PEACH 



PEACH 



2495 



Soil. 



The peach will succeed upon a wide range of soil- 

 types, but prefers a sandy loam. It will also develop 

 exceptionally well upon gravelly or stony loams, if 

 deep and well drained. Heavy poorly drained soils 

 should be avoided. It also thrives on sands. 



Site and elevation. 



The type of peach-growing business one expects to 

 engage in has much to do with the kind of location 

 and site that should be chosen. 



A successful local market business may be established 

 even upon disconnected areas and at some disadvan- 

 tage. But extensive peach plantings for supplying the 

 wholesale markets should be planted upon uniformly 

 favorable areas near good shipping-points and where 

 plenty of labor is available. Locations should be 

 sought where peaches can be grown and placed on the 

 market cheaply because of large annual yields and low 

 cost of production and marketing. 



The elevation above sea-level at which peaches are 

 planted in any region is a most important matter. It 

 is not sufficient that the orchard be on land that is 

 higher than its immediate surroundings. In some 

 localities an elevation of 150 to 200 feet is sufficient to 

 secure good yields, while in others one must seek alti- 

 tudes of 800 to 900 feet, or even more, for successful 

 crops. The site of the orchard should also be readily 

 accessible, so that fertilizers, spray materials, and 

 packages can be delivered cheaply and so that the crop 

 may be picked, packed, and shipped economically. 

 Uneven land broken up by gullies or wet areas is to be 

 avoided, as well as hilly areas that are difficult to reach 

 by team and expensive to manage. 



The particular exposure is not important in a rela- 

 tively flat country. In hilly or mountainous sections, 

 it may become so. Severely exposed situations should 

 be avoided, as well as warm pocketed areas. Some pro- 

 tection from severe prevailing winds is most desirable 

 and does not increase the danger of too early blooming 

 if good air-drainage prevails. 



Establishing the orchard. 



A well-defined plan should be drawn up before plant- 

 ing is begun. The peach is a relatively short-lived tree, 

 and packing-houses and permanent buildings should 



be located in con- 

 nection with road- 

 ways and plantings 

 so as to result in 

 the most economi- 

 cal procedure of the 

 work. 



The selection of varieties must be made previous to 

 the planting of the orchard. Specific recommendations 

 for each district cannot be given in a brief article, but 

 some general statements as to the variety question 

 follow. Yellow-fleshed peaches are preferred by most 



2789. Bloom of double-flowered 

 Peach. (X}4) 



2790. Bloom of large- 

 flowered and small-flow- 

 ered peaches. ( X Ji) 



2791. Chinese peach, as grown at the Arnold Arboretum, from 



seeds of wild trees in China. ( X %) 



See Garden and Forest, 5 : 438. 



markets. Such varieties as Mountain Rose, Reeves, 

 Stump, Oldmixon, and the Crawfords are falling 

 behind in popularity except in a few localities. Better 

 varieties are needed commercially. Carman and Belle 

 (of Georgia) are rapidly gaining in commercial impor- 

 tance. New varieties, such as the J. H. Hale, are 

 demanding recognition. Elberta is still the most popu- 

 lar single variety. It is the most widely successful 

 commercial variety of any of our tree-fruits. In mak- 

 ing a choice of commercial varieties for any section, a 

 few hardy sorts that are known to do well in the 

 locality are the safest to plant. One should also have 

 enough trees of each variety for economical growing 

 and marketing. 



Vigorous one-year-old trees that will caliper % to % 

 inch and are from 3 to 5 feet in height, as illustrated at 

 the left in Fig. 2792, are an ideal size to plant. They 

 should be free from yellows or little-peach or rosette, 

 root-gall, scale, peach-borers, or other injurious peach 

 enemies. 



Fall planting is successful with well-ripened trees in 

 localities in which the winter weather is not severe and 

 where soils are sandy and. well drained. In northern 

 districts, fall planting is less likely to be successful. In 

 spring planting, the land should be prepared and the 

 trees set as early as soil conditions permit. 



The trees should be set about 20 feet apart each way 

 under average conditions. In some localities 18 feet 

 is sufficient distance, while in others 25 feet is not too 

 much. 



Vegetable crops, such as peas, beans, tomatoes, and 

 potatoes, may be grown between the rows of young 

 peach trees for the first and second seasons, after which 

 the practice is of doubtful economy. 



Tillage. 



The apple is sometimes grown successfully under the 

 sod-mulch system, but attempts to manage the peach 

 in the same way have commonly resulted in failure. 

 The soil of the orchard should be plowed or disced into 



