224 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



who have watched them carefully are propagating and planting them 

 exclusively. C. Engle of Paw Paw also has a large number of new sorts, 

 mostly seedlings of Hale, Crawford, and Chili, that in some respects are 

 better than the parents, and are being watched with much interest. From 

 its behavior with its originator (J. N. Stearns), the Kalamazoo promises to 

 be one of the most profitable peaches, and is certainly worthy of a trial on 

 a somewhat extensive scale. 



WATERING THE TREES. 



As generally applied, the water given to trees at the time of, or after, 

 transjilanting does more harm than good. If the roots of the trees are 

 not exposed to drying winds, and if the soil is not unusually dry from a 

 prolonged drought, no water will be necessary. If, however, the soil is 

 dry, it will be well to give a thorough watering at the time of 

 transplanting. This can best be done by filling the hole half full of soil 

 and working it around the roots as recommended above, except that less 

 care is required than when no water is to be applied. Then fill up the 

 hole with water, and after it has soaked in the planting can be completed. 

 The water will not only moisten the soil, but will puddle it in around the 

 roots much better than could be done in any other way. As a rule, no 

 other watering will be necessary, but if it becomes desirable it should be 

 done in much the same way, the soil being drawn back from around the 

 trees so as to form a basin for the water, and after it has soaked in the soil 

 can be replaced. 



The stirring of the soil of itself will be a benefit to the tree, and if applied 

 in this way it will soak' down to the roots where it will be of use. As gen- 

 erally applied,none of the water reaches the roots, and although it may benefit 

 the tree for a few days by checking evaporation from the soil, it soon dries 

 out and, a crust forming, the evaporation is increased and more harm than 

 good is done to the tree. The one thing that is most necessary, to secure 

 growth in a tree, is to so conserve the moisture in the soil that at all times 

 it is present about the roots. As all the food taken from the soil by the 

 root must be in a solution, the importance of this can be seen. If a crust 

 can be prevented from forming, the evaporation will be decreased and any 

 light, open material spread over the surface will add in the retention of the 

 soil moisture. A mulch of almost any vegetable matter is excellent for 

 the purpose, and waste hay, straw, or cornstalks are often used. They 

 have one serious fault, as they induce the roots to grow in the moist surface 

 soil, and for this reason are not desirable with the peach and other trees 

 that are liable to injury during the winter. 



The orchardist has, however, a mulch at his disposal that is easier to 

 apply than those mentioned above and is in every way is preferable. It is 

 secured by stirring the surface soil to the depth of perhaps two inches, 

 once in a week or ten days du;ring the dry weather. In the early spring, 

 when the ground is full of moisture, it is well to aid in drying out the sur- 

 face by working to the depth of three or four inches, but later on, when the 

 opposite condition is necessary, the depth should not be over one and one 

 half to two inches. If some shallow- working tool is used during a dry 

 summer, it will be found that, although the surface soil which has been 

 loosened has lost its moisture, the underlying soil in which the roots feed 

 has been able to retain its moisture by the mulch-like action of the surface 

 soil. 



