J 60 THE NURSERY AND THE ORCHARD. 



ly selected. The soil should be a dry, moderately rich, 

 sandy loam, rather than heavy clay, well prepared by 

 deep plowing. Orchards on elevated sites are considered 

 least liable to injury from frost. Some kinds of peaches 

 produce the same, or with slight variations, from the 

 seed. Seedling trees are very hardy, and their fruit is 

 often of good quality ; but this method cannot be relied 

 upon to propagate our improved varieties, as it is the 

 natural tendency, when their seeds are planted to de- 

 teriorate — go back to the lower type from which they 

 sprang. Trees combining hardiness with superior qual- 

 ity of fruit may be obtained by planting well matured 

 seeds from vigorous seedling trees in hills the proper dis- 

 tance apart for the trees, on grouna where they can re- 

 main, and budding on them the kind it is desired to pro- 

 pagate. Several seeds should be planted in each hill, 

 and when a few inches high all but the most vigorous 

 one of the seedlings can be removed; with the proper at- 

 tention in the way of pruning, cultivation and protec- 

 tion from insects, trees raised in this way will live many 

 years. 



One great difficulty in peach culture is the result of 

 bad pruning. When the limbs are left to take their own 

 course, they soon become long and slim with very few 

 branches near their base, as represented in figure 108. 

 The tendency of the sap is strongly to the extremity of 

 the limbs at the expense of the buds on the lower part, 

 which are usually lost if not excited into growth the first 

 season after their formation. As the fruit is borne on 

 the wood of the preceding year's growth,a system of prun- 

 ing must be practiced that will keep the tree constantly 

 supplied with young bearing wood in all its parts. The 



