468 THE PEACH. 



plant four or five thousand in a day. In a few days a second 

 portion will be found sprouted, which plant as before ; and so 

 on, so long as the process continues. Those which do not 

 open (often not more than one-third of the whole), will grow 

 another year if kept moist and exposed. 



If the soil is good, and the cultivator is passed between the 

 rows as often as once a fortnight oftener is better the trees 

 will be large enough to bud by the close of summer. 



In cases where the ground cannot be prepared early for 

 their reception, germination may be retarded by burying the 

 uncracked stones a foot or two beneath the surface, till 

 wanted. 



The distances of the rows asunder should be about the same 

 as for apples and other trees in the nursery, or about three 

 and a half feet. 



Plum-stocks for the peach slightly lessen their luxuriance of 

 growth, render the trees smaller, thus slightly increasing their 

 hardiness for the extreme North by favoring an early maturity 

 of the young wood. It is, however, important to observe 

 that this does not add to the hardiness of the fruit-buds. 

 Small dwarfs are produced by budding on the Mirabelle, a 

 diminutive variety of the plum. The plum-stock is also 

 sometimes employed to guard against the peach-borer, a rem- 

 edy often unsuccessful, as that insect frequently attacks the 

 peach above the place of union. On the whole, the practice 

 of working the peach on the plum is not regarded by fruit- 

 culturists with much favor. 



Unlike most other fruit trees, the peach may be transplanted 

 in the spring next after the insertion of the bud, with scarcely 

 a check in its growth. 



Soils. It may be observed, as a general rule, that soils 

 affording good farm crops, and with a well-drained subsoil, 

 are well adapted to peach-orchards. On a strong loam, the 

 trees grow with more uniform luxuriance and live longer than 

 on light, sandy, or gravelly soils. Even a compact clay may 

 be made suitable for the peach by regular and thorough 

 underdraining and mellow cultivation. On the light sands 

 of New Jersey and Delaware orchards succeed and bear well 

 for a time, but they do not endure so long as where the soil 

 has a considerable admixture of heavier ingredients. 



