yyhere to 'Plant ^euc/tes. 43 



even in those districts whore they need some artificial protection. Hence, I say that 

 the right location in which to plant peach trees, in sufficient number for family 

 supply, is on every man's farm, and in every garden of reasonable extent. There are 

 few locations, indeed, within the limits of our republic, elevated mountain sites 

 excepted, where a very moderate expenditure will not fit the soil for a few trees, and 

 guard them against extreme and destructive cold. 



Peach trees, while having considerable choice of soil, will, nevertheless, grow in 

 almost any soil capable of sustaining other vegetable growths, if it is not excessively 

 wet ; and this difficulty can be overcomo, in most cases cheaply, by drainage. Our 

 American summers are everywhere long, warm, and bright enough to ripen peaches 

 very perfectly, if we can only preserve the trees and fruit buds through the severe 

 winters of the North. This has been done in a sufficient number of cases to justify 

 the declaration that it can be done generally along our Northern borders. The well- 

 ripened wood and fruit buds of the peach tree will generally endure the cold of ten 

 to fifteen degrees below zero without injury, especially if protected against severe 

 and drying winds. Large crops of peaclies are annually grown in orchards exposed 

 to this degree of frost. Any method of protection which will shield the trees against 

 a greater degree of cold than ten I'clow zero, will doubtless carry a crop safely 

 through. Several plans have been adopted with success. A long tried plan is to 

 grow the tree against the southern side of the wall, which is the universal custom ia- 

 England, and in portions of France. The branches are trained along the wall hori- 

 zontally in both directions from the stem, and fastened occasionally to hold them in 

 place. Corn fodder or straw may be packed against the trees before very cold 

 weather, and held in place by poles, or in any cheap way. The wall may be simply 

 a close high board fence, backed with earth or sods ; or trees may be trained to a 

 trellis like grapes, and protected as above ; or they njay be branched a few inches 

 above the ground, and the branches trained horizontally very near the ground by 

 tying to stakes, and protected by covering with straw. Trees grown in either of 

 these ways, may be protected from the ravages of the curculio, by the Ransom 

 process of trapping, so often described. Again, trees may be grown in large pots or 

 tubs, as they are for glass-house culture, and moved into the cellar for winter, and 

 plunged in the soil in summer. This plan dwarfs the trees, which is favorable to 

 early fruiting: they are easily managed, and are very pleasing objects in the garden. 

 Either of the methods of artificial culture suggested, possesses the obvious advan- 

 tage over open orchard culture, that the winter protection can be retained until the 

 danger from spring frosts is passed, giving a great certainty of crops. This security 

 of crop will go far towards balancing the expense of protection. I have known 

 years of general failure of the peach crop in the West, when some such measures as 

 above suggested, would have proven remunerative in saving a crop for market. A 

 small number of bushels of fruit, at ten dollars per bushel, would pay more net cash 

 than some full crops in large orchards have done. But I assume that it will always 

 pay the lover of choice peaches to produce them at this extra expense, in any neigh- 

 borhood where they cannot be grown in the open garden. 



South Pass, III., December, 1872. 



