Fancy Peaches in the Northwest — By J. G. Cooke, 



New 

 York 



SOME REMARKABLE FIGURES, SHOWING THE DEVELOPMENTS OF A GREAT MODERN INDUSTRY — HOW 

 THE MATTER OF WATER CONTROL IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE TO THE QUALITY OF THE CROP 



T^OR a couple of months last summer 

 A while in the State of Washington I 

 looked out every day on a fine peach orchard. 

 I watched its cultivation with great interest 

 as an excellent illustration of successful up-to- 

 date methods. Nothing was left to chance. 

 Each tree was under severe individual tute- 

 lage, pruned according to its position in the 

 orchard with reference to the prevailing 

 winds. All the trees had been vigorously 

 pruned back to obtain a low and bushy 

 formation. During the first years the young 

 growth had been cut back one-half or even 

 more. Aside from the greater convenience 

 in handling, trees kept low are less likely 

 tofreeze. Theshrewd 

 grower had well in 

 mind the advantages 

 of being able to gath- 

 er most of his crops 

 while standing on the 

 ground. The use of 

 ladders not only in- 

 volves more time, 

 but inevitably injures 

 some boughs and 

 bruises the fruit to 

 some extent. 



The trees were 

 wonderfully clean 

 and well - groomed 

 looking. The gener- 

 al effect of the orch- 

 ard was one of great 

 symmetry. The trees 

 were twenty feet 

 apart and there was 

 not a single break in 

 the long green ranks. 

 The cultivator turned 

 over the soil several 

 times during the 

 season, and not a 

 weed or blade of grass 

 showed under the 

 trees 



It is very impor- 

 tant to the fruit grow- 

 er to understand the 

 different needs of his 

 different fruits. For 

 instance, apples are 

 found to profit by one 

 final irrigation short- 

 ly before the fruit is 

 picked; the fruit 

 quickly plumps out 

 more satisfactorily. 

 Peaches, on the con- 

 trary, with their softer, 

 juicier flesh, are dis- 

 tinctly injured by 

 being given to drink 

 just before they are 

 picked ; the water 

 softens them too 

 much. Now and 



again the gently melodious murmur of water 

 flowing through the irrigation flumes and 

 ditches came to me. I watched hurrying 

 beneficient streams make their way through 

 the tiny laterals to give the thirsty peach 

 trees a drink. The water was kept on each 

 time for from two to three days, and then 

 the orchard was a sparkle under the fine 

 western sunlight. Nowhere in the world 

 does one realize the beauty and value of 

 water as impressively as in the sections 

 depending upon irrigation. 



The tree kept low and reachable is the 

 more easily cared for in the fight against 

 curculio, the peach borer, San Jose scale, 



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Is there anything more appealing than a peach tree laden with its luscious fruits ? Each tree is given 

 careful individual attention, vigorous pruning giving a low, bushy growth 



86 



gumming, or fruit rot. The peach orchard 

 as well as the pear orchard cannot bear as 

 strong sunshine as can apples. It should 

 face north rather than south so as to lessen 

 the liability to sun scald. 



Last summer there was not a peach in 

 that beautiful orchard. During the previous 

 winter a cold snap unprecedented in that 

 part of the state had frozen the buds. Yet 

 the knowledge that he was to have no crop 

 that year did not keep the owner from refus- 

 ing an offer of $3,500 per acre last spring for 

 his peach orchard. He had made so much 

 in past years and could definitely count on 

 big returns in the future. It was only the 

 second time in the 

 last twenty years that 

 the peach crop failed 

 in that section. The 

 other failure also was 

 due to unusual cold. 

 In 1907 he took in 

 $1,489 per acre from 

 his peaches. 



No fruit makes 

 stronger appeal 

 through outward 

 beauty than the 

 peach. Its rounded 

 contours, exquisite 

 color, and velvety 

 bloom claim atten- 

 tion, and then the 

 delicious fragrance 

 and flavor ! There 

 never was a time be- 

 fore when people 

 cared so much for the 

 beauty of fruit and 

 were willing to pay 

 so largely for that. 



The peaches grown 

 under irrigation will 

 bear comparison with 

 any. It is true that 

 some of the beautiful 

 Calif ornia peaches are 

 tasteless, thoroughly 

 insipid, but those 

 grown in Oregon, 

 Washington, and Ida- 

 ho will be found as 

 delicious as they are 

 pleasing to look at. 

 Although very large 

 profits have been 

 realized from peaches, 

 many orchardists are 

 afraid to grow them 

 because of their deli- 

 cacy and' liability to 

 winter killing. It is 

 true that nature has 

 not provided the fruit 

 bud of the peach 

 with as warm close- 

 textured sheaths as 



