392 State Horticultural Society. 



BUDDING THE PEACH. 



HANDLING THE PEACH ORCHARDS. 



When the principles which underHe the successful handling of the 

 peach in orchards are well understood our farmers will grow an ample 

 supply of this choice fruit. Many people suppose that budding is a diffi- 

 cult art, and therefore plant peach pits and grow and plant m orchards 

 seedlings instead of budded trees. Many of them likely are not aware of 

 the fact that the hardiest varieties of budded peach, selected partly be- 

 cause of their known hardihood as well as of quality, size and suitable 

 time of ripening, are much hardier than seedlings, just as the hardiest 

 known varieties of apples are very much hardier than the seedling apples. 

 A moment's reflection will show that all varieties were at one time seed- 

 lings and that only such as show superior merit, hardihood, quality, 

 productiveness, are taken up by our Horticultural bodies or b}^ nur- 

 serymen and propagated. 



AN EASY TREE TO BUD. 



The peach is perhaps one of the easiest of all trees to bud and a few 

 suggestions will enable any bright boy or girl to grow the most desirable 

 and hardiest budded varieties. Pits of the peach are saved in August 

 and September from ripening fruit and ought to be stratified in moist 

 soil, or should be allowed to lie a considerable time and become dry it is 

 considered wise to let them stand in very moist soil or stratified earth 

 for some little time before planting. Then they should be planted in 

 soil that has been so carefully prepared that it is not likel}' to dry out dur- 

 ing a succeeding dry winter. The kernel of the pit should be plump 

 enough with moisture so that the frosts of winter expanding the moisture 

 of the pit should rupture the shell and allow germination the following 

 spring. These pits should be planted three inches apart in nursery rows" 

 three and one-half feet apart. With good cultivation they will attain the 

 first season a height of from two to five feet, depending on the charactei 

 and quality of the soil and the amount of rainfall and cultivation. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR BUDDING. 



From the loth to the end of August these little trees should bo 

 budded at the surface of the ground with matured leaf buds, not fruit 

 buds, from other trees of desirable varieties. Uusing a very thin and sharp 

 knife, a cross cut is made just through the bark, a slit an inch or more in 



