300 Bulletin 72. 



' ' What part of your farm brings you the most money ? ' ' asked 

 the visitor. 



" Well," said the other, reflectively, " I guess it is the peach 

 orchard." 



" Then I should attend to the peach orchard iirst, and let the 

 farm work go." 



" Sa5^ that's so ! I hadn't thought of it in that way before," 

 and the owner has turned down a new leaf. 



Methods of adtivatmg . — The best tillage is that which begins 

 early in the season, and which keeps the surface stirred until late 

 summer or early fall, and the best implements are tho.se which se- 

 cure this result with the least amount of time and labor. For the 

 first few years, it is generallj- advisable to turn the land rather 

 deeply with a plow at the first spring cultivation. There are 

 many styles of clod crushers, spring-tooth harrows, cut-awaj's, and 

 smoothing harrows which will adapt themselves readily to the culti- 

 vation of the particular soil in question. In all friable or loose soils, 

 shallow cultivation is always preferable, and in these some form 

 of cut-away or smoothing harrow wall be found to be efficient. 

 When the land is once in good condition, but little effort and time 

 are required to run through the orchard. Crust should never be 

 allowed to form upon the surface, and weeds should be killed be- 

 fore they become firmly established. The entire surface of the 

 orchard should be stirred as often as once in ten days. 



In general, level culture is best. This is secured by plowing 

 one year to the trees and the following year away from them, 

 one year north and south, and the next j^ear east and west. It is 

 somewhat difficult to plow away from large trees, however, and 

 with the cultivators or harrows now in u.se, it is easy to work the 

 .soil away by subsequent cultivation, allowing the furrow to be 

 thrown towards the tree each spring ; but it is always advisable, 

 upon fairly level ground, to plow the orchard in opposite direc- 

 tions in alternate years. 



The difficulty of working close to the trees has had the effect of 

 encouraging too high pruning. There is a tendency to start 

 tops too high rather than too low, therebj^ exposing great length 

 of trunk to injuries of sun and wind, and elevating the top be- 

 yond the reach of pickers and of sprays. For most trees the 



