Peaches have long been a Georgia trademark and are the state's official fruit.
Franciscan monks first introduced peaches to St. Simons and Cumberland islands along Georgia's coast in 1571. They became widely cultivated in Georgia during the colonial period of the 1700s.
After the Civil War, Georgia growers developed several hardy peach varieties. The new varieties boosted the commercial peach industry and made Georgia the "Peach State."
The first peaches grown in Georgia were the Elberta variety. Its creator, Samuel H. Rumph, is credited with being the father of the Georgia Peach Industry. In the late 1800s, the Elberta was highly successful on the northern markets because of its exceptional color, size and quality.

The Wilson Family Peach Farm is a start-up venture for Dr. Jared Wilson and his wife, Susan. The Wilsons will be retiring from their regular professions starting in the spring of this year. The farm is intended to provide the Wilsons with an opportunity for post-retirement work and income, plus an opportunity for both of them to continue their individual research programs on agriculture and nutrition. Approximately 80 acres of prime stone fruit growing land is to be acquired, using owner's equity and a federal farm assistance loan. The farm will be jointly owned by Dr. and Mrs. Wilson and will be set up as a Limited Liability Company chartered in Georgia.
The Farm and its Products
The farm has prime fruit growing land approximately 3.5 northwest of Gainesville, Georgia. This is one of the best areas in the state for growing peaches and other stone fruit. The land gets plenty of sunlight, has excellent drainage, and an optimum soil pH.

Peaches (Prunus persica), like apricots, belong to the genus Prunus of Rosaceate (rose) family having decorative pink blossoms and a juicy, sweet drupe fruit. They are categorized as “stone fruit”, their seed being enclosed in a hard, stone-like endocarp. Peach originated in China, later introduced into Persia. Commercially grown peaches are generally distinguished as clingstone (pit adheres to flesh) or freestone (pit relatively free of the flesh).
China is the leading peach producing country with about 37% share of the total world production followed by the United States and Italy. More than half of this consumption was as fresh; this is likely to increase because of the popularity of fresh-cut fruits in recent years. In Pakistan the environment of N.W.F.P is quite favorable for peach production.
Introduction

There are two types of pears: The European or French pears (Pyrus communis) including varieties such as, Bartlett, Bosc and D’Anjou, and Asian pears (Pyrus pyrifolia) with varieties such as, Hosui and Nijisseiki. Asian pears are also known as “apple-pears” because of their apple-like texture (University of Kentucky - Cooperative Extension, 2014)(Pennsylvania State University - Extension, 2015
U.S. per capita consumption of fresh pears was 3.22.8 pounds in 201309. Per capita consumption of all pear products was about 6.27 pounds in 201310 (ERS, 2014).
Marketing Channels
The marketing season for pears differs among the states they’re produced in and their varieties. For California, Oregon and Washington, the marketing season for Bartlett pears is from July to December. For other pears it is from July to June. In all other states the marketing season is from August to November (NASS, 2015).

The pineapple (Ananas comosus) is a tropical plant with edible multiple fruitconsisting of coalesced berries, also called pineapples,[2][3] and the most economically significant plant in the Bromeliaceae family.[4]
Pineapples may be cultivated from a crown cutting of the fruit,[2][5] possibly flowering in 5-10 months and fruiting in the following six months.[5][6] Pineapples do not ripen significantly after harvest.[7]
Pineapples can be consumed fresh, cooked, juiced, or preserved. They are found in a wide array of cuisines. In addition to consumption, the pineapple leaves are used to produce the textile fiber piña in the Philippines, commonly used as the material for the men's barong Tagalog and women's baro't saya formal wear in the country. The fiber is also used as a component for wallpaper and other furnishings.[8]
Etymology

One of the things Hawaii is famous for is its pineapple production. Pineapple is a delicious fruit and is known worldwide for its sweet taste. The fruit was first called “anana,” a Caribbean word for “excellent fruit.” Hawaiians called it “halakahiki,” which means “foreign fruit.”
The Fruit’s Origins
The pineapple, believed to have its origins in Paraguay or Brazil, was loaded on trade ships and taken to distant places like China, India, Australia, and Mexico in the 15th and 16th centuries. It is believed that the pineapple first arrived on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1527.
Foreign Laborers in Hawaii
As a result of a growing demand for labor on the various Hawaiian plantations, such as sugar cane and pineapple, the import of foreign workers started in the 1850s. These workers came from China, Japan, the Philippines, Korea, Germany, Portugal, Norway, Spain, Scotland, Puerto Rico and Russia.
John Kidwell and James Dole

