108 THE HOME ACRE. 



branches reach, remembering that the head above 

 is the measure of the root extension below. 

 Air-slacked lime is also useful to the peach in 

 small quantities; and so, no doubt, would be a 

 little salt from time to time. Bone-meal is highly 

 recommended. 



Like other fruit-trees, the peach does not thrive 

 on low, wet ground, and the fruit-buds are much 

 more apt to be winter-killed in such localities. A 

 light, warm soil is regarded as the most favorable. 



Of course we can grow this fruit on espaliers, as 

 they do abroad ; but there are few localities where 

 any advantage is to be derived from this course. 

 In our latitude I much prefer cool northern expo- 

 sures, for the reason that the fruit-buds are kept 

 dormant during warm spells in winter, and so late 

 in spring that they escape injury from frost. Al- 

 ternate freezing and thawing is more harmful than 

 steady cold. The buds are seldom safe, however, 

 at any time when the mercury sinks ten or fifteen 

 degrees below zero. 



As we have intimated, abuse of the peach-tree 

 has developed a fatal disease, known as the " yel- 

 lows." It manifests itself in yellow, sickly foliage, 

 numerous and feeble sprouts along the larger limbs 

 and trunk, and small, miserable fruit, ripening pre- 

 maturely. I can almost taste the yellows in much 

 of the fruit bought in market. Some regard the 



