1242 Rural School Leaflet 



grown on heavy soils, but the fruit is less likely to mature at the proper 

 season. In addition, the tree often makes wood growth at the expense 

 of its fruit-bearing habit, and frequently the buds are not mature when 

 cold weather sets in. 



The best time to plant the peach is in the spring. If planted in the 

 fall it is very likely to succumb to the cold of winter. The land, which 

 should have grown a cultivated crop the previous year, should be plowed 

 and put into condition for planting just as early in spring as possible; 

 for the earlier the tree is set, the better is its opportunity to become es- 

 tablished before dry weather arrives. The trees are commonly set twenty 

 feet apart, although at the present time many fruit-growers are planting 

 them twenty-two feet apart. The peach tree is always set when one 

 year old. At this age it will be four to six feet tall, with a number of 

 side branches. These branches are usually pruned off when the tree is 

 set, and the top is cut back to three feet or less in height. The peach 

 is headed much lower than are other tree fruits; and the closer to the 

 ground we desire the head, the shorter should be the whip that we leave 

 when pruning. The top is usually cut back and thinned out rather 

 severely each year, as the productivity of the tree depends on the stimu- 

 lation of new growth. 



All the fruits thrive best if given good cultivation, but none is such 

 an absolute failure when left in sod as is the peach. In this condition 

 the vitality of the tree is so weakened that it becomes an easy prey to 

 insect enemies and fungous diseases. The life of the peach tree is short 

 at best, being about twelve years, but if grown in sod it will not last more 

 than five or six years. 



The ground about the trees should be plowed in early spring and 

 cultivated every week or ten days until late July or early August. At 

 this time a cover-crop should be sown, to remain on the ground during 

 the ensuing winter and to be plowed under in the spring. This cover- 

 crop may be rye, vetch, or some of the clovers. The cover-crop affords 

 one of the most inexpensive means that we have of furnishing fertilizer 

 to the trees, and in some cases it may furnish all the plant-food necessary 

 if the land is rich naturally. Oftentimes, however, commercial fertilizers 

 are needed in addition, chiefly phosphoric acid and potash. The amounts 

 to be applied can be determined only by actual experiment. 



The peach tree begins to bear fruit when three years old, the average 

 yield at that time being about one third of a bushel. With good care 

 the yield will usually increase until the tree is ten years old. At this 

 time the production of each tree will be in the neighborhood of three 

 bushels. These figures will, of course, vary with the varieties and the 

 conditions under which the fruit is grown. The fruit-bearing habits 



