ORCHARDS. 89 



an incredibly short time. One of the finest,- most productive 

 and most profitable peach orchards in the whole State of 

 New York, is only seven years since setting out. No crop is 

 raised among the trees, but the ground is kept clean and 

 mellow by plowing and harroAving. A very celebrated fruit 

 garden and orchard was planted by the proprietor after age 

 had marked his hair with silvery whiteness ; he has now for 

 twenty years enjoyed the luxury of plentiful crops from his 

 trees, and is still in the vigor of life. His success was chiefly 

 owing to good transplanting — digging the holes six feet in 

 diameter, and filling them with fine rich earth — and to 

 thorough cultivation of the soil for several subsequent years. 

 There are various degrees of good and bad treatment, 

 w^hich from their common or uncommon occurrence, deserve 

 to be pointed out. 



1. The worst of all is to transplant young trees to a mea- 

 dow, and worst of all a clover meadow. An orchard of sev- 

 eral hundred peach trees was noticed last Summer, which 

 had been set out in a clover lot the previous Spring or 

 Autumn, and though the trees appeared to have been of fine 

 growth before transplanting, not one in twenty was alive. If 

 it ever becomes necessary to set out young trees in meadow 

 ground, each row must stand on a ploughed strip of land, at 

 least seven feet wide, kept constantly clean and melloAv. 



2. Next to meadows, placing young trees among grain 

 crops sown broadcast is the worst. They may in such cir- 

 cumstances, survive removal, but, it is impossible for them 

 to make much growth. Young trees, standing in well hoed 

 potato crops, have been observed to make at least six times 

 greater length of growth in one season than trees standing 

 in wheat fields. Corn, though greatly shading young trees 

 by its tall growth, is far better than wheat, oats or barley, in 

 consequence of the hoeing and cultivation which is given. 



3. The only crops which should be tolerated, are low, hoed 

 crops, as ruta bagas, carrots, field beets, potatoes, &c. 



4. But the best mode altogether, is to keep the ground 

 clean and mellow for several feet distant (six to ten) from 

 the young trees. 



