322 Peach-Growing 



COVERING WITH SHEDS 



Excepting where lumber is plentiful or a supply suitable 

 for the purpose can be obtained cheaply, the building of 

 sheds over peach trees to furnish winter protection is im- 

 practicable. In effectiveness under Missouri conditions, 

 however, Whitten ^ reports that this method of giving winter 

 protection to peach trees was the best of several tested. The 

 sheds were constructed by placing posts just outside the 

 spread of the limbs and of sufficient height to escape the top 

 of the branches. Rafters extended from the posts, meeting 

 over the center of each tree. Boards were placed on these 

 with spaces between them of about one inch. The sides of 

 the sheds were boarded down from the eaves for a short 

 distance. This method gave almost perfect protection 

 against winter injury to the fruit-buds and also against 

 adverse climatic conditions which later in the spring caused 

 considerable loss on unprotected trees. However, the cost 

 of the sheds, including labor of putting up and taking down 

 each season, is prohibitive on a commercial scale. If used 

 in gardens or when the expense can be ignored, the shed 

 should be allowed to stand in the spring until after the fruit 

 has fairly begun to develop. 



WRAPPING THE TREES 



Considerable effort has been put forth from time to time, 

 both experimentally and in practical usage, to protect peach 

 trees from winter injury by wrapping them with various 

 kinds of material. In brief, the method commonly used is 

 about as follows : The trees are headed back rather heavily 



1 Mo. Expt. Sta. BuU. 38. 



