96 THE KANSAS PEACH. 



perience is valuable to our coming horticulturists. He fruits six seedlings of 

 choice quality and good size. His bearing trees are from six to nine years old, 

 growing on black prairie soil underlaid with hard-pan. This happens to be all 

 the soil he has, but he would prefer a soil rather sandy, underlaid with a ijorous 

 subsoil, with a northern slope. He is growing mainly Amsden and Elberta, and, 

 if planting over* would discard the Amsden, as it is too sour and insipid and rots 

 badly on the tree. He would recommend for all uses the Elberta, Hill's Chili, 

 Large Yellow York, Early and Late Crawford, Old Mixon Free, Heath Cling. 

 His preference, if any, is for the first and last named. Ho would plant two-year- 

 old trees, sixteen feet apart each way, pruning pretty closely, and cutting all 

 large roots back pretty short. He heads in all bearing trees, so they will not 

 break down when full of fruit. His earliest is Amsden, July 10, and Alexander, 

 about August 1. His latest is a seedling called "Shields." The extreme cold of 

 February, 1899, bursted the bark on old trees and killed tender twigs. Some- 

 times a few of his peaches scalded or cooked on one side in hot sunshine. Cur- 

 culio troubles his early varieties. Has sprayed, but could see no benefit in it. 

 No other insects trouble his trees or fruit. Had some leaf-curl, but did no ap- 

 preciable damage. Never saw a case of yellows. Grows small fruits under and 

 among the trees: allows no horses or cattle among them, but turns hogs in oc- 

 casionally to eat up fallen fruit. Picks carefully by hand into baskets, and jjacks 

 in peck baskets for market, when in good condition and not too ripe, rejecting 

 small, soft and unshapely ones. Markets at home in Holton at retail, from fifteen 

 to thirty cents per basket. If handled right, he thinks they would pay if planted 

 largely in his vicinity. He feeds refuse to hogs. 



R. D. Osborne, Soldier, Jackson county, a resident of Kansas thirty-two 

 years, has 2275 peach trees; 275 of them are not in bearing; about 400 are seed- 

 lings, of which perhaps 50 are valuable: 2000 are of bearing size; the varieties 

 are Champion and Crosby. He has never had any other variety, and says " there 

 may be a better market peach than the Crosby but I could not name it"; and 

 " they are good enough for me." His ground, which he thinks is just right, is a 

 gravelly loam, with clay subsoil and an eastern slope. He plants one-year-old 

 trees, fifteen feet ajjart each way, only trimming injured roots. He thinks head- 

 ing in the best way to manage bearing trees. Feai's the cold of February, 1899, 

 killed most of his trees. He will cut top within one foot of trunk. Has no 

 trouble with curculio or other insects excepting borers. Knows no diseases. 

 Grows corn among the trees for two years, afterwards nothing. Allows swine in 

 for a short time after fruit is gathered, to consume the culls; no stock at any 

 other time. Picks in small baskets, and sold some last year at sixty cents a 

 bushel for budded, and twenty-five cents for seedlings. He thinks it would pay 

 to plant largely in his vicinity. 



H. Robert.S, Perry, Jefferson county, forty-one years a resident of Kansas, 

 with 200 peach trees growing on a mellow, reddish upland; believes it suits them 

 well. He prefers such land made fertile by plowing-in green crops. Any slope 

 but southwest is good. His varieties are mostly Elberta. Plants trees one year 

 from bud, twenty-five feet apart, cutting away from one-third to one-half of top, 

 and leaving all roots in good order. Curculio troubles both free and cling if early. 

 Grasshoppers are sometimes troublesome. He thinks leaf-curl largely due to hard 

 winter weather. Grows nothing but weeds or red clover under the trees, and allows 

 no live stock inside. Picks with care, rejecting all unsound fruit. His nearest 

 market is best. Sells any way he can, but never puts any out to be sold on com- 



