90 Planting and managing Peach Orchards. 



Art. III. Jin account of the Method of planting and man- 

 aging Peach Orchards, as practised in JWw Jersey. By 

 T. Hancock, Nurseryman, Burlington, N. J. 



The peach tree is very extensively cultivated throughout 

 New .lersey, and large quantities of the fruit are annually sent 

 to the New York and Philadelphia markets. Since the open- 

 ing of the communication by rail-road between these two 

 cities, through the interior of the State, it has beeu the means 

 of greatly increasing the number of peach orchards, and many 

 large and extensive plantations have been made. Within a 

 (ew years, from the increased facilities of rapid and safe trans- 

 portation by rail-road, between Boston, Providence, and 

 Stonington, the eastern cities have been supplied, to a very 

 great extent, with New Jersey peaches, and the opening of 

 such a market has induced cultivators to plant more extensive- 

 ly, in order to supply the demand. The crop proves a very 

 profitable one for the light soils of a portion of the State, as 

 the trees flourish very well where the land is not sufficiently 

 good to produce but a very few bushels of corn to the acre. 



If the few following remarks, in relation to our mode of 

 cultivating the peach, will interest your readers, you can give 

 them a place in your pages. I have an orchard of some ex- 

 tent, and have, in some seasons, gathered a very large crop. 



When it is intended to plant out a good orchard of trees, 

 we generally select an elevated position, entirely unprotected 

 by any timber or shelter of any kind: if a situation can be 

 selected near the bank of a river, the crop is more certain, as 

 the trees better withstand the frosts, which occasionally do 

 much damage. 



Plough, and put the land in good condition for corn or veg- 

 etables, and plant the trees twenty feet apart each way. Con- 

 tinue to till the land, taking off a crop of peas, beans, pota- 

 toes, or something that does not grow too high: wheat, rye, 

 and oats are very injurious, and should not be planted. The 

 land must not remain without tillage, as the trees would soon 

 be injured; indeed, nothing will kill a fine peach orchard soon- 

 er than to let it lie in sward. 



The trees should be two years old on the stock, (from 

 seed,) arid one year from the bud, (the year after budding.) 

 This is considered as the best age for transplanting. If the 



