2496 



PEACH 



PEACH 



a fine mellow condition in the spring as soon as it 

 becomes dry enough to "work" well. This state of 

 tillage should then be maintained until about mid- 

 season by frequent harrowing. The time when culture 

 should cease varies with the locality and the variety. 



2792. Different forms of peach trees for planting. 



It is seldom possible to cultivate later than ten days or 

 two weeks previous to the ripening of the fruit, as the 

 branches become bent down with the crop. Early vari- 

 eties should commonly receive one or more cultiva- 

 tions after the crop has been picked. In the South, 

 tillage is often stopped in bearing orchards in late 

 June, while in the North it is continued until late 

 July. In dry seasons, late varieties require additional 

 culture to reach good size. A large proportion of 

 vegetable matter in the soil is an important factor in 

 the production of large fruit, especially in dry seasons. 

 Cover-crops should be grown wherever possible. 



Fertilizing. 



Rate and character of growth is a great limiting 

 factor in peach-production. A certain amount of 

 growth is necessary to maintain vigor and a proper 

 number of flower -buds. The. extent and time of 

 greatest growth determines size, color and quality of 

 fruit to a marked degree. The application of plant-food 

 or fertilizers is a feature of orchard practice that 

 directly concerns rate of growth. 



Trees in full bearing should make an annual growth of 

 at least 12 to 18 inches at the tips of leading branches 

 in most peach regions to maintain a maximum produc- 

 tion. Fruit-growers should apply fertilizers to secure a 

 growth according to their soil type and its conditions. 

 If such a growth is obtainable without fertilizer, its 

 application may prove detrimental, while if the soil is 

 thin and poor, heavy fertilizing will be required for 

 good results. 



Under the average conditions, the equivalent of 

 100 pounds nitrate of soda, 150 pounds muriate of 

 potash, and 400 pounds acid phosphate will not be 

 found to be excessive, and additional nitrate will be 

 needed in many cases. In districts where the winters 

 are severe, however, nitrogenous fertilizers must be 

 applied sparingly. 



Pruning. 



Two distinct types of pruning are practised with the 

 peach. One is to allow the tree to form its own particu- 



lar habit of development except to thin out the branches 

 somewhat as illustrated in Fig. 2794 as contrasted 

 with Fig. 2793. Figs. 2795 and 2796 show other exam- 

 ples of this treatment. The other is to practise annual 

 cutting back of the branches as well as thinning out, to 

 produce a strong compact and yet well-spread tree, as 

 illustrated in Fig. 2797. The first method may result 

 in the somewhat earlier production of fruit, as much 

 pruning tends to delay fruiting. Trees whose main 

 branches are not cut back annually are more likely to 

 suffer from breakage not only in seasons of heavy 

 crops, but also during ice-storms in winter. On each 

 tree, also, the vigorous fruit-bearing parts tend to 

 extend farther away from the main trunk each year. 

 Fig. 2793 illustrates the habit of growth assumed by an 

 unpruned tree. 



The peach produces its fruit-buds upon the one- 

 year-old wood-growth. On vigorous twigs the buds 

 commonly occur in groups of three, as illustrated in 

 Figs. 2798, 2799, the two outer buds being flower-buds 

 and the center bud a leaf-bud. Sometimes all three 

 buds are flower-buds and sometimes only one. Single 

 flower-buds may frequently occur also. 



Many fads in pruning prevail, which have no eco- 

 nomic bearing upon the amount and quality of the crop. 

 The height to which the trees should be cut back when 

 planted varies with different growers, but from 18 to 

 24 inches is a good average. Some prefer the extreme 

 of 6 inches, but such low trees often make borer- 

 removal difficult. 



At the end of the first season's growth, the real 

 pruning of the tree begins. At that time the main 

 branches of the tree should be chosen. The best three 

 or four well-placed branches should be chosen to form 

 the framework for the future top of the tree as illus- 

 trated in Figs. 2800, 2801. These should be distributed 

 upon the trunk and not issue from the same point, 

 although on different sides, as in Fig. 2802. In some 

 cases a tree may have developed only a single irregu- 

 lar shoot and this will then require severe cutting back 

 to encourage branching at the desired height. Fig. 

 2803 shows a good two-year-old tree, low-headed. 



When several side branches occupy much the same 

 space or cross one another, a choice of one should be 

 made and the remainder pruned off. The amount of 

 cutting-back to be practised at the close of the first 

 season upon the main branches selected for the perma- 

 nent framework of the tree depends on the form of 

 the tree. If it is compact, vigorous, and of the desired 

 form, the cutting back of each tip to the first good 

 side branch is all that is necessary. Should one main 

 branch be irregular in growth, more severe pruning 

 is desirable. 

 Severe cutting- 

 back, save in the 

 case of poorly 

 formed trees, 

 only delays 

 fruiting and in- 

 creases the ex- 

 pense. 



During the 

 second summer, 

 the necessity for 

 severe winter 

 pruning may be 

 prevented by the 

 rubbing off of 

 any shoots that 

 tend to develop 

 as suckers low 

 down upon the 

 trunk, or in the 

 center of the 

 tree where they 

 are not wanted, 2793. Unpruned thick-topped peach tree. 



