22 HARRISONS' NURSERIES 



Peaches 



THE CROP 

 FOR PROFITS 



It has been estimated that Peaches have a greater commercial value in the 

 United States than all other stone-fruits combined, a recent report covering 

 several seasons giving a value of more than $30,000,000 for the average annual 

 crop. Transportation problems have been solved and it is a comparatively 

 easy matter to ship the fruit to distant markets, thus taking advantage of the 

 demand and securing the highest possible prices. A Peach orchard may hve 

 and produce profitable crops for twenty-five years or even longer, but the wise 

 grower plans to secure the cost of trees and the expense of planting from the 

 first five or six crops, in addition to securing a fair profit and adequate re- 

 turns for the labor, fertilizer, and other expenses incurred annually. 



Expert Peach-growers usually select a tract of land sloping to the north, but 

 this is not necessary as the trees will be successful with any other exposure. 

 The ideal soil for Peaches is a light sandy loam but they will succeed on a 

 great variety of soils provided they are well drained. 



Peaches must be cultivated. All that has been said about planting trees 

 in general and about planting apple trees in particular applies to Peach-tree 

 planting. The soil must receive treatment which will give the trees sufficient 

 moisture, available plant-food, and fine soil in which the roots may feed. 



The new wood grown this year is the productive wood next year; that is. 

 Peaches bear fruit only on wood a year old. It is necessary, therefore, to keep 

 the trees in a thrifty growing condition. Peaches will not produce profitable 

 crops unless cultivation is thorough. 



Peach borers are pests with which the orchardist sometimes has to contend. 

 They are soft yellowish worms with a reddish brown head; they usually do not 

 bore so deep into the wood as the apple borers, but live just under the bark. 

 They can be kept in control by examining the trees twice a year, during April 

 and October, giving particular attention to trees that are under eight years old. 

 You can locate the borer by the dust on the surface of the soil, by a blackened 

 spot on the bark, or by the gum that comes from the hole. Remove the earth 

 from about the base of the tree, then cut around the worm-hole with a sharp 

 knife, and if you do not find the worm under the bark, run a wire up or down the 

 hole which will at once destroy the borer. The various remedies for leaf insects 

 and fungous diseases which sometimes afHict the Peach are covered in the 

 spraying table shown on page 12. 



Packing the fruit. Packing-baskets and containers of many different 

 styles are used for shipping Peaches. To a great extent, the local markets will 

 Gci ermine the practical container; but, as a general rule, the grower will find it 

 best to adopt one of the three standard methods. We believe that the regular 

 sLx-basket Georgia carrier is the most practical way of packing and shipping 

 the fruit. In this package the fruit ships well, arrives in good order, and is so 

 aitractive thac it sells for good prices even in a low market. Another advantage 

 is that the carriers can be packed in a standard refrigerator-car without loss ct 

 space. In some sectiorvs of the country, particularly in western Maryland and 

 in West Virginia, the bushel basket is used; we have no particular objections to 

 tin's package, except that it cannot be divided into small units as can the Georgia 

 carrier. Growers who depend largely on a local or nearby market may be able 

 to use the bushel basket, but even for this purpose we believe that the hali- 

 bushel "Delaware" basket is better for local use; particularly is this true when 

 the fruit is unusually large or too small to pack to advantage in a Georgia carrier. 



La 



Peaches from our orchards are packed in Georgia carriers 



