THE CA.:tfADlAN HORTICtTLTOmST. 



71 



cane trash called "bagasse" is carried on 

 conductors directly from the grinding 

 mill and dro[)ped into the furnaces in its 

 green, wet state. The boilers are set 

 with the Jarvis patent furnace, and hot 

 air is discharged directly over the fires, 

 igniting the gases generated by the 

 burning fuel. The intense heat made 

 by joining the gases with hot air is said 

 to cause the green crushed cane or bag- 

 asse to biwn very well, on something 

 the same principle as tanners burn their 

 wet bark from the leaches. — Scientific 

 Amei ican. 



CULTIVATION OF THE PEACH. 



The following suggestions ;ire taken 

 from the peach circular of J. T. Lo^'ett, 

 Little Silver, New Jersey : 



" The peach requires a warm, dry soil 

 that is moderately rich in fertility; but 

 as it is a gross feeder and di-aws heavily 

 upon the soil, especially of potash, nutri- 

 ment should be supplied in the form of 

 bonedust and potash. Wood ashes are 

 excellent, as are also some of the com- 

 mercial fertilizers — notably, pure ground 

 bone. Potash should be supplied in 

 abundance by all means, for not only 

 is it useful in supplying the require- 

 ments of the tree but in repelling 'yel- 

 lows,' the great enemy of the peach. 

 Mui'iate of potash is the best form to 

 use, applying broadcast always. 



"In preparing for planting the land 

 should be ploughed thoroughly and as 

 deep as possible without bringing to the 

 surface the sub-soil, following in the 

 furrow with a Goodall or other good sub- 

 soD plough. The trees may be planted 

 lo to 2U feet apart each way, accord- 

 ing to the character of the soil — the 

 more sandy the soil the more closeh' 

 they may be planted — the usual ilis- 

 tance being 16 or 18 feet each way. The 

 best way to mark out the ground for 

 planting is to furrow it with a one-horse 

 plough both ways at the desired distance. 



In planting be careful to cut off all 

 bruised or broken roots smoothly and 

 trim back all side branches to within a 

 few inches of the main stem — small ones 

 to a whip— and cut back the main stem 

 at least one-third its length. Many, 

 particularly at the South, prefer to have 

 the trees head low, and to cause them 

 to do this cut off the entii-e tree eighteen 

 inches to two feet above the collar when 

 planting. 



"The first two years after planting, 

 beets, mangles, potatoes or other hoed 

 crops may be [danted among the trees, 

 after which tiine they should be given 

 the full use of the soil ; and whether 

 the space between the trees be devoted 

 to hoed crops while they ai-e young or 

 not, the soil then and in after yeai*s 

 should be kept always as mellow and as 

 free of weeds throughout the season as 

 a field of corn ; being careful never to 

 disturb or injure the roots while plough- 

 ing or cultivating. A [)each orchard 

 should never be planted to grass or grain 

 crops, as such are exceedingly detri- 

 mental to the trees. 



'"Although the peach is more gener- 

 ally neglected in pruning tiian any other 

 orchard fruit, yet there is none that more 

 liberally repays for the trouble and ex- 

 pense, both in the superior yield of the 

 fruit and maintaining vigor and iruitful- 

 uess. The peach should lie annually 

 headed-in to produce a sturdy tree with 

 a round, compact head, instead of being 

 allowed to grow into one with an open, 

 spreading, unsym metrical top as usu- 

 ally seen. In pruning always use sharp 

 tools. 



Profe.ssok Buld, of the Agricultural 

 College, ijf Iowa, said the apple orchards 

 of Iowa were not partiall}' killed, but 

 wholly killed, by last winter's cold. They 

 were completely cleaned out, the Ben Davis 

 as well as the rest. He, himself, lost 60U 

 Ben Davis trees, which had burne several 

 crops. 



