THE XIXETEEXTH ANNUAL MEETING. 77 



THE FIRST OKCHAKD. . 



" The first orchard planted for commercial purposes was by the writer, 

 in the spring of 1867, upon Little Point An Sable. During the two follow- 

 ing seasons other large plantings were made, and by men who had no 

 practical knowledge of peach culture. Our trees grew as well as could be 

 expected, with the care they received, and when they reached the proper 

 age they bore good crops of fruit. 



" Everything moved along in the usual way until the winter of 1874 

 and '75, when, on the 7th of February, an arctic wave swept over the 

 country, and wrought widespread destruction; and not only to the buds, 

 but whole orchards were destroyed all through the Michigan peach-belt, 

 wherever they had been planted on unsuitable lands. 



" Our orchards survived that winter, and in spite of the extreme weather 

 (the coldest we have known for eighteen years), the more hardy varieties 

 produced some fruit, and one small orchard on the extremity of Little 

 Point Au Sable produced a full crop of Hale's Early and Early Crawford 

 peaches. This orchard was planted on an abrupt western slope facing 

 the lake. 



RAPID SPEEAD OF PEACH-GROWING. 



"About this time a number further in the interior commenced planting. 

 Some of these gentlemen were more thorough, and they succeeded so well 

 that others were induced to plant; and since about 1880, peach-growing 

 has been one of our established industries. Nature seemed to move along 

 in the even tenor of her way, until the winter of 1884 and '85, when 

 another arctic wave swept over the Michigan peach-belt and destroyed a 

 large number of trees where they had been planted on unfit or unsuitable 

 lands. There were a number of young Oceana county orchards that came 

 out of that winter without the loss of a single tree, and from that date to 

 the present time the number of trees planted and the product have 

 increased at a wonderful rate, and now peach-culture is one of our leading 

 industries. 



THE METHODS OF CULTIVATION 



" Are about as numerous as the planters, and the results bear about the 

 same degree of regularity. Perhaps a few suggestions right here would 

 be much better than to give the methods generally adopted. 



" In the first place, great care should be used in the selection of the 

 ground, to get the proper elevation with good atmospheric drainage; then 

 a thorough preparation of the soil, this followed by a judicious selection of 

 varieties of healthy, well-grown trees. This must be followed with the 

 greatest possible care in planting, and that succeeded by a very thorough 

 cultivation of the soil. Our careful orchardists examine their trees twice 

 during the summer and destroy all grubs found working in the roots — or, 

 more generally, upon the Isody of the tree just at or a little below the sur- 

 face of the ground. Our best growers practice a system of cutting off 

 about one third of the previous season's growth, for the first three years 

 after planting. This gives the tree proper shape and prevents the top 

 outgrowing the root and body. There should be a careful thinning of the 

 fruit, in all overloaded trees, for two reasons : First, to prolong the life of 



