288 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen— There is no kind of fruit whicti 

 responds more readily to good care than does the peach, and there is no 

 kind of fruit for which good care is more absolutely necessary than the 

 peach. Where the peach orchard is not given good care from the first, 

 it becomes more a source of annoyance than a matter of profit. A new 

 orchard should be thoi*oughly cultivated from the start. Ordinarily the 

 ground can be cropped the first and second years, depending upon the char- 

 acter of the soil. It is customary to crop but once, but on some of the 

 heavier lands, the trees are cropped twice, with such crops as corn, 

 melons, cucumbers, and potatoes, sometimes, but this crop is not so good 

 because the ground has to be disturbed in the fall and sometimes induces 

 some fall growth. Trees should not ordinarily be cropped after the second 

 year. This year we have had plenty of opportunity of knowing the 

 effect of thorough cultivation of all kinds, and more than anything else on 

 the peach orchard. AVe have had rather a drouth in Michigan, and the 

 dry weather was telling upon the early peaches when I left there nearly 

 a week ago. Some of the growers in the vicinity of South Haven were 

 hauling water and putting it about their peach trees. The early varieties 

 were smaller than usual and somewhat of a bitter flavor, due to the fact 

 of ripening in such dry weather. It was quite noticeable where the ground 

 had been thoroughly cultivated, that the trees were standing the drouth 

 much better than where they did not, and the leaves looked better. Or- 

 chards which were neglected as to cultivation, the leaves were turning 

 yellow and falling off, and it was almost certain there would not be more 

 than half a crop of peaches on them. 



The number of times they should be cultivated depends upon the 

 season and upon the weather. In the spring we usually plow the orchard. 

 Following this we give it a pretty thorough cultivation, until the latter 

 part of July, and sometimes the middle of August. This season the grow- 

 ers are working the trees a little later than usual, because it has been so 

 dry, to hold the moisture as much as possible. Thorough cultivation is 

 usually best. It does not matter much what tool is used, so long as the 

 ground is kept thoroughly worked. There are perhaps two ideas upon the 

 matter of cultivation. Some believe in keeping out every weed; others 

 believe there is a limit to it. If the weeds appear here and there, they do 

 not think it is a matter of great consequence, so long as they keep it moist 

 on top of the ground. I think this is something a grower will have to de- 

 cide for himself; but this thing is, of course, true, that if we make the 

 greatest profit, we must produce the crop at the least expense. 



The matter of pruning is an important one. The first two years of the 

 life of an orchard, we like to head them pretty Avell, so that the body 

 will become strong in proportion to the size of the top, and have the main 

 branches of the tree become thickened up. We know the tendency of 

 the peach tree is to make long arms with few branches upon them, and 

 when bearing heavily it is likely to break down. Heavy pruning for the 



