FAEMEES' INSTITUTES. 167 



brought it to its present perfection. When the peach can be propagated from 

 the pit some varieties will not support the original kind. Most of the early 

 yarieties will produce nearly the same. For instance, if you plant the pit of the 

 Cra^yford's Early it will reproduce Crawford's Early, or something very similar 

 to it, provided that tree has been away from other trees ; but if it stands in an 

 orchard with other trees the buds become impregnated with the pollen of other 

 varieties. 



In planting peach trees, set them out in the spring. NeA'er set a tree of over 

 two summers' growth. The varieties to set depend on what a man wants, — 

 whether his own Avants are to be supplied, or whether he is going to raise for 

 the market. The location in this vicinity must be on the most elevated land ; 

 and when you can get high elevated land you can raise peaches just as well here 

 as you can at St. Joseph, or anywhere on the lake shore. [A voice. — Yes, 

 better.] Yes, — better. I have a place in Keeler so elevated that I can see 

 Lake Michigan when the sun comes up in the east. I had peaches there last 

 summer. I had grubbed up the old trees, and had just started a new orchard 

 last spring ; but I left two trees, and they bore peaches, but the curculio 

 destroyed them with the excej)tion of a single peach, and that was a very fine 

 one. This was the only crop raised in the town with the exception of where a 

 limb had been buried under the snow in some orchard. 



You want a strong soil for peaches. A good sandy Loil docs very well, but a 

 clay soil is a little better. On the latter your fruit is finer and the trees last 

 longer. As to distance, I would say 24 feet apart. You will get more baskets 

 to carry to market, and the peaches will be larger and finer colored than if your 

 trees were closer. Don't set peach-trees and apple-trees together. Set your 

 peach-trees entirely by themselves. If your soil is strong, 24 feet is near. 

 Set your apple-trees by themselves, and never nearer than 33 feet. If a man 

 raises peaches for market he wants about five varieties. For apples I would only 

 have four varieties ; if I were going to plant an orchard of 40 acres I would have 

 them about in this proportion : One Red Astrachan, two Maiden Blushes, four 

 Greenings, and eight Baldwins. So far as merit is concerned, the latter has no 

 standing with the other varieties mentioned, but the people will buy anything 

 that is red. It will produce more bushels to the acre than any other apple I 

 know of. The stock of the Baldwin is not hardy, and if you go through the 

 orchards of the country you will find them more or less affected, and the big 

 limbs beginning to break off just as they are Avorth from §10 to 815 apiece. I 

 take the Northern Spy because it is a hardy tree. It always groAVS perpendicu- 

 lar, and throws its roots out in every direction. Then I put my BaldAvin graft 

 upon top of this body where I Avant to start the tree. In this way you get a tree 

 that Avon't bloAV over, and is less liable to A\'inter-kill. The idea of setting a 

 BaldAA'in tree a little leaning toAvard the southwest is about as sensible as to 

 stand a child partly on his head that you want perfectly erect. You Avant a 

 tree to stand perfectly erect, for that is the natural Avay, and no art can im- 

 jiroA-e on nature. But, if your orchard is young, after rainfalls and heavy 

 Avinds you go through your orchard and straighten up the leaning trees, 



NoAv about the preparation of the soil. The best ajoples I have ever seen 

 grovai Avere on high ground ; soil, clay loam, with a clay subsoil. 



Particularly do Greenings do better under such circumstances. I have 

 noticed all through Van Buren county, Avhere I have been for the past two or 

 three years, that on the sandy openings the orchards are not doing as Avell 

 as they are on the heavier soils and in the timbered lands. I am not able 



