HARRISON'S NURSERIES. BERLIN. MD. 



Part of Jas. S. Harris' paper on 



T^E^CH CULTURE OX THE PEXIXSULA. 



Read before the Peninsula Horticulture Society, at Middletown. Dei., January. 1901. 



The subject of peaches has been so often, and so extensively discussed here, 

 that we might think it old and threadbare; but each returning season we find in the 

 centres of consumption peaches are still the queen of fruits. 



I do not claim that we are likely to be exempt from yellows, but the smaller 

 area here now in trees lessens the probability of ^-imlence as once prevailed here, 

 and from that view point increases the probability of longer lived orchards than in 

 the recent past if all the knowledge that has come to us* is made use of, and every 

 diseased tree taken out and destroyed as fast as they make their appearance. We 

 know full well that the competition in peach growing is greater now than ever and 

 ever\- section claims to grow the best. I do not doubt but that our friend from 

 Michigan will tell us and give us the ocular demonstration of what he is doing, that 

 there is the centre of intensive peach culture. Our fellow craftsmen in Georgia 

 just think that they can beat the world, but I will tell them all that when they want 

 to get the most beautiful specimens that nature's artist ever painted, and flavored 

 with the richest nectar that ever touched the lips of man or maiden, come to the 

 Marvland-Delaware Peninsula. 



And with all this constantly expanding area of best peaches the demand and 

 consumption keep pace \vith the production. Our great cities and manufacturing 

 towns are growing at a rate never before known and our proximity to these great cen- 

 tres of consumption gives us advantages over all our competitors, for the additional 

 cost of refrigeration from these distant points will amount to a fair profit to us; and 

 if we adopt the most approved methods of production and marketing, our surround- 

 ings will insure for us greater profits than they can hope to attain. 



But to accomplish this we have got to move ahead a pace from what we have 

 iDeen doing in the past, for they, knowing the disadvantages they have to meet, have 

 put forth the needed efforts and are taking possession of our markets, while many 

 of us, blind to our interests, are plodding in the ruts, and are left behind in the race 

 -when we ought to lead and can lead. But we must select varieties only of the finest 

 fruits to ripen dtiring the entire season, so as to give continuous employment to our 

 labor and to make our heaviest picking between the Southern glut and the Western 

 liea\"V shipments. And plant on our best land and situations, cultivate thoroughly 

 -and continuously from the time the sap starts till the fruit brings the limbs down 

 :so as to interfere with the work. It matters but little what kind of implements the 

 work is done with so that the soil is kept constantly stirred, not deep, but stirred 

 .and kept fine, not only to keep down weeds but to have the roots constantly covered 

 with a mulch of fine earth for retaining moisture so that they can keep the leaves 

 ^abundantlv supplied with nature's nourishment for the growing fruit. Do not 

 allow the trees to overload themselves so that the fruit -v^-ill all be low grade, but 

 avoid this by thinning out at pruning time until you think you have almost cut your 

 trees away. 



One man will advise one style of pruning and another man will recommend a 

 different method of trimming; but trimming, like cultivation, depends less on the 

 manner than on the fact, but trim, trim, trim, so as to let in the sunlight and air 

 ;and lessen the number of buds to such proportions that the peach factor)- in your 

 charge will produce none but first grade specimens, for in these times it is quality 

 ■that brings the net profits, and to produce only or mainly such is much cheaper and 

 more satisfactory and profitable than to be overloaded with inferior, low grade stuff 

 that has to be culled out and culled out to make a small part of the crop first grade. 



