APPENDIX. * 223 



and will not thrive. There are a great many 

 farmers complaining that they cannot raise any 

 fruit. Truly, how can they expect to raise fruit 

 when they will crowd their trees into small 

 holes, and the soil so hard that you can scarcely 

 drive a stake into it with a sledge, and ahove 

 all the land starved out, the grass and weeds 

 suffered to grow up at such a rate that you are 

 not ahle to see the body of the tree. Young 

 trees should he nursed and cultivated, keeping 

 the soil mellow hy repeated stiri-ing and pre- 

 venting the growth of any vegtahle for several 

 feet from the tree. A hoed crop is next best to 

 clear mellow ground. A sowed crop, grass or 

 weeds is ruinous to young trees. After you 

 have your tress well set', you should by all 

 means wash them down once or twice a year 

 with soap and water . Say about one quart of 

 soap to two quarts of water — wash from the 

 large branches to the bottom — this v/ill destroy 

 the insects that may be put into the body and 

 limbs of the tree. Many drooping trees have 

 been made healthy by using this wash. If you 

 wish to preserve your peach trees, it is neces- 

 sary for you to apply this to them twice a year, 

 also frequently pouring reasonably hot soap 



