100 THE KANSAS PEACH. 



»Jolin E. Sample, Beman, Morris county, has been twenty-two years in 

 Kansas, and has 500 seedlings, four of which took first premium at Morris county 

 fair. They are growing in a black loam, with a clay subsoil. He likes a south- 

 east slope. For market he would plant Crawfords only, both Early and Late. 

 He plants one-year-old trees, sixteen feet ajjart each way, cutting back tojjs and 

 injured roots. His four premium seedlings come in from middle to late of Octo- 

 ber. Curculio and borers have found him out. He grows clover under trees. 

 No live stock admitted. He sells his best at the orchard for twenty-five to fifty 

 cents and one dollar per bushel. Feeds culls to the hogs. Says it would pay to 

 plant good varieties in large quantities in his locality for market. Mr. Sample 

 says "the best remedy for Vjorers is to graft [bud] the peach on apricot stock 

 about six inches above the earth." Says, also, " that the fruit is better and the 

 trees live longer" ; says " they would live as long as apple trees." 



W. H. Robinson, Dunlap, Morris county, has resided in Kansas thirty-one 

 years; has now only seventy-five peach trees, twenty -five of them six years old. 

 The varieties are Heath Cling, Crosby, Champion, Wager, Wonderful. Grows 

 no seedlings. Says he is going into it strongly, and will try many varieties. 

 Uses one-year-old trees, twenty feet apart, ijruned back about one-third, and 

 roots trimmed. Has not yet tried heading in Vjearing trees. Alexander ripens 

 by July 4. His latest is the Wonderful. Thinks about one-half of last year's 

 growth was killed by cold of February, 1899. Says hot sun cooks his peaches on 

 one side when exposed. Curculio troubles all varieties; has not tried spraying, 

 but believes it would pay. His trees always seem healthy. Grows sweet corn 

 and other small corn among the trees. Has none for market. Believes good va- 

 rieties would pay if planted largely for market. 



F. B. Harris, White City, Morris county, has 300 peach trees, from six to 

 seven years old; one-half of them are seedlings. None of his seedlings are con- 

 sidered valuable. His trees are on flat, high prairie, but he prefers second bot- 

 tom — thinks this most suitable — or a natural draw south of a hill; any slope 

 will answer, but perhaps east is preferable. In budded varieties, he is growing 

 mostly Early Alexander: fifteen years ago he preferred Hale's Early. He has 

 discarded the midsummer kinds, as the sun is then too hot and the weather too 

 dry. For family use he would plant all fruits of budded varieties, excepting the 

 clingstones. He plants trees two years old from seed, fifteen feet north and south 

 and twenty-five feet east and west. Trims off one-half of the limbs, but leaves 

 the leader untouched and never heads Vjack — thinks it not best; he cuts the tap 

 root at planting time. His earliest is Early Alexander; comes in the middle of 

 July. He has some Heath's Cling that come well in October. Budded varieties 

 suffered most from cold; all kinds were injured some. He finds that natural 

 fruit and midsummer fruits often "cook" on the sunny side. Curculio has 

 troubled his peaches for the past two years only. Has never sprayed, but says 

 he intends to hereafter whenever there is a prospective crop. Tent-caterpillar 

 has troubled him some; has had some leaf-curl, which he attributed to lice on 

 the under side of the leaves: says that root-louse has injured some of his trees, 

 but that the worst enemies are borers and cotton-tailed rabbits. He grows corn 

 or any hoed crop among his trees, but never allows live stock to pasture among 

 them. Would irrigate if he had the facilities; thinks it would pay. Picks by 

 hand as fast as they ripen, in bushel baskets, as his market is near home. Packs 

 them carefully as picked, rejecting only the small, inferior ones, which he dries. 



