Fertilizers for Peach Orchards 169 



enough so there is little danger of the buds swelling. It 

 is essential in order to avoid winter-killing that the wood 

 be thoroughly mature and well ripened on the approach 

 of winter. 



In many peach regions of which those in Missouri are 

 representative, the winter temperatures are not constant 

 but fluctuate from moderately cold to so warm that the peach 

 buds are likely to start enough in midwinter to become 

 tender. Even though the wood is not thoroughly mature 

 when winter sets in, there is little danger that even the 

 minimum temperatures will cause any serious winter- 

 killing. There is constant danger, on the other hand, that 

 warm periods will occur which will cause the buds to start, 

 following w^hich even perfectly seasonable winter tempera- 

 tures may cause the destruction of the fruit-buds. 



Whitten and his associates at the Missouri Station have 

 shown that by keeping the trees in an active growing con- 

 dition until practically the approach of winter, the buds 

 do not start as readily during warm periods in mid- 

 winter as when they ripen at the period insisted on in 

 the North and hence the danger of winter injury is greatly 

 reduced. 



As stated above in the quotation, the use of nitrogenous 

 plant-foods offers one means of meeting the condition de- 

 scribed. No very comprehensive summary of the plant- 

 food requirements can be made from the foregoing presen- 

 tation of the matter. The results, however, bring out 

 rather clearly certain things : 



1. The importance of liberal supplies of nitrogen. The 

 results of experiments and the indications of the anah'ses 

 made are habitually consistent in this respect. \Miere 

 the fruit does not color as well w^hen nitrogen is used, the 



