No. 7. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 481 



ABSTRACT OP PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD 

 ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE FRUIT GROW- 

 ERS ASSOCIATION OF ADAMS COUNTY, HELD 

 DECEMBER 16, 17 AND 18, 1908. 



OFFICERS. 



President, Robert M. Eldon Aspers 



Vice President A. I. Weidner Arendtsville 



Recording Secretary Josiah W. Prickett, Biglerville 



Corresponding Secretary, Edwin C. Tyson, Flora Dale 



Treasurer Wm. S. Adams, Aspers 



EKECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 



Robert M. Eldon Aspers 



Josiah W. Prickett, Biglerville 



Chester J. Tyson Flora Dale 



Robert Garrettson Aspers 



John H. Peters, Bendersville 



PROFITABLE PEACH GROWING. 



By JOSEPH BARTON. Marlton, N. J. 



I want to say in the beginning, it is a pleasure for Mr. Roberts 

 and myself to be here, but I give you fair warning that we expect to 

 take back as much as we can get and in listening to the reading of 

 your monthly minutes, I feel that you are more thoroughly alive to 

 your work than we are. We have been growing peaches ten years, 

 but in discussing the question here, we are somewhat at a disad- 

 vantage, you and I, because your problems are not our problems. 

 I feel that we differ in three essential particulars. First, in the soil 

 conditions; secondly, in the climatic conditions; and thirdly, in 

 our market opportunities. The low sandy soils of Jersey present 

 different problems than your hillsides. With us much depends upon 

 our air drainage. Of course, your hills regulate that for you; and 

 our market conditions, because we are nearer to them than you are, 

 gives us the advantage in that respect. Your conditions are not our 

 conditions and, therefore, as I said before, we are at a disadvantage 

 which I will bear in mind all the time as I go along. I am just giving 

 you our personal experience in growing a little fruit. First, in the 

 setting of the orchard, we always pay more attention to our air 

 drainage than any other one thing, soil conditions being equal. If 

 we can get a gentle slope, we consider it a strong advantage for a 

 piece of ground. In the matter of distance of setting on good soil, 

 we feel that 20x20 is as close as we dare put them. Our deep, 

 sandy soil naturally does not grow as large a tree as some other 

 soils. We get down as low as 15x20 ft. in some instances, but usu- 



