116 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



This nftenioon I linve been a!<ked to speak on peach culture so I am 

 Soino' to (ell you a few tilings I have learned to do and not to do. As to 

 soil, I ])r('snnie that nine-tenths of you here will say that sand is the only 

 soil. iSut in Ottawa Co., Ohio it is a clay and oravely soil and Ihey have 

 a wonderful peach country and every farmer grows ])eachcs and makes 

 money from it. They have a system of i)rnning, siiraying and ])acking 

 that is almost perfect, at least Ave think so. In my own location we are 

 back twenty miles from the lake and yet we are considerably pro- 

 tected from frost; we have a river valley whicli I think serves 

 as an outlet for cold air. Then I have another hobby of my own. 

 We are sur^*ounded by a black swamp section and I hav© always felt that 

 this is a protection against frost in the spring. I cannot help feeling 

 tliat this has something to do with our nights that are not so cold as 

 they are on a sandy soil. I also think that spraying not only hastens the 

 <levelopment but makes it more vigorous. You know sonietimes when 

 the bud seems to be weak, the fruit is not set properly. I believe the 

 treatment that I have tried to give my trees has made the bud more re- 

 sistent against frost and the damage has been less to the trees. 1 would 

 try to have soil drainage but, also, atmospheric conditions that would 

 serve as a reservoir or a drain for the cold air as I believe the atmos- 

 phere conditions have as much to do with the proper growth of peaches 

 as soil has. 



There is another point — we ought to give the trees a little more room. 

 There is a tendency to get just as many trees on the land as possible. 

 This is a mistake and we ought not to estimate the ]»rofit by the number 

 of trees on the ground. I believe that one hundred trees to the acre is 

 much more profitable in the end than to crowd one hundred and fifty or 

 two hundred trees on an acre of ground, I now plant Elberta trees 

 twenty-live feet ai)art each way. I believe I will have a better crop, 

 a better grade of fruit and less work. I will also get a better color which 

 is a great attraeti(m to fruit. 



We are all learning that the lower headed tree is the better tree. We 

 are also learning k) be a little more careful in the handling and planting 

 of the trees. We are learning to give our trees a little better care in the 

 earlier days of the oi'chards. Years ago, Ave looked upon an orchard. as 

 something in the Avay and something to go along Avithout any av ■' '^" 

 exjtense being put upon it. We are beginning to realize, Iioavcai 

 the care Avhich Ave give that orchard and the ground upon Avn.> 

 })lanted will detevniino the question of profit or loss a little later 



1 Avant to say just a AA'Ord about the ]>runing. The peach require 

 ]n-uning than any cither ti'ee. We must keep the tree cut back to reiicx* 

 the growfii. We are learning year by year to start the tree a little loAver 

 doAvn. A few years ago we wanted the trees higher so w^e could work 

 closer to them but now Ave can cultivate the orchard even if the trees are 

 pretty Ioav. 



We find barley an excellent cover crop. We use a variety of cover 

 crops and it is hard 1o say Avhich is the best. I think possibly one tiling 

 would be best in one section and something else in another place. This 

 cover crop should die in the fall because if you leave it all Avinter it takes 

 a lot of moisture Avlnit-h the trees ought to have. I think cultivation 

 should begin early in the spring. 



As to si>raying, we are, i>erhaps, still in the experimental stage. We 



