SUMMER MEETING. 63 



better fruit, but I believe they will; anyhow, they look better, and a 

 tree pruned up that way can be examined for borers much easier and 

 quicker than one that branches at the surface of the ground or even 

 under the surface, as you will find some of them if they are not pruned 

 off. 



This pruning is usually left until the following spring, but it seems 

 to me it is an advantage to do it about the Ist of June, for then you 

 throw the growth of the tree where you want it. As a rule, those ends 

 that start out near the ground, will be the ones that will make the 

 strongest growth, and when you prune next spring you have some 

 heavy cutting to do or else cut the old stem off and let one of the 

 branches from near the ground make the tree, in which case your tree 

 will lean one way or the other. 



The cultivation of the peach orchard should be thorough. The 

 time is coming when we will be forced to adopt better methods of cul- 

 tivation. Two plowings with the small diamond plow in one year is 

 not sufficient to keep weeds in check or to hold the moisture in the 

 soil through the dry weather of summer. The plowing should be fol^ 

 lowed by the harrow and the soil made as loose and tine as possible. 

 If we wish to maintain the health and vigor of our orchards we must 

 give more attention to cultivation. The rotary spading harrows used 

 by the Olden Fruit Oo. in their orchards are one of the best tools for 

 that purpose, keeping the surface of the soil fine and loose and work- 

 ing up close to the tree. 



When it comes to varieties it is difficult to decide what kinds are 

 best. We have a long list of good varieties, all having something to 

 recommend them, but what one shall we plant for profit, for dollars and 

 cents, or how many kinds will we plant and what are they 1 The early 

 varieties are considered worthless on account of the fruit rot that they 

 are so much subject to, and yet they are among our hardiest varieties, 

 and, in some seasons, they bear well and sell for as much money as any 

 of our late varieties. We have a large number of very fine kinds, but 

 the trouble is they are shy bearers. What we need is a few kinds, 

 enough to cover the season, that are as hardy in the bud as the native 

 seedlings. It does seem to me that they might be produced by some 

 of our experiment stations if it was taken up and followed persistently 

 and systematically by selection and crossing. 



The Elberta is, everything considered, our best commercial peach, 

 but it seems to have been damaged more by the winter than many of 

 our other kinds. I believe there is more money to be made in the 

 peach business by planting some ordinary or second-rate variety that 

 is known to be hardy and productive than by grooving the fancy kinds. 



