THE KANSAS PEACH, 51 



PEACH TREES IN APPLE ORCHARD. 



From the Western Fruil-<jroiver, of St. Josepli, Mo. 



Peach trees planted in an apple orchard may pay both as a wind- 

 break and in the fruit. Plant a peach tree between each two apple 

 trees in the row^s running north and south or [in rows] exposed \o 

 greatest winds. Peach trees set in rows between apple-tree rows to 

 be in midst of four apple trees would make cultivation inconvenient 

 and will not answer as well for windbreaks. Ten years ago I planted 

 an orchard as above described. Now, visitors walking through the 

 orchard will remark, "I never saw apple trees so straight." One could 

 not tell by the trees north from south, while trees in almost all orchards 

 lean to the northeast. Two years ago I commenced cutticg out peach 

 and plum trees to give room for the vigorous-growing varieties of 

 apples, such as Minkler, Little Red Romanite, and Ben Davis. With 

 the more slow-growing apple trees I will let the peach trees grow an- 

 other season, and some of the plum trees for curculio catchers. 



The i^lum tree will answer tlje same purpose the peach tree does ; 

 it is also a rapid grower and short-lived. It has about passed its use- 

 fulness by the time the apple trees need the room. It will also en- 

 dure much pruning. 



Peach trees will not poison apple trees, but they will be so much 

 larger than the apple trees and shade them so much that the slovenly 

 orchardist may call them poison. Peach trees should be headed low. 

 One-third of the growth should be cut off each season, which is the 

 proper w^ay to prune. If I w^ere to plant another orchard, in every 

 sixth or seventh row I would plant plums as described above for the 

 peach tree. 



THINNING PEACHES. 



From Montana Fruit Grower, 



A New Jersey peach grower, at the recent state horticultural conren- 

 tion, said in regard to thinning peaches: This portion of the work of 

 peach culture should receive more attention from the orchard tender. 

 If too great a number of peaches are left to rij^en, one of two results 

 must surely follow : either the fruit will be undersized and often sa 

 inferior in quality and insipid in flavor as to render it worthless for 

 market, or else the tree will, from overwork, become exhausted and 

 finally blight and die. The most perfect way of thinning is to pick 

 them off by hand, leaving the fruits from four to six inches apart ; but, 

 where help is scarce and economy is the object, I have seen poles or 



