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COLD I NJURY TO PEACHES 



The official v/eather bureau station at Amherst recjrrted a minimum 

 teinperature of -15"f. during the nights of both December 20 and 21. A minimum 

 thermometer in one of the College peach orchards registered -17 F. on the 20th 

 and -19'-*F. on the 21st. As a result, fruit buds on all but the most hardy var- 

 ieties were completely killed. On such hardy varieties as Oriole, ilarigold, 

 Greensboro, and Buttercup there are probably less than b^j of live buds, in 

 nost cases only a very fev;, scattered over the tree. Signs are also develop- 

 ing that there may be considerable wood injury. 



ien over the state, information irom peacn grov/ers 



3ir\jrchards would be welcome. It is suggested that I 



jareffil survey of the condition of the fruit buds and m 



Lt buds should be sectioned on shoots and short spur- | 



Not enough reports are available to determine how extensive the in- 

 jury to peach trees has been over the state. Information from peach grov/ers 

 about the condition of the 

 each peach grower make a a 



wood in his orchard. Fruit buds should be sectioned on shoots and short spur- 

 like grovrths, in the tops, and around the bottoms of the trees. Also enough 

 shoots and branches should be cut to determine the extent of any wood injury. A 

 generous sample of trees v;ell scattered over the orchard should be checked. 

 Such a check-up follov;ing v/inter injury is particularly important before prun- 

 ing is started because the kind and amount of pruning v;ill be determined large- 

 ly by the extent and severity of the injury found. 



Any grower v;ho wishes to have a sample of peach buds checked for him, 



may send a sample of shoots and spurs to the Pomology Department, French Hall, 



M. S. C, This kind of a check-up is necessarily limited and therefore not so 



good as one made by the grower himself right in the orchard. 



J. S, Bailey 



PEACH PRUNING 



It is time to be thinking about peach pruning. Under normal condi- 

 tions, it \;ould be advisable to leave the peach pruning until just as late in 

 the spring as possible and then rush it through. By doing this, any vdnter in- 

 jury is given as much chance as possible to show up. Then the kind and amount 

 of pruning can be adjusted to the extent and severity of winter injury. 



Because of the labor shortage, it is going to take careful planning 

 to delay the peach pruning without delaying it too much. Also that check up of 

 the orchard condition (see Cold Injury to Peaches) bociimes even more important. 

 If injury to the wood is severe, the trees will probably recover much better, 

 with no pruning. Thus much labor can be saved. If the fruit buds are all kill- 

 ed but the vj-ood is not injured, it is a good time to lov;er the trees by cutting 

 back the tops. This can be done by a fevi large cuts, omitting detailed pruning, 

 thus saving labor. If there are a fev live buds on th-s tree, the pruning should 

 be light to save as much as possible of v;hat will be a small crop anyway. 



J, Li. Bailey 



The time has come ivhen a boatload of food is just as necessary as 

 a boatload of men or munitions. A carload of food produced in Massachusetts 

 releases for military purposes a carload produced elsewhere. 



