456 THE PEACH. 



is, by far, the best size for transplanting the peach one year 

 old from the bud. 



For northern latitudes, for cold soils, and for training, the 

 plum stock is much preferable to the peach for budding the fine 

 varieties. In England the plum stock is universally employed. 

 The advantage gained thereby is, not only, greater hardihood, 

 but a dwarfer and neater habit of growth, for their walls. In 

 France, some of the best cultivators prefer the almond stock, 

 and we have no doubt, as it would check the over productive- 

 ness of the peach, it would be desirable to employ it more gene- 

 rally in this climate. Still, healthy peach stocks afford the most 

 natural foundation for the growth of standard, orchard trees. 

 At the same time we must protest against the indiscriminate 

 employment (as is customary with some nurserymen,) of peach 

 stones from any and every source. With the present partially 

 diseased state of many orchards in this country, this is a prac- 

 tice to be seriously condemned. And, more especially, as with 

 a little care, it is always easy to procure stones from sections 

 of country where the Yellows is not prevalent. 



For rendering the peach quite dwarf, the Mirabelle plum 

 stock is often employed abroad. 



SOIL AND SITUATION. The very best soil for the peach is a rich, 

 deep sandy loam ; next to this, a strong, mellow loam ; then a 

 light, thin, sandy soil, and the poorest is a heavy, compact clay 

 soil. We are very well aware that the extensive and profitable 

 appropriation of thousands of acres of the lightest sandy soil in 

 New-Jersey and Delaware, has led many to believe that this is 

 the best soil for the peach. But such is not the fact, and the 

 short duration of this tree in those districts, is unquestionably 

 owing to the rapidity with which the soil is impoverished. We 

 have, on the contrary, seen much larger, finer, and richer flavour- 

 ed peaches, produced for a long time successively, on mellow loam, 

 containing but little sand, than upon any other soil whatever. 



It is a well founded practice not to plant peach orchards suc- 

 cessively upon the same site, but always to choose a new one. 

 From sixteen to twenty-five feet apart may be stated as the limits 

 of distance at which to plant this tree in orchards more space 

 being required in warm climates and rich soils than under the 

 contrary circumstances. North of New- York it is better al- 

 ways to make plantations in the spring, and it should be done 

 pretty early in the season. South of that limit it may usually 

 be done with equal advantage in the autumn. 



In districts of country where the fruit in the blossom is liable 

 to be cut off by spring frosts, it is found of great advantage to 

 make plantations on the north sides of hUls, northern slopes or 

 elevated grounds, in preference to warm galleys and southern 

 aspects. In the colder exposures the vegetation and blossoming 

 of the tree is retarded until after all danger of injury is past. 



