WINTER PROTECTION. 53 



fifteen to fifty dollars' worth of manure or fertilizer; yet many a 

 fruit grower will expect to gather crops, many times the value' of 

 either of the above, without any fertilizer at all, The fruit 

 growers who apply to their orchard annually twenty-five dollars' 

 worth of fertilizing material, I believe are few in number. In 

 the case of a Peach orchard from five to ten years old, this 

 amount, or even fifty dollars' worth would not be too large a 

 supply to put on to an acre when the trees are to bear a heavy 

 crop. As with the apple and pear, manures or fertilizers should 

 l>e applied late in the fall and early in the spring. While young, 

 much care is needed not to force too large a growth of wood. 

 For fruit, ground bone and potash is the best fertilizer that can 

 be used. 



The growth of the Peach tree in turf land promises to be a 

 method by which much of the climatic injury may be avoided. 



AGE OF BEARING. Fruit may be expected in paying quantities 

 at from three to five years from planting in the orchard. The 

 average age of the Peach tree in this section is hard to deter- 

 mine, but is not probably over ten years from the time of trans- 

 planting, and during this time the average number of crops may 

 perhaps be three. 



The greatest obstacle to the successful cultivation of the Peach 

 in this latitude, is the destruction of the fruit-buds in cold 

 weather, It occurs in seasons when the growth is late, or 

 when the buds are started into growth by extremely warm 

 weather in December, followed by severe cold. It is claimed 

 by many fruit culturists that the fruit-buds will be destroy- 

 ed under any conditions when the thermometer indicates 

 1.") below zero. Little, however, is positively known as to this 

 matter, and this claim may be generally the case, but I have 

 known buds to be uninjured by a temperature of 18 below zero, 

 and also to be destroyed by a temperature not lower than 18 

 above zero, Fahrenheit. 



WINTER PROTECTION. This uncertainty of the Peach crop 

 leads us to consider if some means may not be employed by 

 which the crop may be made secure. 



One method which I successfully adopted a few years since, is that 

 of laving down the trees. Two young trees about four years old 

 were taken for the experiment. The roots upon one side were loosen- 

 ed and cut off at about one foot from the tree. The soil was 

 then loosened upon the other side, and the trees bent down and held 

 in place by a heavy post. Over the whole was thrown a few bun- 

 dles of corn stover. The roots that stood out of the ground 

 when the tree lay prostrate were covered with a foot or two of 

 soil. In this state the trees passed the winter in safety, and in 

 the spring were righted up and the soil pressed carefully and 

 firmly about the roots. The result was a fair crop of Peaches 

 when all other buds were destroyed. This seems a practicable 

 method, and if the roots are made to grow more largely upon ono 



