FAKMERS' INSTITUTES. 119 



Mr. Blackmore. — What distance from tlie ground ^vonld you start the head 

 of a peach-tree? 



Mr. Dvckman. — Not over three feet. 



%j 



Mr. Oumniiiig. — When is the best time of year to prune a peach-tree? 



Mr. Dyckman. — February or March is a good time to prune, after the 

 stormy weather is over. 



Mr. Warren. — In an apple or peach orchard is it advisable to let any other 

 crop grow upon the ground? 



Mr. Dyckman. — When the trees are young there is no objection to growing- 

 crops of corn and potatoes, but when tlie orchard is in bearing I sliould put 

 nothing else upon the ground. Corn is a very good crop for young trees. If 

 you leave the stalks standing they keep the snow from drifting away. 



Mr. Cummings. — I think potatoes are objectionable, because they take up so 

 much potash. I have heard that a crop of potatoes takes up three times the 

 pota-h that a crop of corn does. 



Dr. Kedzie. — If you have a good crop of potatoes it will take more than three 

 times the potash from the soil that a corn crop would. Peach trees require a 

 large amount of jjotash ; but after all, the injury from a potato crop would 

 depend very much on the nature of the soil. Trees on a clay soil abounding in 

 alkaline silicates would receive less injury than upon a liglit sandy soil. 



Mr. Loomis. — Is it not true that we lose whole orchards of peach trees by the 

 cultivation of corn? 



Mr. Dyckman. — I never knew of such a case. 



Mr. Loomis. — Most j^eople cultivate corn after the first of July, and experi- 

 ence teaches me that no peach tree should be cultivated after that time. I can 

 cite you to an orchard of nearly nine acres where the whole crop of peach trees 

 was killed by the cultivation of corn. Another orchard near this one was saved 

 by not cultivating it. 



Mr. Dyckman. — How were these two orchards situated? 



Mr, Loomis. — On high ground. 



Mr. Dyckman. — Did both have the same kind of exposure? 



Mr. Loomis. — One was a mile or two nearer the lake than the other. The 

 orchard vrhich was entirely killed was on a clay, or rather gravelly loam, the 

 other was on a sandy, loamy soil. I could not say which orchard was the high- 

 est, as they were some distance apart. 



Mr. Dyckman. — I think there are a great many circumstances to account for 

 the killing of this orchard beside the cultivation. 



Mr. Loomis. — Mr. Dyckman and I do not agree in this matter of cultivation 

 any more than we do in the matter of pruning. I believe that the cutting back 

 of a peach-trcG for the first two or three years is essential to its development. 

 The limbs which are cut back are made stronger and stockier, and they are less 

 liable to break down. This plan of cutting back is practiced by the famous 

 Jersey peach-raisers, 



Mr. Dyckman. — This whole question of pruning can be found in the Pomo- 

 logical Report of 1874. Mr, Loomis has spoken of the Jersey peaches, and 

 that the peach-raisers of that section practice the cutting back system. The 

 people of Cliicago, who are pretty good judges, say they do not raise as good 

 peaches as we do in Michigan, and I think one reason is because they practice a 

 different system of pruning their trees. We usually have a severe drouth about 

 July 1, and I think if you stop cultivation at that time your trees will suffer 

 greatly from the dry weather. Not only that, if you fail to cultivate after July 



