278 STONE FRUITS 



Preliminary to the digging of the holes for the trees the 

 grower should plow one or two furrows as deep as the plow will 

 run along the line which marks each row. This practice 

 greatly reduces the amount of digging that must be done. 

 The holes should be broad enough to admit the roots without 

 crowding. The trees should be planted 2 or 3 inches deeper 

 than they stood in the nursery row. 



In preparing a tree for planting all of the injured and 

 mutilated roots should be cut off. The long, slender and 

 irregular roots should be shortened to the proper length to 

 make the root system uniform. 



Unless the tree is exceptionally large all of the branches 

 should be removed, leaving only a single unbranched stem. 

 The stem should be cut back to the desired height to form 

 the head of the tree. The height ranges from 18 to 30 inches, 

 according to the taste of the grower. 



As a rule, only thrifty, well-grown, one-year-old trees 

 should be planted. Each tree should be free from injurious 

 insect pests as well as fungous diseases. 



A well-grown tree does not always mean the largest tree 

 in the nursery, but, on the other hand, the medium-sized trees 

 are probably fully as desirable as the larger ones. A tree that 

 has a well-developed root system should always be selected. 



The exact time for the planting of the peach cannot readily 

 be given. In general, in the northern section, where the 

 winters are severe, spring planting is preferred. The planting 

 should begin as soon as the ground can be worked. In the 

 middle and the southern latitude, where the winters are mild 

 and where the fall season is favorable for the working of the 

 ground, fall planting is generally successful and is preferred 

 by many growers. It is desirable, however, to have fall 

 planted trees reestablish some root action in their new loca- 

 tion before the winter begins. 



The distance apart the peach is planted is regulated by 

 the topography of the land, the fertility of the soil and the 

 varietal characteristics of the tree. The most common 

 distances are 18 x 18 feet, 18 x 20 feet and 20 x 20 feet. 

 Occasionally trees are set 25 x 25 feet apart, and this distance 

 probably does not allow any more space than the trees need. 



