CHAPTER XVIII 



THE PEACH ORCHARD 



The peach is probably the most popular orchard fruit in America, 

 and yet the regions where it is grown commercially are much 

 more limited than for the apple (Fig. 129). The largest peach 

 orchards are found in the southern states and along the Atlantic 

 and Pacific coasts where the climate is modified by large bodies of 



UNITED STATES 



PEACHES 



TREES OF BEARING AND 



NOT OF BEARING AGE 



APPROXIMATE ACREAGE 



EACH DOT REPRESENTS SOD ACRES 



Fig. 129. — About three-fourths of the peach trees are south of the Ohio and Missouri 

 Rivers and in California. Low winter and spring temperatures occur so frequently north 

 of a line from Chicago to Cheyenne that the production of peaches becomes unprofitable. 



water and along those shores of the Great Lakes where the pre- 

 vailing winds tend to modify the climate enough. The peach is 

 also grown commercially along the Allegheny Ridges, where the 

 air drainage is sufficient to prevent serious damage to the blossoms 

 from late spring frosts. 



Location and Exposure. — In selecting the location for the peach 

 orchard we must give the utmost attention to the question of air 

 drainage. The peach tends to blossom so early in the spring that 

 the late spring frosts will kill the pistils and ruin the crop for that 



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