THE KANSAS PEACH. 107 



My place is a heavy clay, on the Kaw river hills. I would avoid low, rich bottom 

 land; I prefer clay land with a red subsoil, on a north or east slope. My budded 

 peaches are of the following varieties: Early Rivers, Elberta, Champion, Old 

 Mixon, Crosby, Smock, Salway, Picquet's Late. I have discarded Amsden, Alex- 

 ander, Hale's, and Wyandotte: the curculio like them too well and they also rot 

 badly. For market I would recommend Family Favorite, Elberta, Champion, 

 Smock, Salway, Heath Cling, Old Mi.xon; these are also all good for family use. 

 I prefer to plant one-year-old trees four to five feet high, sixteen feet apart, 170 

 trees per acre, cut to a stick two and one-half feet high, with roots slightly 

 trimmed. They then form low heads from one and one-half to two and one-half 

 feet from the ground. I head in all my bearing trees and unquestionably believe 

 it right. My early varieties are Sneed, Triumijh, Amsden, July 1. I have as my 

 latest an unnamed cling coming in about November 1. The extreme cold of Feb- 

 ruary, 1899, killed about forty per cent, of my trees and the tops of all; all vari- 

 eties suffered about alike. I find the curculio worst on the very early freestones. 

 Have never sprayed. The borers and tree-crickets are troublesome. I know 

 nothing of peach yellows from experience. The curl is bad on the Elberta soon 

 after leafing out. In 1898 I lost thirty per cent, of my peaches by rot. If too 

 much rain many peaches drop in June. I plant cow-peas and hoed crops between 

 the trees; never allow live stock among them. I pick by hand in baskets lined 

 with burlaps, and market in peach baskets, excepting when shipping; then I use 

 one-third bushel crates, packing solidly all perfect fruits, rejecting small, wormy 

 or disfigured specimens. My best market is Kansas City, Mo. I sell at retail, 

 usually at forty cents per basket or sixty cents per crate. I believe they would 

 pay if planted largely in my vicinity. We dry and can soft and imperfect fruit. 



W. D. Cellar, Edwardsville, Wyandotte county, has had twelve years' ex- 

 perience in the state; has 500 bearing trees five years old, and 300 younger ones. 

 Has no seedlings; says "peach growing is too much like gambling without the 

 added uncertainty of seedlings." Says any good soil, not too wet, will do, but that 

 his soil has a clay subsoil; likes an eastern slope best. He is now growing Early 

 Crawford, Family Favorite, Champion, Mountain Rose, Old Mixon Free, Elberta, 

 Stump, Crosby, Melocoton, Smock, Salway, and Heath Cling. Would plant for 

 market. Family Favorite, Old Mixon Free, Elberta, Stump, Smock, and Salway; 

 and for family use would add Early Crawford, Champion, Mountain Rose, and 

 Heath Cling. Would discard all the Alexander class, for poor quality and worms, 

 Crosby for small size, and Melocoton for shy bearing. Plant only one-year-old 

 trees — older trees are no good — 15x20 feet apart. Prune to a switch and trim 

 the roots to about ten inches. Head in bearing trees. The earliest are of the 

 Alexander class but are not worth planting. The latest good peach is the 

 Salway. Curculio troubles the early varieties. No other insect infests the fruit 

 but the borer troubles the trees. He has some leaf-curl, said to be caused by 

 gall gnats; does no perceptible damage. He grows corn and potatoes among his 

 trees. Allows hogs in, as they do no damage and pick up wormy fruit. Picks in 

 baskets with padded bottoms. Packs only perfect fruit, in peck baskets for mar- 

 ket, and in one-third-bushel crates (.so solid as not to shake), for shipping. Re- 

 jects all small or imperfect specimens He retails and consigns, and finds Kansas 

 City, Mo., his best market. Average price, one dollar per bushel. Cannot say 

 whether it would be desirable to plant largely or not in his locality. Feeds all 

 refuse to hogs. The damage done by cold in February, 1899, in his locality, was 

 very great; peach buds all killed and wood badly injured. 



