168 THE PRACTICAL GARDEN -BOOK 



may be fruited in many sections where now it is thought 

 impossible to have a crop. It is usually the practice of the 

 amateur to set Peach trees in the shelter of some building, 

 exposed on the south or east to the sun, and "in a pocket" 

 as regards winds. This should be reversed, except in the 

 close vicinity of large bodies of water. The fruit buds of 

 Peaches will stand very cold weather when perfectly dor- 

 mant, often as low as 12 or 18 below zero in New 

 York; but if the buds once become swollen, comparatively 

 light freezing will destroy the crop. Therefore, if the trees 

 be set on elevations where a constant air drainage may be 

 obtained, sheltered, if at all, on the south 

 and east, from the warming influence of 

 the sun, the buds will remain dormant 

 until the ground becomes warm, and the 

 chances of a failure will be lessened. This 

 Peaches" advice applies mostly to interior sections. 



A well drained, sandy loam or gravelly soil 

 suits the Peach better than a heavy soil ; but if the heavier 

 soil is well drained, good crops may be obtained. 



Peaches are short-lived at best, and one should be satis- 

 fied with three or four crops from each tree. They bear 

 young, usually a partial crop the third year. If a crop may 

 be had every other year until the trees are eight or ten 

 years old, they will have well repaid the effort of cultivation. 

 But they often bear twice this long. Young trees may be 

 set every four or five years to replace older ones, thus 

 having trees at a bearing age at all times on a small place. 

 Trees should be set 14 to 18 feet apart each way. A good 

 selection of varieties for home use would be Early York> 

 Alexander, Hale Early, Mountain Rose, Early Crawford, 

 Wheatland, Stump, Elberta, Stevens, Oldmixon, Late Craw~ 

 ford and Smock. 



Peach trees are always bought when they are one year 

 old, that is, one year from the bud. For example, the bud 

 is set in the fall of 1898. It remains dormant until the 



