Peach Breeding in Southern California

Abstract

In southern California, about 1922, several thousand acres of peaches, predominantly clings, were coming into prOduction. Wine grapes h3id been pulled out, on account of a misleading lady named Prohibition, to make way for the peach. Soon the price of peaches dropped, water levels fell and, except at elevations of 3000 to 4000 ft., the trees in most years suffered severely from "delayed foliation" caused by insufficient winter chilling. (Each variety has a characteristic winter chilling requirement). Since, no short chilling varieties were availa9le, public and private agencies began to breed them. In the meantime, although commercial peach growing quickly declined, one new short chilling variety Babcock, resulting from earlier work by E. B. Babcock and G. P. Weddon, was a commercial success.