312 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



SELECTION OF TREES. 



Take medium-sized trees one year old from bud. My choice are straight 

 stems four feet high. In planting, remove all the small side branches, cutting 

 them smoothly close to the stem, and shorten the stem to three feet. When the 

 buds push, remove all the lower ones, allowing only the four upper ones to grow, 

 which will then push vigorously and form a nice, evenly-balanced head. The upper 

 bud should be toward the south, as our prevailing winds come from there, and as 

 the upper bud will always grow the most vigorously, the tree will balance better. 



DISTANCE IN PLANTING. 



Twenty feet apart, I think about the proper distance, though many will plant 

 only 15 feet apart, while others give 25 feet. I think a medium course to be about 

 right, and with the course of pruning, which I shall explain hereafter, they will 

 have abundant room. 



WHEN AND HOW TO PLANT. 



I think spring the best time, and have had good results from planting even in 

 May, when the leaves had already started, but would not generally advise late 

 planting. The ground should, however, be in good working order, and I would 

 rather delay in planting than plant when the ground is too wet to pulverize well. 

 If the ground has been worked a uniform depth, it is not necessary to dig large 

 holes. Do not, however, expose your trees. The roots should be kept moist while 

 transplanting. Cut all bruised roots smoothly with a sharp knife, then dip your 

 tree in water before setting, as this will make the earth adhere to the roots. Plant 

 it, say an inch deeper than It stood in the nursery, spread the roots evenly to all 

 sides , and then till in with tinely pulverized soil , working it with the fingers among 

 the roots, leaning your tree, at least in this section, slightly toward the southwest. 

 I would also always place the strongest side roots on that side, to counteract our 

 prevailing winds in summer. Then throw a mulch of straw or grass, dead leaves, 

 etc., over the surface, and if your trees have been sound and healthy you need 

 fear no failures. 



WHAT VARIETIES TO PLANT. 



This is a very important consideration. We often hear our farmers say that 

 it is of CO use to plant budded trees; their buds are too tender, and only seedling 

 peaches will bear anything for them. This is a very eironeotis view, but has its 

 cause in the simple fact that too many of the most tender varieties have been 

 recommended by unscrupulous tree peddlers, who carry beautiful plates of the 

 most highly colored varieties, and recommend them to the planters regardless of 

 their success. All our cultivated varieties originated from seed, and there is as 

 great a difference between them as to hardiness as among any other seedlings. 

 Among those unusually tender we may class the early and late Crawford's Yellow. 

 Rareripe, etc. As a general thing I have found the yellow-fleshed peaches more 

 tender than those of white flesh, though there are some exceptions even to this 

 rule, as I have found Morris' White almost as tender as any with yellow flesh. It 

 is self-evident that only the most hardy varieties should be planted, and the tender 

 ones, no matter how good and beautiful they may be, should be discarded. 



Another most important point, as well in the commercial orchard as for simple 

 family use, is to have a constant succession of the hardiest and best varieties, from 

 the earliest to the latest. There should be no vacancy, and the public should be 

 able to obtain fine peaches from the beginning of July to the middle of October. 

 As a striking illustration, I will here state that there are, perhaps, more Hale's 

 Early raised in this neighborhood than any other cultivated variety. The natural 



