124 THE KANSAS PEACH. 



not trim the roots, as he beUeves " the more roots the better." CurcuUo bothers 

 his peaches. Says he can see no difference in varieties. Has never sprayed. 

 Says that wasps and a striped black-and-white bug, larger than the squash-bug, 

 are quite destructive. He has observed no other insects nor any disfeases. He 

 grows no crops among his young trees, but turns hogs in among them. Nature 

 irrigates his ground by running the rain-water of every large and sudden 

 shower from higher ground. He raises none for market, but the price has been 

 from one to two dollars per bushel. Says there are a few large orchards there 

 that have produced a few good crops. Says the buds of the peach trees are 

 about all killed with the extreme cold of last winter. 



E. T. AA^riglit, Seward, Stafford county, has 375 peach trees, five years old, 

 on sandy loam; seventy-five are seedlings, which are choice and large. He pre- 

 fers a north slope. He is growing Elberta and Heath. He plants two-year-old 

 trees, twenty feet apart, pruning the tops to within a few inches of the stem, and 

 trimming smoothly all injured roots. Much of last year's growth was killed by 

 the cold of February last. Curculio troubles early freestones; knows no peach- 

 tree diseases. Grows nothing among the trees, and forbids live stock among 

 them. Does not irrigate. Picks and packs in baskets, and sells at seventy-five 

 cents to one dollar per bushel. Does not think they would pay planted largely. 



Tom Keeler, EUinwood, Stafford county, has ninety peach trees, mostly 

 eight years old; thirty-five are seedlings, of which twenty bear choice, large fruit. 

 His land is very sandy; he would prefer more loam, with a northern slope. He is 

 growing Alexander, Wheatland, and Crawford's Early; would recommend Craw- 

 ford and Alexander for market or family. Plants one-year-olds, ten feet apart 

 each way, pruned to look nice. Does not trim roots. Says cold hurt to some ex- 

 tent. All early varieties "cook" on sunny side while on the trees. Curculio is 

 troublesome. Grows no crop, but keeps the weeds down at all times. Does not 

 irrigate or allow live stock among the trees. Sells at orchard or in Ellinwood, 

 at wholesale. Feeds culls to hogs. Does not think they would pay if planted 

 largely. He further says: "Some trees in this county are all right, where there 

 is not too much sand. The sand gets so hot that it burns the bark on the trees ; 

 then worms get in and soon kill them. I don't go much on peaches here; they 

 'cook' on the trees in dry seasons." 



Norton Hockett, Lafa'yette, Stevens county. Mr. Hockett lives near the 

 south line of the state, the second county from Colorado, and says he has .3500 

 peach trees: 300 are six years old and 150 seven years, and 100 nine years; the re- 

 mainder are young: 450 are seedlings, nearly all of nice size and good quality. 

 His budded fruit is mainly Susquehanna, Foster, Wagner, Wallett, Globe, Stump, 

 RareripeC?), Early Canada, Early York, Crawford's Early, and many others. 

 They are on sandy soil, with clay subsoil, which he " emphatically " conpders the 

 very best. He prefers a north slope. He plants one-year-old trees, one rod apart 

 north and south by two rods apart east and west, cutting them down to a stick 

 ten inches high; does not prune afterward. His earliest come July 4, and are 

 Arkansas Traveler and Early York; his Rareripef ?) come October 15 — giving 

 him peaches for three and one-half months. Says the cold injured the tips of 

 limbs of some young trees. Insects and diseases are unknown to him. He crops 

 his orchard with milo maize, Indian corn, and sorghum, and pastures with calves 

 during the winter months. W^hen all his trees get to bearing he will can all he 

 cannot sell in orchard. He dries the refuse. He commonly receives one dol- 

 lar per bushel; they pay well. Some seedlings Were not hurt by winter cold. 



