'DUST PROTECTION FOR PEACHES." 



E. A Hackett, Bolton Fruit Co., Bolton, Mass. 



It seems rather academic to talk about dusting peaches 

 this season, when it is questionable whether we are to have 

 any, and especially when we have to consider such live 

 themes as co-operation and marketing, but you are very wel- 

 come to the result of our experience in the use of dust on 

 peaches last year. 



You are welcome to the result of our dusting of peaches 

 at Bolton last year, but in applying it the coming season, as 

 far as this region is concerned, it will be a good plan to 

 ■"first catch your peaches." Whether or not we are to 

 catch a crop this year, what we did in 1917 may be of inter- 

 est to those of you who are engaged in the precarious peach 

 raising business, and who therefore must have faith in the 

 saying that the "birds will sing again." 



You probably all know of the experiments with dust to 

 protect apples from fungus and insect, using materials usu 

 ally applied as a liquid spray. Bulletins are available, giv- 

 ing complete information on this subject. These reports 

 show that dusting gives equal results as to quality of fruit, 

 with no very great difference in cost. But the greater 

 speed with which dust can be applied makes it possible to 

 accomplish the work at more nearly the right time, particu- 

 larly on large areas and thus affords better insurance 

 against adverse weather conditions. 



So far as I know, there are no complete official reports 

 on dusting peaches, and possibly in this line the grower was 

 ahead of the experiment station. We first heard of dust be- 

 ing tested on peaches in 1916 by a prominent Western New 

 York grower, who had bought a dust equipment for apple 

 work. He told ns his results with peaches were satisfactory 



