BUDDING THE PEACH. 61 



when they begin to germinate in the spring. It sometimes hap- 

 pens that the action of the frost is not sufficient to crack the 

 stones, when it must be done by a slight blow with a light ham- 

 mer upon the edge of the pit, placed upon a block of wood. The 

 kernels should be planted in rows the same distance as for fall 

 planting, and be covered one inch deep. The advantage of fall 

 planting is that it requires less labor, but many of the pits will 

 fail to germinate, and where small quantities are grown this 

 method is not to be recommended. In spring planting, every kernel 

 will generally germinate and the nursery rows will be more fully 

 stocked than if the uncracked pits were planted in the fall. 



The soil best adapted to the growth of good trees is a medium 

 sandy or gravelly loam. The fertilizer used should be well de- 

 composed stable manure, in moderate quantities, with fine ground 

 bone and potash. The land should not be too rich, as, if the 

 growth is very rapid and coarse, the trees are liable to injury dur- 

 ing the winter. A soil that will produce fifty to seventy-five bush- 

 els of corn to the acre is sufficiently rich for Peaches. 



Budding. — The seedlings make a rapid growth and will be in 

 readiness to bud in August. The best time for this work is just 

 before the growth is checked by early frosts, or the last of August or 

 first of September. The Peach is very easily budded and the 

 growth is so rapid at this season that the bands must be cut in a 

 week or two from the time of budding or the buds will be injured 

 by the cutting in of the bands, or rather by the over-growth of 

 the stock. The stocks should be cut off the following spring and 

 only the inserted bud allowed to grow, as directed for the apple. 

 At one year from cutting of the stock, the trees are in their best 

 condition for transplanting, and at this age are better than if older. 

 They are divided into No. 1 and No. 'J grades, classed according 

 to size. The larger trees are generally those that were budded 

 upon the stronger and most vigorous stocks, and consequently are 

 most valuable ; although the smaller the tree, as a rule, the less 

 loss of roots there will be in digging and in two or three years 

 from planting the smaller trees will often equal the larger in size. 

 June-budded trees are being advertised very largely by many 

 nurserymen. Although small in size, having grown only one sea- 

 son from the seed, the roots are much less injured in digging and 

 are less checked by removal than larger trees. In cost there is 

 little or no advantage either way between the June-budded and 

 the No. 1 fall-budded trees. 



The Orchard. — The best soil for the Peach is a warm, sandy 

 or gravelly loam, situated upon more or less of an elevation. The 

 exposui-e may be either north, south, east or west, if the land is 

 high; but the fruit will be of better quality if the exposure is to 

 the soiith, southeast or southwest. The reason why the Peach 

 succeeds better upon high land may be found in the fact that the 

 extremes of heat and cold are not as severe, and that the higher 

 hp we go the earlier and more thoroughly will the wood be ripen- 

 ed, and the later will the buds start in the spring. 



