8 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 399 



combination, or earl}- sown buckwheat may be disced down in the fall and rye 

 sown. Legumes, except soy beans, are less desirable because they are too slow 

 in starting and make too little growth before they must be turned under. 



Cover crop growth will usually be increased considerably by the application 

 of fertilizer at the time of seeding. This is probably a much better time to apply 

 phosphoric acid, and perhaps potash, than in the spring. These materials will 

 be more quickly used by the coyer crop. Then the trees will benefit indirectly 

 from the increased organic matter turned under. Six to eight hundred pounds of 

 4-12-4 is recommended for soils of average fertility. 



Mulching with hay or similar material has been found to be a good practice 

 in apple orchards. There is reason to believe that it would be equalh' success- 

 ful in peach orchards. Spreading low grade hay as it becomes available over the 

 area occupied by the roots, benefits the trees in several ways. The decaying 

 mulch furnishes the trees with nitrates and potash, conserves moisture, and prob- 

 ably benefits them in other ways. The amount needed varies with the size cf 

 the trees. One to four tons of air-dry material per acre should be sufficient but 

 more will help. If enough is applied, no fertilization will be required after the 

 mulch has started to decay. 



Pruning 



The peach tree is subject to many ills which shorten its life. One of these is 

 the breaking down of the main framework of the tree. Hence pruning, particu- 

 larly during the first two or three years, is very important because it determines 

 to a large extent the form and strength of the tree's framework. There are two 

 methods of training by which the peach tree can be formed: the modified central 

 leader and the open center. Since the peach doesn't naturally form a central 

 leader, this type of tree will probably be more difficult to establish and maintain. 

 Also, a rather vigorous nursery tree is required for training in this way. Medium 

 or small-sized trees should be trained open center. 



To establish a modified leader tree, the leader should be headed 36 to 48 inches 

 high at planting time. As many scaffold branches as possible should be left, 

 particularly those ha\ing a wide branch angle and those well spaced both up and 

 down and around the trunk. The lower scaffold should be 12 to 18 inches from 

 the ground. The scaffolds should be headed back so that they will all be about 

 the same length. The second and third year anj' branches which develop sharp 

 crotch angles should be removed, and the tree thinned out lightlj . Special care 

 should be exercised to keep the scaffold branches and leader in balance, other- 

 wise the lower scafTolds may outgrow the leader. This type of tree is probabl}' 

 more subject to trunk and crotch injury during the winter than lower-headed 

 trees. 



Trees to be trained by the open center method should be headed low, 18 to 24 

 inches, at planting time. Such low-headed trees are easier to prune, thin, and 

 harvest and are less subject to trunk and crotch injury and wind damage during 

 the winter. The scaffold branches should be selected as close together and as 

 near the top of the leader as possible. Thiee is the best number. If these scaf- 

 folds are close enough together, they will form at the union with the trunk a very 

 strong knot-like growth which should result in very little splitting. If the nursery 

 free is vigorous, the scaffolds can be left 10 to 12 inches long; if it lacks vigor, 

 the\' should be cut to stubs, leaving just enough to retain the basal buds. If a 



