PEACH 



it is too strong for the Peach. The second trouble may 

 be the too free use of baru manures or other nitrogenous 

 fertilizers, or too late tillage in the fall. 



The keynote to the proper fertilizing of Peaeh 

 orchards is liberal use of potash and phosphoric acid 

 and sparing use of nitrogen. Ashes, muriate ot potash, 

 bone fertilizers,— these are some of the best fertilizers 

 for Peach trees. Tillage, with green manure crops at 

 the end of the season, can be relied upon to furnish the 

 nitrogen in most instances; and it is even possible to 

 plow under too much Tetch or crimson cl(p\er in the 

 course ot years. Peaches which overgrow are likely to 

 suffer in winter. 



Pruning Peach rcces. — The methods of pruning Peach 

 trees are the occasion of much discussion amongst po 

 mologists. The differences of opinion turn thieflv about 

 three practices, — short trunks with rapidly ascending 

 branches; high trunks with more horizontal branches, 

 aiul shortening-in or heading-back the annual growth 

 Each of these three methods has anient ad\ocates and 

 opponents. It is probable that each system has distinct 

 merits for i)articular cases. The nature and fertility of 

 the soil are often the dominating factors m these oppos 

 ing methods. A system of pruning which fits the slow 

 growth and hard wood of sandy soils maj not be adapted 

 to the rapid growth aud heavier tops of tiees on strong 

 soils. Fig. llJliT shows what is believed to be in gen 

 eral, the best method of pruning Peach tiees on sandy 

 or what may be called Peach soils. It is thi mturnl 

 method. The tree is allowed to spread its ti \> it will 

 with no heading-in. The foliage is com| it him h Ivlit 

 and does not place great weight upon till In ith lit s lud 

 the trees, on such lands, do not grow huh kh tu sm h 

 great size as on heavy lands. This method of allowing 

 a tree to make its natural top is the common one in the 

 Chesapeake peninsula (Fig. 1668) and in the Michigan 

 Peach belt (Fig. 1669). It will be observed, also, that 

 the pictures show trees witli sli,.it trunks ami forking 

 branches. It is a pr.valrnt ..imn. n ih.n -urh trees are 

 more likely to split with l":i.U ..i funt iIkui tliose which 

 have more" horizontal br;ni.-l,.s. I,ui this ,. ;,n error. Of 

 course, much care should be exercised to s,-e that the 

 branches do not start off from the trunk at exactly the 

 same height, thus making a true fork or Y. With this 

 precaution, the i-rotchy trees are no more likely to split 

 than the others, while they allow of a much better form 

 of top, unless the tree is to be headed-in. The horizontal 

 branches of the high-topped trees often appear to carry 

 a load of fruit with less ease than the more upright 

 branches of the other style of training. This danger 

 ot breaking is greatly lessened if the fruit is properly 

 tliiriiii'd. The low trunk permits a more open top, and 

 this sei-ms to be an advantage. One is often surprised 

 at the tliiimess of top in the best Peach orchards of 

 .Micliigan and Delaware. In such tops, the Peach should 

 color better, and it is reasonable to expect less trouble 

 from fungi. 



Yet there is much to be said for the high-topped trees. 

 They are more easy to till and it is ciuite as easy to pick 

 their tniit ; and 111. -re is less tendency to make long and 

 spiau liiiu' Ih- iiicii. s as a result of careless pruning. On 

 rirh lainK. it i~ p. iliaps the better method. And here 

 is tlir .liict' nas.iii for heading-back in tlie North,— 

 tiie nicessity of checking the growth and keeping the 

 tree witliin bounds when it is growing in a strong soil. 

 Whetliir one shall head-in his trees or not, therefore, 

 must depend on circumstances. In sandy Peach lands 

 it is generally unnecessary, but it may be a good prac- 

 tice when trees make an over-exuberant growth. This 

 heading-in is usually done in the winter, from a third 

 to half the annual growth being removed. 



Heading-in the branches always tends to make a thick- 

 topped tree. The best growers usually give much atten- 

 tion to cutting out the small unprofitable wood from the 

 center of the tree (compare Figs. 1670, 1G71). This labor' 

 may be greatly increased if heading-in is practiced. If 

 not persistently thinned of the inner growths, headed-in 

 trees tend to produce fruits of lighter color and of later 

 ripening. Many orchards have suffered from twig- 

 blight in these central shoots. 



The pruning may be made a thinning process. The 

 fruit of the Peach is borne on the wood of the previous 

 year. The Peach makes true flower-buds, — those con- 

 taining no leaves. Two flower-buds are borne together 



as a rule, on either side of a leaf-bud. These buds 

 often show plainly as early as August, or even earlier. 

 At that time the position of some of the fruit-buds may 

 be distinguished by the triple leaves (Fig. 1672). When 



the leases ha\e tallin, the t«in fruit buds, with the 

 leaf -bud between, present the appearance shown m 

 Pig 1673 Not always do the two buds develop one of 

 them may be aborted or minred so thnt a single flower- 

 bud and a leaf-bud stind tuiri thi r These flower buds 



art borne on both the sti 

 the weak growths in tin 

 fruits in the interior of t 

 poor, theritoie it is ir"'»l 



shoots nil tilt Ill-nil nl t 



truit 111. I ill. .Hill. 111. . 11. 



beat! 



distaiii . 



less th. I - i 



little itsuH II, uiiii 



Thinnim, th^ 1 



in thinning the fr 



Peaches sh.inld st 



and 



The 



Ii U.I |ii\s bitter 



i.e which the remain- 

 or m the vital energy 

 h trees that are regu 

 \eai, barring iniunes 

 forget 



1664 Crawford Peach i 1 1 1 



that the work is more easily done in .June or .1 

 in September. The thinning should be ilela; 

 the fruit is the size of the end of one's th 

 by this time the "June drop" has occurred. 



