THE KANSAS PEACH. 101 



He retails them in near-by towns at from $1 to §1.25 for budded fruit, and twenty- 

 five to fifty cents for seedlings. Thinks it would not pay to plant them largely, 

 as the crop is too uncertain and the buds are killed too often. 



A. Oberndorf, Jr., Centralia, Nemaha county — a Kansan for twenty years 

 — has 225 peach trees; fifty are seedlings, twelve of which are nice. His trees 

 have been out from five to eight years, and are of the following varieties : Briggs's 

 Early May, Snow, Heath, Crawford's Late, Elberta, and about eighty budded 

 from choice original seedlings. For early market he advises Briggs's Early May. 

 He sets one-year-old trees, sixteen feet apart, pruned back to a "stick" one foot 

 high, with roots trimmed to correspond. Has had no experience in heading in 

 bearing trees. He had a freestone seedling that ripens about October 11. Says 

 the cold of February, 1899, "killed all of the buds and most of the trees." He 

 picks carefully in half-bushel baskets, covers with muslin, and sells, thus receiv- 

 ing in 1898 from $1 to $1.50 per bushel. Puts in only choice fruit, and succeeds 

 in finding a home market at a low price for his culls. 



T. S. Aiider.soii, Oneida, Nemaha county, has lived in Kansas twenty-eight 

 years, and now has 1000 peach trees of bearing size planted four years and 2000 

 planted three years. Not a seedling in the lot. They are on a sandy soil ; he 

 would like it better if it had a clay subsoil and south slope. He is growing El- 

 berta, Crawford's Early and Late, Alexander, and Foster. He would recommend 

 for both market and family use Elberta, Foster, Crawford's Late, and a late cling 

 [probably Heath]. He plants trees one year from bud, twelve feet each way, 

 cutting away one-half of top at planting. He does not head in bearing trees. 

 His earliest are Alexander and Crawford's Early, in July; and latest, Crawford's 

 Late and an unkown cling [ probably Heath ]. The extreme cold of February, 1899, 

 killed about one-half of last year's growth, all varieties being affected. Many of 

 his peaches of every variety "cook" on sunny side while on the tree. Curculio 

 troubles his early freestones. Borers work at root. Has no other insect or dis- 

 ease. Grows corn or potatoes among his trees. Picks carefully from step-lad- 

 ders and markets in bushel [?] crates. His best market is home, and he retails 

 them at one to two dollars per bushel. Feeds culls to hogs. Doubts the advis- 

 ability of planting largely for market in his locality. 



H. L. Ferris, Osage City, Osage county, has lived in Kansas twenty-two 

 years, and handled much fruit. He now has a peach orchard of 150 bearing trees 

 and 50 younger ones, all budded excepting a few here and there where the original 

 top has died and a sprout from the seedling root has taken its place. His trees 

 are from four to sixteen years planted, and' are on a sandy loam, which he claims 

 is the best. Says slope makes little difference. He is now growing Early and 

 Late Crawford, Heath Cling, Elberta, and Crosby. He has tried and dropped 

 Amsden and Hale. He recommends as most profitable the Heath Cling and Late 

 Crawford. Would plant only one-year-old trees, twenty feet apart, pruning to a 

 stick three feet high, with roots pruned to five inches. Thinks it best to head in 

 bearing trees annually. Thinks the cold of February, 1899, injured only the old 

 and weakling trees; says he will cut down many of them and start anew. All 

 varieties seem similarly affected. Says the curculio bothers only his early free- 

 stones, but he has never sprayed for them. Borers bother him some. Never saw 

 peach curl. Grows corn among young trees; never allows live stock among 

 them. Picks into a spring wagon, and markets in crates holding about a peck, 

 rejecting the small, ill-shaped and wormy ones. The best of these culls he makes 



