228 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



questions for himself. Briefly, when the 

 trees are fruiting- and at the same time the 

 foliage is a healthy green and a fair growth 

 of new wood is being made, the orchard has 

 enough nitrogen and the manuring should 

 be in the direction of potash and phosphoric 

 acid. If, however, the growth is at all fee- 

 ble and the foliage sickly, nitrate of soda — 

 150 lbs. to the acre — or barnyard manure 

 should be immediately applied. 



tree would cover the expense, and if the tree 

 is not thinned there is the extra labor to be 

 faced in picking the additional number of 

 peaches at the time of maturity. The fruit 

 should be thinned when the size of small 

 hickory nuts and left not less than three or 

 four inches apart. The profits from such a 

 process are large and undoubted, as all 

 growers who have tried it will testify. For 

 fuller information on this point readers are 



Thinning. — This is so important a feature 

 of successful peach culture, and the practice 

 of thinning is so little followed, that a few 

 remarks on the subject will be in order. 

 Thinning lessens the strain on the vitality 

 of the tree, the strength of the tree going 

 not to the pulp but to the seed. It allows 

 of a more even'distribution of the fruit and 

 thus saves a frequent break-down. It in- 

 creases the size of the fruit. It diminishes 

 the danger from rot. As far as the labor of 

 thinning is concerned it is a comparatively 

 small affair. From ten to twenty cents a 



referred to the excellent bulletin by Prot. 

 Craig, No. i, Second Series, of the Central 

 Experimental Farm. 



Varieties. — Local conditions must decide 

 the variety question to a large extent. Of 

 the earlier kinds two of the best commonly 

 planted are Early Rivers and Hyne's Sur- 

 prise. Next in order of season come Yellow 

 St. John, Mountain Rose (white), Early Craw- 

 ford, Reeve's Favorite, Elberta, Old Mixon, 

 (white). Late Crawford, Wager, Smock and 

 Steven's Rareripe (white). 



