114 State Horticultural Society. 



ripen their fruit from July to October. It is desirable in a commercial 

 orchard to have same varieties planted together so as not to be compelled: 

 to go all over the orchard at gathering time. I began by planting the 

 earliest on east side, rows running north and south clear across the 

 orchard and finished on the west side with the latest ripening varieties. 

 I prefer spring planting for the peach. If planted in the fall there is 

 some danger of winter killing, which can be avoided if planted in early 

 spring. I have practiced planting on new cleared land and mostly be- 

 tween apple rows, and I expect to cut out peach trees at ten or twelve 

 years old. 



Before planting prepare land by a thorough plowing, and if ground 

 is not too rough lay off both ways with a shovel or bull tongue plow in 

 rows i6 1-2 feet apart both ways, or i6o trees to the acre and plant at 

 the check same as corn or other crops are planted. If land is very rough 

 and hilly stakes will have to be used, driving a stake where each tree is- 

 wanted. Dig hole with spade, making them large enough to accommo- 

 date roots without cramping. Remove all side branches, cut the top back 

 to thirty inches high, and cultivate at regular intervals until July firsts 

 Then drill cow peas in rows thirty inches apart, and cultivate cow peas 

 at least twice during July and August with some implement or cultivator 

 that will not ridge land too much. This will give a very strong growth 

 the first year and leave a heavy cover of pea vines on land that will pre- 

 vent washing oft' the soil during the winter months, and add both humus^ 

 and fertility to the soil. Continue this cultivation right along for three 

 seasons, and the fourth year trees should begin to bear liberally. I would 

 then advise different culture; instead of cultivating until July and plant 

 to peas, I would plant land, say, ist to the 15th of May to Xew Era cow 

 peas, among earlier and medium ripening tres, and would plant Whip- 

 poorwill peas in among later ripening varieties, -and hog all oft' when 

 peas and peaches are both ripe. The New Era cow peas will mature 

 by August, and the Whippoorwill by September. This will give an abun- 

 dance of good feed for hogs, and destroy the insects that infest the orchard, 

 and will secure a good profit on both hogs and fruit, the peaches and 

 peas both being splendid hog feed. I like peach trees headed about two 

 feet high and form the head by letting five limbs grow from the main 

 stalk, then do but little pruning afterward ; these limbs should be equally 

 distributed around the trunk of the tree and will form a well balanced 

 open-topped tree. 



As to variety for family use, I would plant so as to have a succession 

 from earliest to latest, and for such an orchard of 100 trees would plant 

 the following varieties ripening in regular rotation from earliest to latest : 

 Tw^o Sneed, two Triumph, two Alexander, two St. John, two Mountain 

 Rose, five Family Favorite, 10 Elberta, 10 O. ]\I. Free, 10 Crawford 



