222 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The trench should be dug one foot deep and two feet wide, in which the trees 

 should be placed, slanting toward the south at an angle of 45°. If placed 

 in single layers so that the soil can be thoroughly worked in between the 

 roots, they will come out in the spring in good condition. 



Care should be taken to select a spot free from stubble or other litter, 

 and no straw or hay should be used to cover the trees, as it would invite the 

 field mice which might work havoc with them. If in a wind-swept spot 

 it would be well to cover the trees with evergreen boughs, or to provide 

 some similar windbreak, but it is hardly advisable to bury the trees in the 

 soil. If the trees are purchased, it is best to obtain them in the fall and 

 heel them in, as above described. By thus doing, you are more likely to 

 get the first pick of the trees, while if left until spring the desirable vari- 

 eties are likely to be sold out, and only culls left. Besides, in the rush of 

 the spring packing there are more chances of errors occurring and the pack- 

 ing may be put ofif until the buds have started, and a delay in transit is 

 more likely to cause the trees to dry out, or heat, than in the cool weather 

 of late fall. 



Whether purchased or grown, precautions should be taken not to expose 

 the roots to the sun or drying winds. Blankets, tarpaulins, or straw should 

 be at hand to cover them, and if to be left any length of time, when there is 

 danger from either sun, wind, or frost, they should be heeled in. It fre- 

 quently happens that trees become dry or shriveled in transit, so that if 

 planted in that condition a large part of them will be lost. If not too far 

 gone, the bark and buds can be induced to fill out so that the tree will be 

 far more likely to grow, if it is buried tops and all for a week or ten days 

 in moist soil. 



When trees are shipped any distance, a considerable saving in the cost 

 of boxing and freight would result if they are trimmed before they are 

 packed. The nurseryman can do it as cheaply as the planter, and a saving 

 of from two to five dollars can be made on each thousand trees, if they are 

 pruned as described later on. 



SELECTION OF THE VABIETIES. 



In making out a list of varieties of peach for planting, the first consid- 

 eration should be the hardiness of the trees and of the buds. Many of the 

 kinds that are spoken of as shy bearers are so only because the fruit buds are 

 so tender that in an average year they are destroyed; of course such kinds are 

 of little value and should not be considered in selecting varieties, especially 

 for a commercial orchard. Many of the kinds that are valuable in the states 

 to the south of us do not mature in Michigan and all such should be ruled 

 out. Whether for home use or market, a list should be chosen that will 

 furnish fruit in succession throughout the season. 



The varieties should be regular and abundant bearers, and the fruit pro- 

 duced of good size and showy in appearance. The flesh should be firm 

 enough to ship well, yet fine, juicy, and melting, and of a rich, luscious 

 flavor. For most markets a free-stone peach is desired. While a variety 

 with yellow skin and crimson cheek is very attractive, those with white and 

 red are perhaps equally valuable. A moderately thick skin is desirable in 

 a peach for distant shipment, but its quality is to the same extent lessened, 

 while a thick, fuzzy covering is in no way of value and detracts much from 

 the worth as a dessert fruit and for market purposes. As is the case with 

 most fruits, it is impossible to combine all of these qualities in a high 



