340 Peach-Growing 



shale lying beneath. Two and four horse implements are 

 worked to advantage on such soils, thus lessening the cost 

 of cultivation, while on the chert lands one and two horse 

 implements must be used." 



As a rule the trees do not grow as large on these soils as 

 they do on the fertile loams that occur in some of the other 

 peach districts, hence they are more easily handled in certain 

 respects. 



Of the seasonal activities in the region in question, Arnold 

 gives a basis of cost-accounting as follows : 



Tillage. — The orchards are cultivated three to six times 

 each season. Where perfectly clean tillage is given on some 

 of the more level, smooth lands, six to eight cultivations with 

 horse implements are necessary. Depending on the number 

 of cultivations, soil, and topography, the cost an acre a year 

 varies from $5 to $15 with $2 additional where a cover-crop 

 is used. The usual cost for tillage, however, on the red soils 

 is about $10 an acre a year ; on the chert lands, about $15. 



Fertilizers. — Most of the growers in this region find it pays 

 to use fertilizers with considerable regularity. The custom 

 is to apply 250 to 500 pounds to the acre of a high-grade 

 complete fertilizer. (From what is stated in the chapter 

 on fertilizers, it may be questioned whether in this district 

 a complete fertilizer can be used economically in the average 

 orchard.) With prices that have prevailed in the past the 

 fertilizer cost has averaged about $6.25 an acre each year. 



Pruning. — The number of trees that a man may be ex- 

 pected to prune in a day varies, of course, with the size and 

 character of the tree as well as the expertness of the man. 

 Under average conditions, however, 1000 one-year-old trees 

 a day should be pruned by one man, 500 two years old, 200 

 three years old, and 125 four years old. Peach trees are 



