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With this failure of the crop for so many successive seasons, 

 peach growing has been a very discouraging business and some sure, 

 cheap, and easily applied protection for the fruit buds has become a 

 positive necessity if peach growing is to be a successful industry in 

 New England. 



To overcome this ditflculty the following experiments have been 

 made during the past few years. 



EXPERIMENT NO. 1. 



1st. In the fall of 188G trees were laid down upon the ground and 

 covered with soil,* by first loosening the roots on one side and 

 carefulh' bending those on the other. 



2d. The branches were drawn together and tied, 1st without cov- 

 ering, 2d with a covering of pine boughs, 3d with a covering of 

 strong matting. The drawing of the branches together on 

 young trees is easily accomplished by two men standing close 

 to the trees on opposite sides and clasping hands around them 

 and drawing them in with a strong steady pressure. Very large 

 trees could not be very easily drawn close enough to cover 

 except at a great expense. 



Result. 

 No satisfactory results were obtained from Experiment No. 1, a 



few scattering buds only being found ou those unprotected as well 



as those covered. 



Covering trees bent over on the ground except with soil was not 



tried on account of the danger of injury from mice, although in 



one or two experiments made several years ago favorable results 



were obtained by covering with cornstalks. 



A covering of pine boughs is suggested as the least liable to attract 



mice. 



EXPERIMENT NO. 2. 



Following the suggestion that the peach buds might be injured by 

 the drying out of the moisture during the fall and winter, the follow- 

 ing materials were applied to the branches early in December of 1887. 

 Two trees were syringed with 



1st. A thin solution of glue. 



2d. Turpentine. 



3d. Turpentine and benzine. 



4th. Benzine and rosen. 



4th. 1 " and hard oil finish. 



oth. Linseed oil and turpentine. 



*The wood was not well matured and many of the branches heated. Tlie ))ranches not 

 thus injured showed more iminjured buds than those protected in any other way. 



