1362 Rural School Leaflet 



in this country. This does not mean that the peach may not be grown 

 in less favored sections of the State, but it does mean that it will require 

 more attention in those parts because it is not naturally adapted to them. 

 On the whole, to grow this fruit successfully requires more care and skill 

 than to grow any other of the orchard fruits. It is very susceptible to 

 cold, to fungous diseases, and to the attacks of insects. It is wholly 

 intolerant of sod or grass, and, unlike the cherry, it is a decided failure 

 when planted in an out-of-the-way corner of the garden and left to shift 

 for itself. The peach will thrive in proportion to the care bestowed on 

 it ; while some fruits will thrive in spite of lack of management by the 

 grower, this is not true of the peach. 



The peach is grown on a variety of soils, and the types on which it 

 succeeds best are inore definitely known than in the case of any other 

 fruit. A soil that is light and warm, such as a sandy or gravelly loam, 

 gives best results. The peach does not relish a wet soil, and those just 

 mentioned are, of course, well drained b}^ nature. The peach is sometimes 

 grown on heavy soils, but the finiit is less likely to mature at the proper 

 season. In addition, the tree often makes wood growth at the expense 

 of its fruit-bearing habit, and frequently the buds are not mature when 

 cold weather sets in. 



The best time to plant the peach is in the spring. If planted in the 

 fall it is very likely to succumb to the cold of winter. The land, which 

 should have grown a cultivated crop the previous year, should be plowed 

 and put into condition for planting just as early in spring as possible; 

 for the earlier the tree is set, the better is its opportunity to becotne es- 

 tablished before dry weather arrives. The trees are commonly set twenty 

 feet apart, although at the present time many fruit growers are planting 

 them twenty-two feet apart. The peach tree is alwa^^s set when one 

 year old. At tliis age it will be from four to six feet tall, with a niunber 

 of side branches. These branches are usualh^ pruned off when the tree is 

 set, and the top is cut back to three feet or less in height. The peach 

 is headed miich lower than are other tree fruits; and the closer to the 

 ground the head is desired, the shorter should be the whip left when 

 priming. The top is usually cut back and thinned out rather severely 

 each year, as the productivity of the tree depends on the stimulation 

 of new growth. 



All fruit trees thrive best if given good cultivation, but none is such 

 an absolute failure when left in sod as is the peach. In this condition 

 the vitality of the tree is so weakened that it becomes an easy prey to 

 insect enemies and fungous diseases. The life of the peach tree is short 

 at best, being about twelve years, but if grown in sod it will not last more 

 than five or six years. 



