d2 



STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



should bo plowed and fitted early. Corn is frequently ijrown the second 

 seuijou iu peaeh orchards, but the trees must be given plenty of room. 

 The cai*e during: the remainder of this season is practically the same 

 as the preceding one. 



Fruniug at the beginning o^ the third year consists of thinning out 

 the top to produce an open center ami cutting bmic at least one half 

 of the growth of the previous season. The Avhole tree should be 

 studied in heading back. The side opi^osite the one from the pre- 

 vailing wind, usually the east, will gnnv nuicli more rapidly than the 



PRUXING YOUNG PEACH TREES. 

 Elberta Irco before and after pruning. 



other and it should, therefore, be cut back very severely iu order to 

 keep the growth and shape of the trees well balanced. In a general 

 way. the care during the third year is very similar to that of the first 

 two seasons. Where the land is sufficiently rich in plant foods, it is 

 a common practice to raise a crop among the trees again. Beans are 

 often preferred at this time. They do not shade the trees, neither do 

 they require as much moisture as corn. In a favorable year, the trees 

 of some varieties will produce a few fruits during the third season, but 

 if the trees have been properly pruned, there should be only a few. 

 Groicing the Fruit. — The fourth year should mark the period when 



