ORCHARD CULTIVATION. 79 



Three feet is a very good height. Those planted in the 

 fall, should be treated in the very same way in the spring 

 following. This should be done as early in the spring as 

 the weather will admit, as it is desirable to confine all the 

 ascending sap to the stem, and not let it be wasted in the 

 branches which are to be cut off. Some uninformed and 

 mexperienced planters often leave a few branches, hoping 

 thereby to induce earlier fruiting; but it has no such 

 effect, but rather retards it ; for it should always be re- 

 membered, that fruit is only produced on wood of the 

 previous year's growth ; so that these branches on the 

 trees when planted, never can produce fruit, unless it be 

 the first season. This very seldom occurs, and is never 

 desirable. 



CROPPING. 



The usual crop cultivated in a young peach orchard, is 

 corn small grains, never. It is believed, that if the 

 ground was merely cultivated between the rows, kept 

 loose and clear of weeds and grass, the young trees would 

 make more rapid growth ; and to cultivate with low 

 vegetables, such as potatoes, cabbages, and so forth, would 

 be better than corn. But it is too long to wait for a re- 

 turn, to leave the ground idle until the peaches come in ; 

 and the acreage is too great, to cultivate it all in potatoes 

 or other root crop. It is, therefore, cultivated in the 

 favorite crop, corn. And this is perhaps the best after 

 all, as the injury to the young orchard is but slight, 

 while the return is considerable. 



The ground is prepared in the spring as any other. It 

 is plowed, harrowed, sometimes rolled, and then marked 

 out and planted, with four rows between each row of 

 trees. It is done in this way : Run a furrow for a row of 

 corn four feet from the row of trees; then another four 

 feet from that one ; a third four feet from the last, and a 

 fourth four feet from the third. The distances will count 



