FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT. 117 



have found some quite satisfactory solutions but nothing quite as good 

 as we would like. I think spraying gives a better color to the peaches. 



Pen^haps right here I might say a word in regard to selling our peach- 

 es. We have built up a trade selling direct to the consumer. Tlie i>each- 

 es we pick today are in the hands of the consumer to-morroAV. Some 

 fruits arei tetter for maturing off the trees, but in the case of the peach, 

 the nearer matured it can be before taking it from the tree, the better 

 the peach is. ^^e have good shipiiing facilities so can leave the fruit on 

 the trees until the last minute. We pick the peaches every other day, go- 

 ing over the trees six, seven or even eight times. I have ten or twelve 

 men and pay them .f 1.7.5 or |2.00 per day. It pays us well to go over the 

 trees several times and pick the fruit when it is in just the right coudi- 

 tion. We get from twenty-five to seventy-five cents more for our peaches; 

 give satisfaction and hold our customers. They remember the taste after 

 they have forgotten the price and they always comei back for more of 

 them. It is a great mistake to pick the fruit too green . Let it get all 

 the maturity it possibly can and still reach the consumer in good condi- 

 tion. We do not look at our fruit at the other end of the route enough. 

 We ought to follow this up and try to suit the market. 



We aim to begin work in our peach orchard in the spring as soon as 

 the ground is in good condition to work. Some farmers think that their 

 corn must be planted ;i,t a certain date and something else must be in by 

 a certain lime and still those same men Avill let tlie peach orchard lay 

 there without any attention at all. If we are growing fruit, we must 

 make it our main issue and give it our best attention." 



Q. I would like to have you tell us sometliing about the peach grub, 

 something about its habits and how to get rid of it. 



A. I can tell you how to get rid of it. Twice a year we go over the 

 trees and if we find the peach borer, we dig it out. We always spray the 

 trees thoroughly and I think this helps but we do not depend on this; we 

 depend upon nothing short of a personal examination. We aim to keep 

 the grub in the tree as high as jiossible by mounding. 



Q. What season of the j^ear do you do this work? . 



A. We go over ours thoroughly in Ma}- and examine them in the fall. 



Q. I would like to ask a question in regard to spraying. Do you use 

 lime sulphur? 



A. Yes. We do not feel that we have the spraying of the peiach quite 

 as thoroughly systematized as the other spraying. I think I never spray- 

 ed a tree without spoiling somci of the leaves. It requires care in spray- 

 ing peaches. You will do more or less damage to the foliage. Of course, 

 every leaf lost is a loss to the tree. 



Q. What soil is bes^t for Crawford peaches ? 



A. The CraAvfords do better on a heavy soil. We have been quite suc- 

 cessful with the ]^]lberta on a sandy soil. Our soil retains moisture very 

 well. Different peaches and ap})les require different kinds of soil. 



Q. Have you seen any practical demonstration of the bud variation 

 on peaches? 



A. I have not for the simple reason that Ave have never propagated 

 to any extent. While Ave have some tre<>s that are better than others, I 

 have never seen a very marked contrast. I havei a block of fortv-five 

 Baldwin trees that have never groAA'n a good all-round crop. Parts of the 



