134 THE KANSAS PEACH. 



been testing the efficiency of whitewash spray in retarding the blooming of peach 

 trees. This is all very well, but what we need more is for some one to prepare a 

 list of the best late bloomers, with buds protected by a full, showy corolla — the 

 greatest beauty combined with the greatest utility. The Heath Free is the most 

 profitable peach I have. ,It is a large white freestone of extra quality: usually 

 •escapes spring frosts, and is remarkably free from the leaf-curl and black-spot 

 fungus which greatly damaged the Crawford and ruined the Elberta last season. 

 My most profitable cling is the Sallie Worrell, a large white peach that seems to 

 be but little known, although it is quite popular here. The best trees to plant 

 are thrifty one-year-old on two-year-old roots, with plenty of roots — the more the 

 better. I cut back the top to two and a half feet when planting, and remove all 

 limbs. A tree thus treated will make double the growth the first season that it 

 would if the top was allowed to remain. I do not remove any of the roots except 

 mutilated ones, and cut back all that are too long to set in a two-foot hole. I 

 set trees in rows running north and south, twenty-two feet apart; trees eleven 

 feet apart in the row. Where trees are kept well headed back the rows may be 

 a little closer together. I head back bearing trees severely, and remove all weak 

 limbs before leafing out, every spring that the buds get killed. I would do this 

 every year but for the fact that trees so seldom overbear here that I do not want 

 to sacrifice any of the blossoms by cutting them away. Heading back pays well. 

 Stunted trees, whether weakened by overbearing, poor cultivation, or insects, 

 may be made vigorous and productive by cutting back all the leading limbs 

 three-fourths their entire length. I have tested this on old, stunted trees, and 

 find it makes them almost as vigorous as young tn es. The Amsden peach ripens 

 June 20: this is the earliest peach raised here. The late or October peaches sel- 

 dom mature here, so I do not know what variety is latest of all. The sun never 

 " cooks " any of my peaches. The only insect that troubles the fruit is the cur- 

 culio. Have never sprayed for it. It attacks the early peaches most, and clings 

 more than free. We have no insects that attack the foliage. The borers are 

 quite troublesome some years. I have never seen a tree with the yellows. The 

 leaf-curl fungus is quite abundant almost every year. Last year it did some dam- 

 age; just how much I cannot tell, as most people attribute the damage of the 

 black spot to the leaf-curl. About half of the leaves were affected by the curl, 

 but I could not detect any on the fruit. The peaches, with few exceptions, were 

 literally ruined by the spot fungus, which caused them to shrivel on one side, 

 crack badly, and rot. The later the variety the worse they are injured. The 

 Elberta is very susceptible to the disease, Crawfords some less, the Heath Cling 

 the least of all my midsummer sorts. I shall try winter spraying for it hereafter, 

 I am growing strawberries between my peach trees. I have never irrigated, but 

 am satisfied that it would be beneficial, especially to late varieties. I keep trees 

 headed back so most of the fruit can be picked from the ground. I retail all of 

 my peaches at the home market. There were no choice peaches last year, from 

 causes above named. Such as we had were readily sold at one dollar per bushel. 

 They ordinarily bring about this price for fancy fruit. I think it would not be 

 profitable to plant very largely, as the crop is rather uncertain. The intense cold 

 of February, 1899 (21 below zero), would not have injured the trees but for the 

 fact that we had a few warm days the last of January that started the flow of sap 

 in those trees that had been well cared for and the ground kept bare of weeds. 

 Trees that were neglected and the weeds permitted to form a dense mat over the 

 ground seem to be uninjured. Thus nature sometimes rewards the lazy man. 

 My trees are now — March 15 — nearly all brown under the bark, from a point 

 about four feet high to the ground. All above that point is but little injured. 



