FRUIT GROWING ON THE TRUCKEE-CARSON PROJECT. 27 



PEACHES. 



Peaches are not reliable bearers on this project and can not be 

 recommended for planting extensively. Most farmers, however, in 

 planning their home orchards will desire to include a few peach 

 trees so that they may be able to enjoy the fruit during favorable 

 seasons. Varieties suggested for trial are : 



Early variety — Alexander. 



Midseason varieties — Foster, Early Crawford, Elbert a. Late Crawford, Muir. 



Late varieties — Sahvay. Phillips i I'liillijis' Cling). 



PLUMS. 



Varieties suggested for trial are Columbia, Burbank, Bradshaw, 

 Peach, and Yellow Egg. 



PRUNES. 



Agen, Italian, German, Golden Drop, and Pond are suggested. 



DISEASES. 



The most serious disease affecting fruit trees on the Truckee-Carson 

 Project is the blight of apples and pears. 1 This disease is at present 

 not widely spread and if those having orchards will take pains to 

 keep it out of their own plantations it is not likely to become serious. 



Sun scald is caused by the hard freezing and sudden thawing of 

 the bark on the southwest side of the trunk during the winter and 

 early spring. Preventive measures are to whitewash the trunk or to 

 shade it in some manner. Common methods are to lean the tree 

 several degrees toward the southwest when planting or to shade the 

 trunk with boards or cornstalks. 



Alkali land or land having a high water table should be avoided 

 when the orchard is planted. After the orchard is growing it might 

 be found somewhat difficult to wash out the alkali without injuring 

 or killing the trees. 



INSECTS.- 



The insect causing the greatest amount of damage to the apple 

 crop is the codling moth. Damage to the fruit by this insect is 

 greatly lessened by spraying when the petals have fallen with a solu- 



1 See article in U. S. Department of Agriculture, Yearbook for 1895, by M. 1'.. Wait.. 

 entitled " Tbe cause and prevention of pear blight." 



2 For more complete information in regard to insects on fniii ti s, sec the following 



publications, all issued by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology : 

 Circulars Nos. 54, The peach-tree borer; 32, The larger apple-tree borer; 81, Tbe apbides 

 affecting the apple; 20, The woolly aphis of the apple; and Bulletins Nos. ;iT, pi. 2, 

 Life history of the codling moth and its control on pear in California; and 115, pt. 2, 

 The one-spray method in the control of the codling moth and the plum curculio. 



[Cir. 118.] 



