202 



ESTABLISHING THE ORCHARD 



Ontario and in Michigan bordering the lake of the same name are 

 illustrations. 



Elberta is the main crop peach at the present time. There is great 

 need of other varieties possessing the good features of Elberta, but of 

 higher quality and extending the season in both directions. Considerable 

 effort is being expended to develop such varieties. The New Jersey- 

 Agricultural Experiment Station and the Horticultural Experiment 

 Station at Vineland, Ontario, Canada, have already introduced or devel- 

 oped several varieties of much promise. 



Freestone varieties with yellow flesh are preferred by the public as 

 fresh fruit. 



The Far West prefers yellow clingstone peaches for commercial can- 

 ning. Many of the early varieties have white flesh. The white-fleshed 

 varieties as a group appear to be more hardy and resistant to cold than 

 the yellow varieties. 



The usual commercial orchard consists of two or three varieties in 

 addition to Elberta ; an orchard supplying a local market or a roadside 

 trade requires a more extended list. 



With the expansion of the southern peach areas, some of the northern 

 districts whose crops reach the markets late in the season are declining in 

 importance. 



South Haven, Hiley, Belle of Georgia, J. H. Hale, Golden Jubilee, 

 Vedette, and Howard Fisher are some of the popular varieties in the 

 Northeastern section. 



California is the largest producer of peaches, both in quantity and 

 value, of any section of the country. Fruit is grown to be marketed 

 in the fresh state, as in other sections, but large quantities are also pro- 

 duced for canning and drying. The bulk of the California crop ia 

 processed in one way or another before being put on the market. 

 Numerous varieties, however, are grown to be sold in the fresh state. 

 Although Elberta is grown, it is much less important in California than 

 in other commercial sections. 



In the extreme South, including parts of Florida and Louisiana, con- 

 ditions are not adapted to the races of peaches to which most commer- 

 cial varieties belong, the North China and the Persian. Here varieties 

 of the Peen-to and South China races are grown, but not as factors in a 

 commercial sense. 



3. Pear Regions and V.\rieties 



California and New York are the principal pear districts of the coun- 

 try. Other sections where the industry has attained commercial status 

 are New Jersey, Michigan, Delaware, Maryland, Colorado, Washington, 



