Chapter IV, 



CULTIVATION OF THE ORCHARD. 

 Before entering into the matter of cultivating the 

 orchard I will say here, that should one wish to 

 plant Peach trees on land inclined to be heavy and 

 clayey, and with a sub-soil not porous, or in a soil from 

 which the water does not vanish after a rain, in a reason- 

 able time, the first step would be to underdrain that soil, 

 thoroughly, for any crop, but more particularly for the 

 peach. Run the drains, surface and underdrains, both, 

 so as to cut off all the springs, bringing the land into 

 condition at once to raise a good crop of corn ; then on 

 such land you may plant Peach trees, and if your trees 

 should go too much to wood and drop their fruit, or be 

 lacking in color, or suffer with leaf-curl, you must still 

 further dry out the ground or fail in your orchard. Now, 

 when shall we begin to cultivate the orchard, and how.? 

 My own observation and experience lead me to practise 

 and advocate early ploughing in the spring, just as soon 

 as it is possible to start the plough and make good work. 

 By so doing we give the roots a slight pruning, thus 

 checking a too rapid tendency to development of the 

 buds, and they, being held back, are not so liable to be 

 injured by the early frosts. On the other hand, experi- 

 enced growers tell us to wait until after corn has 



