No. 4.] PEACH GROWING. 141 



of us and drops. The first thing every morning the men go through 

 the orchard and pick up what have fallen. In this way they do 

 not destroy them while working, and they are ready for the day's 

 retail trade and the peddlers. 



By going through the orchard in the winter and picking the 

 dried or rotten- peaches, and burning or burying them, and by 

 going through the Greensboro just before they begin to gtit ripe 

 and picking the rotten peaches, we have had very little trouble with 

 peaches rotting on the trees. Let us go back for a few minutes to 

 the trimming of the tree. We have made it a spreading tree, to 

 allow the sun to get at the fruit to give it high color. Therefore, 

 in order to save many of the trees from destruction, we are obliged 

 to bolt many bad crotches and wire from one limb across to the 

 opposite one. This can well be done by using about No. 108 screw 

 eyes which are screwed into the wood. Wire across with about No. 

 12 wire. Many limbs can also be saved when carrying a heavy load 

 by tying one limb to another with soft, strong string. Care should 

 be taken when tying trees in this way not to tie too short, but to 

 aUow the limbs to bend Avell over before the string supports them. 

 If they are tied too short it makes the bend in the limb too sharp, 

 and it will break just above the string. After the crop is har- 

 vested these strings should be cut off to prevent them from injuring 

 the trees. The fertilizer should be bought in the late fall or winter, 

 so that it can be drawn during the slack season, and be on hand 

 when needed. It is well to have a little nitrate of soda on hand; 

 then if the trees are making a slow growth, and the fruit begins to 

 drop too much, put on some, or if a tree here or there does not 

 look quite thrifty doctor it with a little nitrogen. Do not put on 

 too much at a time, but put it on two or three times if necessary. 



After the peaches are unloaded at the sorting shed they are 

 sorted by women. We insist that the fruit be handled with care both 

 by pickers and sorters. One woman has charge over the other 

 sorters. This woman also has charge of the retail trade. The 

 peaches are sorted so that most of them are No. I's or No. 2's. 

 However, the very ripe ones and the specked ones are sorted out, 

 also the very large ones, which are marked " extras." Make the 

 peaches the same grade all through the basket. Toward the top^ 

 place the red side of the peach up and round the basket. A basket 

 finished off this way is pleasing to the eye. After the peaches are 

 sorted they are loaded on the wagon or wagons, according to the 

 number of baskets on hand. One three-horse wagon carries 336 

 baskets. This wagon was built specially for hauling peaches. In 

 the nish season it makes two trips a day, or rather in twenty-four 

 hours, to Spring-field wholesale houses, a distance of about 10 miles. 

 It starts about 1 o'clock a.m., and returns about 9 or 10 o'clock. 

 The wagon is again loaded and another team goes with it. returmng 