The apricot is a small tree, 8–12 m (26–39 ft) tall, with a trunk up to 40 cm (16 in) in diameter and a dense, spreading canopy. The leaves are ovate, 5–9 cm (2.0–3.5 in) long and 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) wide, with a rounded base, a pointed tip and a finely serrated margin. The flowers are 2–4.5 cm (0.8–1.8 in) in diameter, with five white to pinkish petals; they are produced singly or in pairs in early spring before the leaves. The fruit is a drupe similar to a small peach, 1.5–2.5 cm (0.6–1.0 in) diameter (larger in some modern cultivars), from yellow to orange, often tinged red on the side most exposed to the sun; its surface can be smooth (botanically described as: glabrous) or velvety with very short hairs (botanically: pubescent). The flesh is usually firm and not very juicy. Its taste can range from sweet to tart. The single seed is enclosed in a hard, stony shell, often called a "stone", with a grainy, smooth texture except for three ridges running down one side.[2][3]

Apricots are native to parts of Asia. They are hugely popular in Middle Eastern countries, with Turkey and Iran being the world’s largest producers of the fruit. Spanish missionaries are credited with introducing the apricot to California, which is the leading state of apricot production within the United States. Plums and apricots are genetically very similar and thus can hybridize making pluots (75 percent plum, 25 percent apricot), plumcots (50 percent plum, 50 percent apricot), and apriums (75 percent apricot, 25 percent plum) (University of Illinois – Extension, 2010).
Today, nearly 85 percent of the apricots grown in the United States come from California. The remainder largely comes from Washington, with less than 1 percent from Utah.

The avocado (Persea americana) is a tree that is native to South Central Mexico,[2]classified as a member of the flowering plant family Lauraceae.[3] Avocado (alsoalligator pear) also refers to the tree's fruit, which is botanically a large berrycontaining a single seed.[4]
Avocados are commercially valuable and are cultivated in tropical andMediterranean climates throughout the world.[3] They have a green-skinned, fleshy body that may be pear-shaped, egg-shaped, or spherical. Commercially, they ripen after harvesting. Avocado trees are partially self-pollinating and are oftenpropagated through grafting to maintain a predictable quality and quantity of the fruit.
History
Persea americana, or the avocado, is believed to have originated in the state ofPuebla, Mexico,[5] though fossil evidence suggests similar species were much more widespread millions of years ago, occurring as far north as California[3] when the climate of that region was more hospitable to them.[6]

The value of U.S. avocado production increased from $351.1 million in 2014, of which, California is responsible for $328 million. The total volume produced in the United States is 197,450 tons with California leading in production volume at 164,000 tons, 83 percent of the total U.S. volume. The total number of acres under production in the United States stabilized at 61,300.California accounts for 53,800 of those acres.
The dominant variety of avocado grown in California is the Hass variety, while Florida growers typically produce larger, less oily West Indian or Mexican varieties including Booth, Lula and Taylor. California avocados are marketed year round, while Florida’s market is from June through March (NASS).

Avocados are rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals while the oil content consists of polyunsaturated fatty acids. One half of a Fuerte fruit supplies a considerable percentage of the daily nutrient requirements and makes an important contribution to a balanced diet.
Buyer's guide
The quality of the trees grown in the nursery determines the success of an enterprise. Trees that received poor or incorrect treatment in the nursery will lag behind in the orchard, no matter how carefully the buyer tends them, and may die easily.


Container and root development
• The size of the containers in which the plants are grown, is important.
• The smaller the containers, the greater care will be needed after planting out the trees in the field to ensure their survival.
• The larger the container, the better the root system will have developed and the greater the chances of successful establishment.
Growth medium

Banana plants may grow with varying degrees of success in diverse climatic conditions, but commercial banana plantationsare primarily found in equatorial regions, in banana exporting countries. The four leading banana export countries worldwide are Ecuador, Costa Rica, Philippines, and Colombia. Ecuador provides more than 33% of the global banana export. In 2004, banana producing countries totaled 130. Production, as well as exports and imports of bananas, are nonetheless concentrated in a few equatorial countries. 75% of total banana production in 2004 was generated in 10 counties. India, Ecuador, Brazil and China produced half of total bananas. Latin American and Caribbean countries led banana production up to the 1980s, and Asian nations took the lead in banana production during the 1990s. African production levels have remained mostly unchanged.[2]

The banana is a perennial plant that replaces itself. Bananas do not grow from a seed but from a bulb or rhizome. The time between planting a banana plant and the harvest of the banana bunch is from 9 to 12 months. The flower appears in the sixth or seventh month. Bananas are available throughout the year - they do not have a growing 'season'.
Bananas are grown in tropical regions where the average temperature is 80° F (27° C) and the yearly rainfall is between 78 and 98 inches. They require moist soil with good drainage. In fact, most bananas exported are grown within 30 degrees either side of the equator.

A plum is a fruit of the subgenus Prunus of the genus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera (peaches, cherries, bird cherries, etc.) in theshoots having terminal bud and solitary side buds (not clustered), the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one side and a smooth stone (or pit).
Mature plum fruit may have a dusty-white waxy coating that gives them a glaucousappearance. This is an epicuticular wax coating and is known as "wax bloom". Dried plum fruits are called dried plums or prunes, although prunes are a distinct type of plum, and may have predated the fruits now commonly known as plums.
Description