No. 4.] PEACH CULTURE. 447 



assumption that the trees will blossom enough earlier on the south- 

 eastern slope so that the crop will be caught by late frosts in certain 

 years. It must be said, that while this assumption may prove true in 

 a few cases, it will not hold good for the majority of localities in Mas- 

 sachusetts, — at least not for Worcester County and the territory 

 from there to the western hue of the State. Old peach growers who 

 have observed this matter closely assert that the peach buds in western 

 Massachusetts are never killed by late frosts. This observation agrees 

 entirely with the experience of the writer, although that experience 

 covers only four years of residence in the State. Peach buds are often 

 injured, and, indeed, entire crops are lost; butM:.he injury is due to 

 heavy freezing during the winter, and not to the blossoms being caught 

 by late frosts in the spring. 



These observations have an important bearing on the question of 

 exposure. If it is a fact that the crop never suffers from late frosts, 

 then the selection of a north or northeast slope is of much less conse- 

 quence. On the other hand, there are some real advantages in a warmer 

 exposure. We have none too much summer heat in most parts of 

 Massachusetts for the proper ripening of the peach crop. The trees 

 thrive better in warm situations, while the crop of fruit ripens better, 

 takes a better color and reaches a higher quality. 



The ideal soil for peaches is found on some of our warm, gravelly 

 hilltops and hillsides. The small drumlins, made up of loose glacial 

 deposit, found in the Connecticut valley region, are apt to be especially 

 good. Even sandy soils are excellent for growing peaches, unless the 

 sand is too fine or unless the drainage is bad. Heavy, cold clay soils 

 are entirely unsuited to the peach tree. In this connection it may be 

 well to point out that peach trees may be to some extent adapted to 

 clay soils of fairly heavy texture by being propagated on plum roots. 

 The plum is naturally adapted to a stiffer soil than the peach. The 

 peach tree may be readily budded on to the plum root, and, if the 

 proper variety of plum is chosen, the union is a good one and long-lived. 

 The Myrobalan plum — the one usually used in this country as a bud- 

 ding stock — is probably the poorest one of all for the propagation of 

 peaches. The old-fashioned "horse plum," which formerly was used 

 in some nurseries, is much better. The St. Julien plum, used in many 

 European nurseries, is satisfactory, and can always be secured com- 

 mercially, although it costs considerably more than the Myrobalan. 

 The native Americana plum, now extensively grown in western nurs- 

 eries, makes an admirable stock for peaches, and is well adapted to 

 our Massachusetts soils. All these plum stocks have more or less of a 

 tendency to dwarf the peach tree, but this is an advantage rather than 

 a disadvantage. The fact that the peach trees are thereby brought 

 earlier into bearing increases the chances of securing a crop before 

 the tops are frozen back; and the fact that the smaller trees may be 

 planted more thickly on the ground is an economy of land. 



