TWENTIETH ANNUAL MEETING. 313 



consequence was that the price of Hale's came down to %l per bushel about the 5th 

 to 10th of August, while in a week after that time good peaches became scarce, and 

 the few that were brought in readily commanded $2 per bushel. While, therefore, 

 the earliest and latest will always command the highest prices, really line peaches 

 will always sell at remunerative prices, and the varieties coming in in August and 

 September will make up for lower prices by greater and more uniform size, quality 

 and quantity. The professional grower cannot keep a steady run of custom unless 

 he can supply peaches during the whole season, and always of the best quality. 



The following list will give a complete succession, and with the exception of 

 Early Rivers, have all been tried by me and found reliable and hardy, nearly as 

 much so as common seedlings. I am aware that many object to Kale's Early as 

 rotting badly and having poor shipping qualities. This may be the case in many 

 locations; here, however, it rots but very little, and as it is one of the hardiest, is 

 very profitable. All are white-lleshed peaches. 



Early Rivers I have not tried personally, but as there is really a vacancy be- 

 tween Amsden and Hale's Early which it promises to till, as its bloom seems to be 

 unusually hardy, and it is called the best and handsomest of Rivers' three early 

 peaches, I place it second on the list, October Beauty is a new clingstone from the 

 neighborhood of Brownsville, later than the iSteadley, and as it has produced good 

 ■crops for three seasons out of the last four, it may be safely put down as extra 

 hardy, while its splendid quality and fine appearance will justly entitle it to a 

 prominent place in every orchard : 



Amsden, 1st of July to 10th; Early Rivers, 10th of July to 20th; Hale's 

 Early, 20th of July to 1st of August; Early Tillotson, 1st of August to 10th; 

 Moore's Red, 10th of August to 20th; Royal George, 20th of August to 1st of Sep- 

 tember; Old Mixon Cling, 20th of August to 1st of September; Old Mixon Free, 

 1st of September to 10th; Ward's Late Free, 10th of September to 20th ; Heath 

 Cling, 20th of September to 1st of October ; Steadley, 25th of September to lOth of 

 October ; October Beauty, lOth of October, but will keep until last of October. 



AFTER-CULTIVATION AND PRUNING. 



The orchard should be well cultivated, especially during dry weather, and it 

 is a very good plan to cultivate in corn or potatoes during the first two years, tak- 

 ing care, however, that the young trees are not damaged in plowing. Keep a 

 sharp lookout for the peach-worm, and cut him out wherever found. But the 

 main feature in peach-growing, on which, in my opinion, most of the success de- 

 pends, is the annual heading-in and shortening of the branches, which will keep 

 the trees in a compact, symmetrical shape. I go over the trees every winter and 

 shorten in the main branches to about one half of the last season's growth, thus 

 keeping them in vigorous growing condition, and reducing the number of fruit 

 "buds. All the weak, small branches in the inside of the tree should also be cut out, 

 especially where they interfere with and rub against each other ; also all the dead 

 branches and twigs. This method will give less fruit in number, but as they grow 

 so much larger and more perfect, they will generally produce as many bushels and 

 sell for double the price. It also prevents the breaking off of the limbs to a great 

 extent, which we so often see in overloaded peach orchards. Severe heading-in 

 is also about the only way to. save trees that have, been badly injured by an over- 

 severe winter, as it concentrates all the forces of the tree. I have saved whole 

 peach orchards by this course, which were considered completely ruined, after the 

 cold winters of 1863-64, and also the terrible winter of 1855. 



