March, ir>2 1 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page 5 



Peach Growing in the Pacific Northwest 



WITH the many processing plants 

 that have been established 

 throughout the Northwest the 

 possibilities of a greater development 

 in peach growing are being empha- 

 sized with a view to having the peach 

 take its place in this section with the 

 greater growth of other fruits. 



Many sections of the Northwest are 

 especially adapted to peach growing 

 and with adequate marketing facilities 

 peaches are a very profitable crop. 



In growing peaches in this region C. 

 I. Lewis who has investigated the mat- 

 ter says in part: 



"Generaly speaking peaches prefer a 

 light, sandy loam. Many of the volcanic 

 ash soils of the Inland Empire are ideal. 

 In Southern Oregon we find that the 

 granite soils of the hills are the best, 

 while in the region west of the Cascade 

 Mountains the sandy loams of the river 

 bottoms should be selected. Occasion- 

 ally the red-shot hill lands of the higher 

 exposures of the valleys are good. 



"The proper elevation at which to 

 grow this crop is largely relative. In 

 a general way the lower elevations are 

 to be preferred, as they are apt to be 

 earlier and nearer good shipping facil- 

 ities. In the western part of Oregon 

 we find that peaches should be grown 

 either at the lower elevations or else at 

 a fairly high elevation. That found in 

 between is often more exposed and 

 subjected to frost. 



"The peach is an early bloomer and is 

 therefore often caught by frosts that 

 would not damage to any extent the 

 apple or pear crop. One should avoid 

 di aws where cold air settles. In frosty 

 regions the northern exposures are apt 

 to be better than the southern. Large 

 bodies of water, such as lakes or rivers, 

 exert an influence. We notice this par- 

 ticularly in the case of the Columbia 



and Willamette, the regions in close 

 proximity to these rivers being less 

 frosty. Good air circulation is an essen- 

 tial of successful peach growing. The 

 site should also be near good marketing 

 facilities, as the peach is a very per- 

 ishable crop. 



"Before planting the ground should 

 be given thorough preparation, much 

 as is practiced with other fruits. Oc- 

 casionally peaches are grown success- 

 fully in Western Oregon on land that 

 has not been entirely cleared, some of 

 the stumps being allowed to remain to 

 rot while the peach orchard comes into 

 bearing. Probably the early spring 

 months, such as March and April, are to 

 be preferred for planting. Give your 

 trees plenty of room. You want a broad, 

 spreading tree instead of a tall, rangy 

 o n e. Many growers who formerly 

 planted 12x12 are now allowing 20 feet 

 for the tree. 



"The budded one-year-old trees are to 

 be preferred, as they adapt themselves 

 to conditions more easily and give the 

 giower a chance to start his trees low, 

 with well formed heads. As regards 

 variety, the number grown at the pres- 

 ent time is rather limited. 



"No one phase of peach culture is so 

 neglected as the pruning. We must 

 start with the one-year-old tree. This 

 is generally topped at about fifteen 

 inches from the ground and the head in 

 some cases formed as low as eight or 

 nine inches. The present tendency is 

 toward lower heads. Vigorous trees 

 that have not been exposed to hardship 

 can be trained to a whip, but where 

 there is some doubt as to their growth 

 it is sometimes advisable to leave one 

 or two buds on the small laterals. At 

 the end of the first year it is advisable 

 to select from three to five of the best 

 branches, and remove all the remain- 



der. Cut back these frame branches 

 from ten to twenty inches, according to 

 conditions. In the selection of these 

 branches you should keep in mind that 

 a broad-spreading tree is desired, -and 

 the pruning the first two seasons should 

 be with this view in mind, coupled with 

 the fact that you must also have strength 

 if the tree is to bear large crops. After 

 the framework is well formed the aim 

 should be to develop as much strong 

 bearing wood as possible. The fruit is 

 always borne on the one-year-old wood. 

 The fruiting wood at the lower and in- 

 side portions of the tree is liable to die 

 out, unless care be taken to thin out 

 where the growth becomes too heavy, 

 and to head in somewhat to force out 

 new lateral growth. Wherever trees 

 tend to become too rangy head them 

 back. This may be at the expense of 

 some fruit, but the peach naturally 

 tends to overbear. In years of no crop 

 the peach grower has a fine opportunity 

 to head back rangy trees and produce 

 an abundance of wood for the next 

 crop. Rather old trees that have been 

 neglected can be rejuvenated by remov- 

 ing practically the whole of the top, 

 cutting back the main branches to 

 stubs. In two years a magnificent top 

 can be developed. 



"Cultivation should be very thorough 

 in the springtime. Where irrigation is 

 not possible this intensive cultivation is 

 generally necessary up to the time of 

 maturity of the crop. There is a danger 

 at times in cultivating young trees and 

 sometimes bearing trees too late into 

 the fall, thus not allowing the trees 

 properly to harden so as to ward off 

 winter injury. With irrigation the same 

 rule applies. A tree should never be 

 allowed to suffer for water; at the same 

 time the water should be so applied that 

 for a period of three weeks during the 

 maturity of the fruit no application of 

 water will be necessary, as too much 

 water at this time will result in a large, 

 coarse peach which is watery and in- 

 sipid and of poor shipping qualities." 



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