Bad Year for Fruit Setting On, Dropping

Q: My Babcock peach tree had many beautiful peaches on it this year; however, they remained hard and finally rotted and fell off the tree. Was it the aerial malathion spraying that caused this?

A: No. It was definitely not the malathion spraying. It was either of two conditions: an irregular watering schedule, or, more probably, the extremely hot, humid period of weather we experienced in late June and early July this year. I have heard more complaints about fruit drop this year than in any other year. Incidentally, the Babcock is an excellent peach for most Southland growing regions.