PEACHES 153 



In the past many apple orchards have been 

 planted with peach trees as "fillers" between 

 the permanent trees. There are several reasons 

 why this is not good practice, but perhaps the 

 best one is that the average grower does not re- 

 move the trees before they begin to interfere. 

 We usually overlook the fact that the roots of 

 a tree may be crowding its neighbor even if 

 the branches still seem to have plenty of room. 

 The old rule that the roots extend as far as "the 

 drip of the branches" can not be depended on 

 for under certain conditions they extend much 

 farther than that. Recently we had occasion to 

 open a ditch in the orchard and uncovered the 

 root of an apple tree. As there was no tree 

 close at hand we traced the root and found 

 that it originated from a Yellow Transparent 

 standing about twenty feet away. To judge 

 from the top of the tree the roots should not 

 have extended more than four or five feet at 

 the most. We should remember too that the 

 peach tree, being a fast growing sort, will send 

 its roots out in search of food even farther 

 than will the apple. 



The pruning of the peach should start at the 

 time it is planted — or before. It is a good plan 

 to prune the trees before they are set in the 

 ground. This can be done by the man who un- 

 packs the box or bale as it comes from the 

 nursery. 



