22 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



strong tendency in the planter at the present time is to buy of the party 

 who. will offer trees the cheapest. This is a great mistake. First, be 

 satisfied the nurseryman is a conscientious person in his business and 

 understands the same. When he is found, you can rest assured the trees 

 have been handled with care so the vitality is perfectly preserved. One 

 such tree is worth a half-dozen half dead by exposure. It is plain to be 

 seen, this nurseryman can not afford to do this for nothing. I can assure 

 the planter he had better pay a fair price for such stock than to plant 

 much that is offered, even if furnished for nothing. 



I do not wish to be understood as recommending paying the exorbitant 

 prices of tree peddlers; but buy of a nurseryman with a good reputation, 

 the same as you would if you were buying blooded stock of any kind. 



The best trees to plant are not the largest, as there is too much wood to 

 keep alive, but the medium size with good roots. 



PLANTINCx. 



Be sure to dig a hole of sufficient size to take in the roots without 

 cramping, and deep enough to admit the tree about an inch deeper than it 

 . stood in the nursery. Fill in about the roots with fine surface soil, enough 

 to cover all the roots, taking care that it is sifted all through between the 

 roots, putting back, say, two thirds of the seil; then tramp down firmly, 

 turn in one half pail of water, letting it settle away around the roots; then 

 fill in the rest of the soil without tramping. 



Trees planted in this way -will stand for weeks in good shape if there 

 should be no rain. 



Thorough cultivation should be given to the end of July, after which 

 the ground should not be stirred or the wood will not properly ripen. 



I have known a young peach orchard to be nearly ruined by digging 

 potatoes in the same in September, stimulating a late growth, which 

 caused the trees to go into winter soft and they were badly winter-killed. 



SELECTING VARIETIES. 



I have come to the conclusion that it will not pay to plant anything 

 earlier than Hale's Early. Although I have many of the earlier sorts, I 

 wish they were all out and something better in their place. 



I would recommend about the following list for 1,000 trees: Hale's 

 Early, 50; Lewis' Seedling or Mountain Rose, 50; Richmond, 100; Snow's 

 Orange, 100; Jacques Rareripe, 100; Kalamazoo, 300; Golden Drop, 200; 

 Smock, 100. 



In this, I put in no white peaches that ripen after yellow peaches come, 

 as the latter always sell best. 



The Kalamazoo is comparatively a new peach to most fruitgrowers, but 

 I have fruited it for fifteen years and am fully satisfied, taking all in all, it 

 is the best peach we have on the lake shore. In fact, I have been so 

 thoroughly convinced of it that I have planted nothing else for the past 

 two years. I know of no genuine trees to be had at this time, but plenty 

 were budded last fall. 



It will be asked by some, why I have left out the Crawfords? My 

 answer is, they are not reliable. They have given only about two full 

 crops in the last ten years, while there have been eight full crops of the 

 varieties named above. I put Richmond in place of Crawford's Early, as 



