116 State Horticultural Society. 



PEACH PRUNING. 



Crystal City, April 24, 1901. 

 ]\Ir. L. A, Goodman, Kansas City, i^Io. : 



As to peach trees, after the big freeze of winter '98, both you and 

 S. Miller said dehorn your peach trees. I had about 200 3-year-old 

 Elberts, .very nice trees. To do it was worse than pulling teeth, but 

 I did it, and afterwards I thought that was a big mistake, for I left 

 a few branches on each tree, and would have had some peaches last 

 season; but the young shoots made such rapid growth they did not 

 ripen the first buds, and my neighbors had a good crop and laughed 

 at me for raising fruit by books; but today things look differently. 

 I have the nicest trees any man would wish to see, whilst theirs look 

 nearly dead. 



E. WILLIAMS. 



VARIETIES OF PEACHES. 

 (By H. W. Jenkins, Boonville.) 



The writer makes no claims of being a peach expert, and his 

 experience in peach-growing has been only confined to a limited 

 number of varieties, so he will in this paper speak only of varieties 

 of which he has personal knowledge, gained by actual experience. 



The selection of varieties of any kind of fruit to plant is an im- 

 portant one that should be. carefully considered by all planters, either 

 for the family orchard or the commercial one. This is true of peaches 

 as well as apples or any other standard fruits. The varieties of 

 peaches have so multiplied and increased in the last few years that 

 it has become a perplexing question for the average planter. To 

 make a satisfactory selection a safe rule to be guided by in selecting 

 varieties, either for family use or the commercial orchard, is to stick 

 to the old time tried varieties first, and experiment with the new 

 ones in a small way. When you have a good variety do not cast it 

 aside for something new ; however, extraordinary the claims may be 

 that the introducer may make for it. In regard to the hardiness of 

 varieties my experience is this, that Avhen the season suits, and we have 

 a peach crop, nearly all varieties do well, and when the year of failure 

 comes, whatever th& cause may be. jiearly all come down together*. 

 Occasionally a tree or variety ma}^ prove slightly better than others. 



