No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 199 



mulelied by hauling foreign matter, as spoiled hay or straw, on the 

 ground. The best showing I ever had from mulch was from a three 

 inch covering of second crop clover hay, after the seed had ripened. 

 The seed kept reseediug the ground for several years. 



For peach, I prefer the dust mulch, going over the ground both 

 ways in early spring, while the ground is loose, with a sharp spring 

 tooth harrow. This can be done even when trees are so large that 

 the terminal shoots meet, by dividing the harrow and placing a steel 

 frame between the two sections, thus enabling the team to pass 

 through the middle, while the harrow passes under the limbs, close 

 to the trees. After the land is broken loose, the cultivation is con- 

 tinued with a three section spike tooth harrow, taking a full width 

 space with one passage. This is kept up two to four times a week 

 until in July, always keeping a dust mulch, never leaving a crust 

 form, the cultivation not to exceed three inches in depth. The drier 

 the season, the oftener you cultivate, as you thereby prevent evapo- 

 ration and retain the moisture for the use of the tree. This may, 

 in dry season, be continued until the 10th of July; but continuing 

 later will be detrimental to the tree by keeping up the growth too 

 late to properly mature its wood, then should the winter be severe 

 the tree suffers greatly. 



Thvmdng. — Tliis is very essential for successful, profitable fruit 

 raising. Trees frequently set so much fruit, that if left, will so 

 impair the vitality of the tree, that the present crop fails to at- 

 tain its full size and flavor; also fails to make the necessary wood 

 growth and develope good strong buds for the following season. 

 It frequently happens such a tree sets' sufQeient buds showing 

 abundant bloom the following spring, but, lacking vitality, drop 

 without setting fruit. The fruit matured lacks in size; frequently 

 one-half developes, the other half stops growth when half-size, re- 

 mains insipid and tasteless, whereas if three-fourths had been re- 

 moved when less than one-fourth grown, the remainder would have 

 increased in size, yielding as many bushels of fruit, of superior 

 quality, bringing three times as much money to the producer. Choice 

 fruit never gluts the market. It is the poor, insipid, worthless trash 

 that ruins the market, as well as impairs the bealth of the con- 

 sumer. It is not the edible part that reduces the vitality of the 

 tree, but the seed. The edible part is made up largely of water. 

 When you reduce the number, the tree having so many less seed 

 to mature, throws all its energy into developing the pulp or edible 

 part, and stores up all surplus vitality in good strong buds for next 

 season's crop, thereby giving you a full crop every year. An off, 

 year is not in accordance with Nature's plans. If one fails to ma- 

 terialize (unless something unusual, such as a severe freeze in blos- 

 soming time, or a continual rainy week while the tree is in bloom, 

 occurs), something is radically wrong, showing gross mismanage- 

 ment. Many may think this is unavoidable, but a tree properly 

 pruned, sprayed, fed, etc., is able to withstand hardships that would 

 be fatal to the tree neglected, as most trees are. I know whereof 

 I speak, not having a failure in a fruit crop in thirty odd years. 



INSECT ENEMIES. 



These are the bane of the fruit raisers' life; and there are so 

 many of them. Fifty years ago a large proportion of these pests 



