REPORTS OF AUXILIARY SOCIETIES. 263 



experiment has been tried ; but with us, near the lake shore, illustrations on 

 this point are too numerous to leave any in doubt. Very much of the injury 

 done to trees last fall (1879) can be traced directly to the growth occasioned 

 by too much moisture during the warm days of October, followed by the cold 

 "snap" of November. And it is not too much to say that thousands of peach 

 trees have been lost during the past ten years because their roots were in very 

 wet ground during our cold winters. After good drainage is secured, other 

 preparation should follow. If the land is new, remove all the stumps. One 

 or two years' time in starting an orchard cannot compensate for the disadvan- 

 tages of cultivating trees among stumps. Dig them out. The results in a 

 few years will be much more satisfactory. The preparation of a field for 

 young fruit trees should approximate a garden. If the land is worn out by 

 constant cropping, or if it is a light, sandy soil, fertilization is desirable before 

 planting. 



In growing peach trees, very much depends on a good beginning. No effort 

 of later years can compensate for a failure in starting. A stunted peach tree 

 puts on an old appearance, even if it has not been in the orchard more than 

 one year, which after cultivation never entirely removes. To secure a vigorous 

 growth from the time of planting, holes may be dug in the fall before the 

 ground becomes frozen. During the winter, scrapings from the barnyard, or 

 even coarse manure, may be hauled out and a few forkfuls thrown into each 

 hole. Snow and rain will leach this manure and fertilize the ground, where 

 the tree is to be planted, and the residuum will make a good mulch for this 

 new occupant of the soil. It is not desirable to plant trees in sod ground or in 

 fields of grain where a crop is to be harvested. Such a process robs the tree 

 of moisture in mid-summer when it is most needed. Land that is free from 

 all the defects alluded to above, and in condition to bring a good crop of corn, 

 is ready for peach trees. To facilitate the planting, two furrows may be run 

 with a plow, opening a place for each row of trees. If other furrows are run 

 at right angles to the first, very much manual labor may be saved in planting. 

 If fertilization is necessary, this plowing may be clone in the fall, and, as 

 intimated above, manure hauled out during the winter may be thrown where 

 the furrows cross each other. This is a good preparation for light soils. I 

 need not remind farmers or fruit-growers that this plowing should be executed 

 with great exactness and the final staking for the trees done afterwards. The 

 rows are easily filled with plow and harrow. 



Distance between trees : This is still an unsettled question in the minds of 

 many planters. AVheu the trees are small, sixteen feet seems to be quite far 

 enough for the peach, but experience has taught most, if not all, of those who 

 have bearing orchards, that twenty feet each way is most convenient and profit- 

 able. 



Cultivation: During the first summer after planting, corn is decidedly the 

 best crop for young trees. It gives sufficient shade to protect the bark from 

 the burning rays of an August sun, and if well cultivated does not draw too 

 much moisture from the fibrous roots that are reaching out after nourishment. 



The secretary read the following from S. Rumery : 



PEACH CULTURE. 



To raise a good orchard and bring it to bearing is a great achievement well 

 worth the careful attention of every farmer. It is of great importance to start 

 right. In choosing a site avoid hollows, ravines, and any spongy or black land, 

 even if well drained. Such land grows trees which are likely to be succulent 



