PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. 55 



"But don't you need more in Georgia?" 



"Yes, and we shall use more hereafter. One reason why we used so little there 

 was that we wanted to test the soil and see what it needed. After one crop, we 

 know that it needs more potash to give the peaches more color, and that will be 

 supplied. The cow pea crop is a great help in the Georgia orchard. We have 

 found that certain varieties of cow pea will grow with us here." 



Yellows has given little trouble in these orchards. The oldest orchard is now 

 sixteen years old, and has given eight good crops. It is now vigorous and thrifty; 

 good for five more crops at least. Another twelve-year-old orchard is still in 

 excellent condition. The healthy appearance of the orchard is to be attributed 

 to the careful cultivation of the soil and the skill with which the trees have been 

 trimmed and thinned. They are never permitted to overbear. More than half 

 the growing fruit is pulled off early in the season. Mr. Hale shows an orchard of 

 twenty-two acres that was thinned by seven girls during haying time, when the 

 men were busy in the hay field. If a good-size tree produces 500 peaches, it 

 earns its full salary, and should be given a share of the profits— payable in 

 potash and bone. 



The color of these northern peaches is something remarkable— a dark, rich crim- 

 son cheek, "Potash paints the peach," is Mr. Hale's motto, and he says that nothing 

 but an ample supply of potash will give this rich coloring. 



The varieties grown at the orchard are Mountain Rose, Early and Late Craw- 

 fords, Stump, Oldmixon, Salway, Elberta, Crosby, Smock, and Keyport White. 

 This gives a good succession. In Georgia, but two grades are made, but in Con- 

 necticut three grades are packed, each one with a certain colored label— the lar- 

 gest red, second size white, smaller blue. The culls are sold without label. 

 The Hales are patriotic people, for the "red, white, and blue" are displayed every- 

 where. 



When asked to give the proper distance apart for trees, Mr. Hale took me to an 

 orchard of twenty-two acres, one half of which is set 18x18 feet and the other half 

 12x12. Accurate accolint has been kept of the relative profits of these two halves, 

 and, with five crops, the closer-planted half is $7,000 ahead. While the other 

 may gain somewhat now, it can not entirely catch up. It was this experiment, 

 chiefly, that induced Mr. Hale to set the Georgia orchard 13x13 feet. 



Some weeks ago, I spoke of the effect of girdling on an Elberta peach tree. 

 This tree split open and, to bring it together, the workmen put a wire around 

 both limbs of the crotch and pulled them up by twisting the wire around with a 

 stick. The wire cut through the bark and girdled the tree. As a result, the tree 

 was filled with fine great peaches, while the other Elbertas were green and hard— 

 at least ten days behind in ripening. It will probably kill the tree, but this 

 accident suggests an experiment that Mr. Hale will try next year. He has an 

 orchard on leased land, the lease of which expires in two years. Next year, he 

 will girdle 100 or more trees in various ways, and thus see the effect on quite a 

 large scale. The next year, if necessary, he can girdle the whole orchard for his 

 last crop, even though it kill every tree. If it will hasten the ripening of some of 

 the earlier varieties by ten days, the increased price would pay for the trees. 



Some of the white workers in the Georgia orchard had the pluck and ambition 

 to follow the business north, and are at work handling the Connecticut peaches. 

 The way business is conducted at the north was a revelation to these young men. 

 "Why." said one of them, "I can stand on a corner in Hartford and see more people 

 in half an hour than I could see all day in Macon, Ga." These great, thriving 

 centers of population, with the thousands of workers right at the end of an 

 electric wire, may Avell seem wonderful to those who have known nothing but 

 the market needs of a small city. In fact, the dazzling changes that are taking 

 place in New England agriculture may well take away one's breath. 



"If you will get up at two o'clock," said Mr. Hale, "we will show you a new 

 trick about marketing peaches." 



The electric road from Hartford runs directly past Mr. Hale's house. There 

 is a side switch in front of the orchard, and on this, during the day, three empty 

 passenger cars were left standing. All day long, the peach baskets were packed 

 into the cars. When we got up in the morning we found an electric car from 

 Hartford hitched to the three cars of peaches. With Mr. Hale's son for conductor, 

 and his little girl for passenger, we went whirling at a twenty-mile gait into Hart- 

 ford, with 1,000 bushels of peaches behind us. There was no stop until we reached 

 the store of the Hartford agent. By six o'clock a. m. the peaches were all 



