ROUND TABLE TALKS 



PEACH GROWING IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS. 

 L. W. Rice of Wilbraham. 



First choose the site of the orchard. This should be a 

 place of good elevation with good air and water drainage, 

 which some times is hard to find and purchase. The land 

 should be cleared of all trees and rocks. This can be ac- 

 complished best, and with least expense, by using dynamite. 

 An orchard can be raised if the stumps and rocks are not 

 all cleared away but in the end the cost of clearing is saved 

 m broken tools, loss of time, and unpleasantness while spray- 

 ing and cultivating. It is a pleasure to work in an orchard 

 that has been well cleared, while one in which the stumps 

 and rocks have been left is constantly trying one's patience. 

 We want to so carry on our business that the work in the or- 

 chard will be a pleasure; and it is a pleasure to work in a 

 good orchard. If the land contains any wet places they 

 should be tile drained. These should be placed 3 1-2 feet 

 deep, so that the roots of the trees will not displace them; 

 ?.lso, so as to drain the soil deep enough to give the roots 

 plenty of room. The land should be thoroughly plowed. 

 This is a slow tedious job on rough land. It is best to plow 

 the land in the fall, for then it will be finer and in better 

 shape than if left until spring. If, however, one is unable to 

 plow until Spring, and it be a dry Spring, harrow every 

 morning what was ploughed the day before. In this way 

 the lands holds the moisture. 



Next comes the problem of selecting the trees. This 

 should also be done the previous fall in order to obtain the 

 desired varieties and grades of trees. In selecting varieties 

 it is best to choose such as will ripen in succession so as to 

 hold the market and distribute the labor over as long a 

 period as possible. A good succession covering the period 



