Epitath For A Peach
Four Seasons On My Family Farm
David Mas Masumoto 1995
- from little library in Severna Park 2025
prologue ix Sun Crest peach
purchase tree $53 Grows in region 6789, we are zone 8b, across street 9a
- prologue x fruit cryonics
prologue xi "Aah. This is a peach!"
p009 Planet Jr. Seeder
- p011 Nearby farms barren, stripped of weeds and life
- p013 cover crops poor, wildflowers thrive
- p013 wildflowers attract beneficial insects
- p020 College years at Berkeley
- p024 Tall and short closer when squatting
p031 "weeds" -> "natural grasses"
p032 Chickweed hugs trees, produces toxins against competing weeds
- p032 I was a fool to try to control weeds
- p033 Lizard (up pants leg) dance
- p035 wrinkles ... smile was familiar to that face.
- p037 seasoned farmers are already experts at chaos.
- p037 what matters is the ratio between good bugs and bad bugs.
p040 baachan (grandmother) johnsongrass: abunai kusa, dangerous grass
p047 Spring Lady peaches
- p052 ... terminology a nonresearcher would understand. I demand he not use Latin on my farm.
- p053 UC ag field day, farmers on 160 acre field station wagons, like Soviet military parade, "I'm not sure if the farmers are the generals or if we are the tanks and missiles"
- p085 BYOBB: BRING YOUR OWN BEER AND BRATS. One guest brought her kids to the party.
- p088 vines and trees not like hospital managers, though pest control strategies would seem appropriate
- p092 saving my peach ... will include family as I create something called home
- p092 peach buyers either have children or are older than 55
- p099 ... years of working together. We're veterans at being a family.
- p104 entomologist Pat learns ants on trees prey on worms. Glues worm to tree, five ants join to rip it off.
- p106 David plans farm purchase from Dad, equitable to siblings. Dad wants to give farm outright, siblings "not farming"
- p122 recent varieties look dark red ripe while green on the tree. Pickers can't tell.
- Consumers may get terrible-tasting fruit. Instead of a dream fruit, we may be creating a monster.
- p135 retired raisin farmer calls sons nightly, supportive "How are the raisins? Don't work too hard"
- p138 "Labor's tight and the picking slow" Usual Mexican workers have gone elsewhere/
- p150 Rain ruins raisins. Farmer who saved raisins gloats, earns more, ignores community losses.
- p224 earthworms will discover their new home ... hope they'll take hold with few objections.
