Summer Meetiu)^. 115 



Late, lo Piquett's Late, 25 Heath Cling, and 10 Salway. Plant the earli- 

 est ripening varieties on higest land, as they- ripen their fruit at a time 

 when season is usually wet and don't seem to rot and mildew so badly if 

 planted on high land. For market would plant nothing earlier than 

 Family Favorite, and would suggest eliminating Sneed, Triumph, Alex- 

 ander, St. John and ]\Iountain Rose, and plant such varieties as named 

 above from Family Favorite to Salway, but would have at least 25 per 

 cent of white Heath Cling. They are as standard as the Ben Davis apple, 

 and ripen when weather is cool and will carry well to any market, and 

 are always in demand at from $1 to $2 per bushel. It will be noticed that 

 varieties named are both white and yellow fleshed, but mostly free-stones. 

 The market demands these, there being but little call for clings, until 

 late in the season, when the Heath will fill this demand. Should growers 

 decide on more of the cling type, I would suggest O. ^L cling and Lemon 

 cling as among the best. I am now growing a trial or test orchard, and 

 have Heath Cling and other late maturing varieties from nearly all the 

 reliable nurseries, and expect to develop a superior Heath Cling that wjll 

 exactly fill the wants of both grower and consumer. This variety is 

 said to grow true to name from seed, and I suspect many of the nurseries 

 are growing them in this way and filling their orders without budding, 

 any way this variety has deteriorated both as to size and quality. There 

 are also a great many varieties grown and advertised by nurseries as 

 improved Heath, such as Miller Cling, Wilkins, Ringold, Mammoth 

 Cling, etc., but none are equal to the old Heath Cling grown in Perry 

 county thirty years ago, and known there as the English peach. There 

 are also many so-called improved Crawfords, such as Susquehanna, 

 Chair's Choice. Wheatland, etc. Xone I know of are better than the old 

 Crawford of thirt}^ years ago. All are shy bearers and ripen at a time 

 when the weather is very warm, and rof badly in transit when shipped. 

 It is very important that peaches be thinned for best results, as most 

 varieties over bear. Thin to four to six inches apart on the limbs. If 

 you do not have time to go over carefully and thin by hand, as it should 

 be done, take a pole and shake off ; this will scar and bruise the limbs 

 somev.hat, but it is better than overloaded, broken down trees, wath 

 half grown peaches, that are not salable in any market. The pole should 

 have a hook on the end and well padded with cloth or other soft material, 

 to prevent scaring the limbs. The thinning should be done about the 

 time the seed begins to harden, ^yhen fruit begins to ripen, the trees 

 should be gone over about twice, gathering only nearly ripe, high colored 

 fruit for market. I like the climax one-third bushel basket with wooden 

 cover best for packing, and this should be carefully, neatly and honestly 

 done. Pack nothing to sell to others, but such as you would have others 

 pack 'and sell to you. 



