Training Peach Trees. 



BY DR. WLILIAM M. HOWSLEY, LEAVENWORTH, KAN. 



PEACH trees should be, in our opinion, trained in the fan form, making the trunks 

 not more than half boot-leg high. If trained in long trunks the fruit will, in a 

 few years, be almost or quite out of reach for gathering. As the tree advances in 

 age, it also advances in height, shedding the lower limhs and making its new bearing 

 wood higher up from the ground. Thus the fruit, when the tree bears, becomes very 

 difficult to gather, in consequence of its extreme height ; the weight of the fruit also 

 being thrown so far from the body, endangers the destruction of the tree by the 

 weight being so far from the trunk. 



Hence to have a successful peach orchard, where the soil, the climate and the alti- 

 tude are favorable to the production of this fruit, trees should not only be trained 

 low, at the start, but should be kept low by annually cutting back the young bearing 

 wood. This will keep the fruit easy of access at gathering time, prolong the life of 

 the tree ; will prevent the usual amount of shedding of the lower limbs, and increase 

 the vigor of the fruit buds which lie between where the cutting back is done and the 

 last year's growth. The fruit is thus kept in convenient distance of the ground for 

 gathering, the fruit buds are better able to withstand the extremes of cold in the win- 

 ter, are rendered more certain to bloom in the spring, are better able to withstand 

 late spring frosts, and the life of the trees is prolonged. Upon the subject of short- 

 ening in the annual growth of the bearing wood, there is some difference of opinion 

 among pomologists as to the time of doing it, some preferring late fall, others late 

 winter or early spring, and others early fall, or so soon as the fruit is matured and 

 gathered. We indorse the latter opinion, for the following reasons : first, it pre- 

 vents, if not done too soon, the further extension and growth of young wood for the 

 season, husbands all the sap which would have otherwise been expended for this pur- 

 pose, and applies it to the increased vitality of the fruiting buds for the coming crop. 

 If the above system is strictly carried out, together with the instructions heretofore 

 given upon the culture of the peach, we have no hesitation in saying that this 

 delicious fruit can be made quite a sure crop. 



For the destruction of the grub, which is sometimes quite destructive to peach 

 trees, an annual application of hot water, or a mound of leached ashes kept around 

 the trunk at the root, will in almost every case be successful. Where either or both 

 of these should fail, the use of the hand and knife will do the work effectually. 



