2 BULLETIN" 806, U. S. DEPARTMEIITT OF AGRICULTURE. 



data, which show the distribution on a tree basis, are reduced in these 

 maps to an acre basis for convenience of expression. As in jBgure 1, 

 nectarines, which are grouped with peaches, are of such small impor- 

 tance as to be without substantial effect on the peach data. 



ESTIMATED PRODUCTION OF PEACHES. 



The estimates of the annual production of peaches for the years 

 1900 to 1919, inclusive, appear in Table I. 



The estimates for the years 1900 to 1908 are based on the census re- 

 port for the crop of 1899, while for the years 1910 to 1919, inclusive, 

 they are based on the census figures for the crop of 1909. 



The A^ariation in the size of the peach crop from year to year is 

 shown in figure 4. While all census data as well as estimates based 



MILLIONS OF ACRES 



FRUiT 



MILLIONS OF DOLLARS 



I. 3 2 r 





10 20 30 itO 50 60 70 80 





















APPLES 



PEACHES & NECTARINES 



GRAPES 



Un 





• 





mm 



mm 





«» 



■ 





^B 





^m 



HB 





■■ 



^B 





ma 





























Vb 





SSI 





Mm 



B 































G 



STRAWBERRIES 





^ 

































i 



ORANGES 





^ 



































PLUMS & PRUNES 



aai 



































BBE 



PEARS 



as 



































■ 



e 



e 



CHERRIES 



RASPBERRIES & LOGANBERRIES 



BLACKBERRIES & DEWBERRIES 



LEMONS 



a 



B 





































APRICOTS 



POMELOS 



CRANBERRIES 



S 



1 



! 



















Fig. 1. — Diagram showing the relative importance, acreage, and crop values of the 

 principal fruits of the United States for the year 1909, based on the report of the 

 Thirteenth Census. (From the Yearbook of the Department Of Agriculture for 1915.) 



on those data are expressed in terms of the total crop, including both 

 home consumption and the commercial crop, the annual variation in- 

 dicated suggests also the fluctuating character of that portion of the 

 crop which enters into commerce. 



Climatic conditions doubtless are the most potent causes of large 

 annual variation in the size of the crop. Most important of these 

 are adverse winter temperatures and the occurrence of spring frosts 

 during the blossoming period. In addition, warm periods during the 

 winter often cause the fruit buds to start enough to become tender. 

 In this condition they are likely to be killed later, even by tempera- 

 tures that are not unseasonable. On the other hand, the effect of a 

 frost during the blossoming period is not always in proportion to its 

 severity, but depends to some extent upon the strength and vigor of 

 the blossoms themselves. 



