22 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



Ayer, Mass., Mr. Fletcher, who has published a treatise 

 recommending that method. It is not safe. We tried that a 

 little one year and we found it provoked a second growth. It 

 is too early. The peach is pretty active in its growth at that 

 time, and a vigorous shortening in of the tree as early as that 

 is dangerous. We think it is better not to do it until the 

 trees have stopped growing, or, better yet, perhaps, to wait 

 until after they have shed their leaves, and then, in the early 

 part of November, they may be shortened back with safety. 

 Question. Is it not better to wait until they are in bloom ? 



Mr. Augur. There is one advantage in waiting until they 

 begin to show their bloom, and that is, that if a portion of the 

 peach buds are killed during the winter, you will very nat- 

 urally cut back less in order to save the crop. Otherwise, it 

 will not make any particular difference, I think. 



Mr. Crofput. I wish you would try corrosive sublimate 

 around the base of your trees. It wants something pretty 

 savage there. I have tried it on some trees, and it has bene- 

 fited them very much, with no apparent injury. 



Mr. Augur. We did, at one time, put into our wash a 

 very little London purple, and saw no harm from it ; neither 

 did we see any good. The soap and lime answers the pur- 

 pose, and this addition of anything more would be simply 

 like putting two cartridges in a gun, where one will answer 

 just as well. Prof. Penhallow, of Houghton Farm Experi- 

 ment Station, has been studying the subject of the yellows in 

 the peach, and has prepared a formula for diseased peach 

 trees, as follows : For one acre, 100 to 160 trees bearing age, 

 kieserite 25 pounds, muriate potash 150 pounds, dissolved 

 bone black, 450 pounds ; a total of 625 pounds, or four to 

 six pounds of mixture to each tree. I would add 100 pounds 

 sulphate of ammonia, as it certainly changes plants from a 

 yellowish look to a dark green very quickly, and while a large 

 amount of nitrogen is not needed a little is excellent. 



Mr. J. H. Hale. We have used this wash of which Mr. 

 Augur speaks, with the addition of carbolic acid. We washed 



