Revised 1997 May 27
I am seeking the aid of former teachers and students to make this report historically accurate. Some details are likely to change.

Claude Eddleman Farm (1939-1958)

The Orchards

These began with the peach seeds I planted on my last day in the first grade. Luckily, dad also bought and planted 4 peach trees on the best soil of that first small orchard. The seedling trees were useless just as the tree they came from. All fine peach varieties originate from seeds, but not from seeds from inferior trees as my seeds came from.

Dorothy, my older sister, told me that I could get sound fruit tree information from Purdue Unversity Extension Service and I soon had bulletins on grafting, spraying, and other aspects of fruit tree management. By good fortune, the preacher across the highway sometimes sold fruit trees and he gave me a few unsaleable dead trees and a couple grew and Dad bought a few from him. That neighbor moved when I was in the fifth grade and the new owner inherited a dozen peach and apple trees just reaching good bearing age. He did not care for them, but agreed to let me prune and spray them for 1/2 the fruit. Since the dormant and first sprays had to be applied before school was out and it usually rained on weekends, I wasn't able to apply the sprays at the optimum time, but they fruit was much better than the year before. Half of a better crop proved a good bargain for the tree owner.

The farm north of us had an orchard of 20 apple trees which had not been cared for in 20 years. I finally got the widow lady owner to let me care for those trees. I bought a barrel pump sprayer which operated by hand and treaded copper tubing on a long pole to reach the tall trees. There was modest improvement of the crop and we had lots of apples to eat that winter.

to be continued.

Suggestions, corrections, and comments are appreciated: Contact Harold Eddleman indbio@disknet.com