No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 221 



The former method requires good judgment and considerable prac- 

 tice to thin properly, as no rule can be set as to the number of 

 buds to be removed; nevertheless it is best to prune peach trees 

 with a view of reducing the number of fruits, and thus increasing 

 their size without diminishing the number of bushels. 



The young twigs of last season's growth need to be cut back 

 to keep the tree within bounds, if the buds are nearly all alive, 

 fully one-half, and in some varieties three-fourths of all the buds 

 can be removed. Should it be discovered later in the season that 

 the tree still has too much fruit, it can be further reduced by hand- 

 picking. In fact, I always prefer hand-thinning, as many of the 

 small growths have two or more peaches close together, and as 

 the fruit grows they come in contact, whereas each specimen to 

 acquire the best size and color should stand separate. This can be 

 done only by hand-picking. For best results no two specimens 

 should be closer than five or six inches. We can make this as a 

 standard, then come as near to it as possible. 



Thinning should be done as early in the season as the size of 

 the fruit allows. This should be when it has attained the size of a 

 cherry, before the kernels begin to harden. It is the seed develop- 

 ing process that exhausts the tree of its vitality. But if early 

 thinning has been neglected, later thinning, even when the fruit 

 is two-thirds grown, will benefit both tree and fruit. A combination 

 of the two methods is adopted at the Paragon Fruit Farm. 



ENEMIES OF THE PEACH. 



These are many, and the successful fruit raiser knows by sad 

 experience that eternal vigilance is the price of success. 



PEACH BORER. 



This insect is so well known that a description will be unnecessary. 



Remedies. Many different nostrums and washes are recom- 

 mended, but none of them can be relied upon. Hot water poured 

 around the tree will destroy them; it must be used very hot, after 

 the earth is removed, so as to reach the larva; but this would be 

 impracticable in large orchards. 



The method adopted at the Paragon Orchards is to throw the 

 earth in a mound about six inches high around the tree; leave 

 this during the summer, when the moth lays her eggs; they are 

 thus layed higher on the stem, just above the ground; the young 

 larva thus eats at the bark on the trunk instead of being among 

 the roots. At the approach of cool weather these mounds are 

 removed, and the larva and their w^ork is brought into plain view, 

 being above the ordinary level, they are much easier to destroy 

 than if they were deeper down. This is left open, and in a couple 

 of weeks the trees are again looked o^er, and those that escaped 

 at the first examination are now destroyed, after which another 

 mound is thrown up to remain until the following season. The 

 knife and the wire are the only sure remedies. 



YELLOWS. 



This is a fatal disease, and thus far no remedy has been dis- 

 covered. The only means known to prevent its spread is to dig 

 up the tree and burn it at the first symptoms. The first really 



