226 



STATE HORTICULTURAIj SOCIETY. 



taking from them some of their food supply and thus lessening the danger 

 of a second growth. It also admits of later cultivation. The decompos- 

 ing rye will add nothing to the supply of plant food, but it will place in 

 the soil a considerable amount of humus in an available form for the use 

 of the plant, and will be of value in lightening up a heavy soil. Espe- 

 cially in the dry seasons and for bearing trees of late varieties, it is well to 

 keep up cultivation until the end of August as the moisture thus conserved 

 will increase the size and hasten the ripening of the fruit. With kinds 

 that tend to overbear, such as Hill's Chili and Gold Drop, moderately late 

 cultivation will enable them to carry a much larger crop and develop it to 

 a good size, than if there is no cultivation after the first of August. 



PRUNING AT TIME OF TRANSPLANTING. 



As a rule, if the trees have been properly dug, the roots of one-year-old 

 peach trees will need but little pruning. At best, the roots that have 

 been bruised or broken should be smoothly cut off, and it is generally 

 well to smooth off the ends of all roots over one fourth of an inch in 

 diameter that have ragged ends. "While by no means necessary, it will 

 hasten the callousing and thus enable the 

 trees to throw out roots earlier inthe season. 

 It will be best to have this done in the fall 

 as it will enable the trees to form the callous 

 during the winter. In fact, if trees are dug 

 in the fall any cutting of the roots in the 

 spring may do more harm than good. The 

 pruning required for the top of the peach 

 is unlike that required for any of the other 

 fruit trees, except such as are also planted 

 when one year old, when it would be the 

 same. Nearly all growers now cut back 

 their peach trees to a single stem, removing 

 all branches close to the stem and catting 

 this off about one foot above the point from 

 which the lowest branches are to start. The 

 strong axillary buds will then develop into 

 vigorous shoots. A modified form of this 

 pruning is to leave four or five of the 

 branches arranged at intervals along and 

 around the stem, cutting them off so that one 

 strong bud will be left on each, while others 

 go still further and cut the branches so as to 

 leave five or six with a length of about six 

 inches. Although good trees can be grown 

 from either method of pruning, the first is 

 preferable, as the growths made will be 

 stronger than they would be by either of the 

 other methods. For nearly every situation 

 it will be best to start the trees so as to form 



moderately low head, and if the first 



a 



branches are two to two and one half feet 

 from the ground it will be in accordance 

 with the methods of the best orchardists. 

 If started with low heads, the trunks will not only be short but they will 



Fig. 1.— Nuhseey Trees. 

 a anpraned. b pruned. 



