WINTER MEETING. 155- 



Peach-GrowiDg". 



Clarence Howard, Willow Springs, Mo. 



Being only an amateur in the business, with but little experience, 

 I shall only attempt to present that experience briefly, in order to open 

 the subject for discussion. 



In planting the peach I am governed by no special rule or system, 

 but use my own judgment. Sometimes I root-prune, and other times 

 I do not, unless bruises etc. occur. 



My ground is marked off as deeply as possible with a double plow, 

 then followed by a single shovel (as I have no sub-soiler); I then dig 

 the hole, using pick, mattock and shovel, loosening the ground thor- 

 oughly for several feet around the tree with the pick, throwing in a 

 few shovelfuls of the best top-soil. I then set the tree and tirm it 

 well with my feet. Before planting, the roots are thoroughly soaked 

 in a mulch of mud and water. If my tree is in good condition I sel- 

 dom lose one. 



I prefer fall planting if the season is suitable, as the roots will 

 have no leaf burden to support until spring; the rains and freezes of 

 winter will firm the fine soil around the roots, and when the spring 

 opens they are ready and willing to supply sufficient nourishment for 

 the foliage without any detriment. 



Last fall I had 300 yearling apples to set, but only got out 150,. 

 and in the following spring the other 150 were set. All of these trees 

 were growing and doing nicely until the locusts made their appear- 

 ance. The locusts served all alike, and the result was : those that 

 were set in the fall pulled through all right, while four-fifths of those set 

 in the spring died from the effects. From this little experience, I 

 believe I can safely recommend fall planting. I would naturally infer 

 that this would apply to the peach as well as the apple, although the 

 locusts did not puncture my peaches as badly as they did the apples. 



However, I believe my point is sustained. I have several other 

 evidences of proof, and should there be a doubter, I would advise an 

 experiment. I believe thorough cultivation without any other crop is 

 the thing for a peach orchard ; yet I have never tried it. I have ex- 

 perimented with corn, peas, clover, oats, etc. With corn and peas the 

 results were good; if any difference, it's in favor of the peas. Clover 

 (with trees cultivated both ways) had apparently the same results, until 

 the drouth, which seemed to have a telling effect. Early in the fall the 



