVER VALLEY FOR
GROWING DEC|DUOUS FRUITS

an average OF perhaps 10 to Is years.
That doesn't say that peach trees do
not bear longer than this in certain
instances, but the best authorities do
not give them a longer average of
bearing life. Our dry hot summers
seem to considerably shorten this
average, and even threaten the very
life of the tree to such an extent as
to make commercial peach orchards
in this valley a very questionable
venture. We have one of the largest
peach orchards in this valley and for
a number OF years have been pro-
ducing as fine fruit as could be found
anywhere, but the trees are not do
ing well and the results are not
profitable. We intend, at the ear
liest opportunity to replace these
peach trees with apricots and plums,
and our experience is mentioned
simply for what anyone else may
think it WORTHY What has been said
does not apply to small numbers of
trees for home gardens, but for
orchards on a commercial scale. from
which livelihood in whole or in part
is to be derived.
The last week In January and the
first two weeks in February are gem
planting new trees here. Yearling
peach trees on peach stocks seem to
be the best to plant, the peach roots
being less likely of attacks by goph-
ers than other roots. The varieties
which seem to be best suited to the
valley are the Mayflower, ripening
the end Of May; the Alexander in
early June, followed by Early Elber-
tas, Altons, Mamie Ross, Belle of
Georgia, Late Elberta, Phillips Cling,
Salway and one of the best of all, the
Krummels, ready for the market in
October. A few other varieties have
been tried out here with some sue
cess, but those named seem to have
done the best of all.
Apricots Thrive
The valley is distinctly not a gen.
eral pear locality. Very few varie
ties can be grown here with any sue
cess. The Bartlett summer pear
which ripens as rule by the time 1t
gets to market after picking, is one
Of the most susceptible varieties to
pear blight and the trees should all
WAYS be obtained with roots from
such blight resistants as the Kief-
fers, the lie Contes or the Winter
Nelis. French Seeding roots being
very susceptible to pear blight,
should never be used. The Bartletts
do as well here as in California,
where they are one of the most pop
ular and profitable varieties. With
them everywhere, there is always
the fear that scourge Of pear blight
will wipe out an orchardist's whole
planting Of them. There are large
paintings of Kieffers here in the
valley, which produce large crops of
super fine fruit, many of the pears
weighing from a pound to a pound
and three ounces each. Kieffer Is
considered one of the best blight re-
sistant pears, but has a pronounced
tendency to self-sterility. For this
reason other pear trees to act as
pollonizing agencies, must be set out
near them. The LeContes have
been found to serve this purpose the
best of all, and a setting in the pro-
portion of one to three or four Kief
fers will probably be found suffi-
cient. The LIE Contes are a summer
pear and seem to do well here. The
Winter Nelis. a winter pear, is a
very free grower, producing a rus
set fruit. There are not many trees
of them here and the growers do not
speak very ldNOTdDlY OF the LIulL
from a commercial point of view. 1t
is reported that they seem particu-
larly susceptible to the scab fungus
in this climate. The Kieffer pears
color up before ripening and should
be picked, as soon as colored, and put
away to ripen in cool dark place,
or put IN cold storage until few
days before placed on sale. Ir this
way the stoney cells around the core
do not expand, and the fruit is juicy
and mellow when ready for eating =.
Most of the standard varieties of
pears have been given careful try
out here. and, except for the ones
referred to. have proved beautiful but
fruitless shade trees.
Apricots thrive here, and IN fact
grow so vigorously that heavy prun-
ing Is needed each year to keep them
within bounds. Those propaGated on
peach roots seem to be the best, but |
apricot and myrobalan plum roots |
may be used. The various growers
in the valley report a satisfactory |
shipping market for them in certain |
parts of Arizona and to cities in the |
adjacent states. The Newcastles q |
rather small but very early variety, |