THE PEACH 



The peach is the tenderest of the large fruits grown in Ontario, and the fact that 

 it can be grown so successfully in some parts of the Province has done much to dissipate 

 the idea which at one time prevailed in the United ^States and abroad, that the climate 

 of Ontario was too severe for anything but the hardiest fruits. 



The district in Ontario where the peach succeeds best is the Niagara Peninsula, 

 where Lake Ontario and Lake Erie do much to amlieorate the climate and prevent in 

 a large measure the extremes in temperature which are fatal to peach culture. In the 

 Essex Peninsula, or the extreme southwestern part of the Province, the peach also suc- 

 ceeds well, but has in the past been more subject to root-killing in winter. This may 

 probably be guarded against in the future by the more general use of cover crops. 



The peach also does fairly well where the soil is suitable all along the Lake Erie- 

 Huron shores, the most favorable locations, however, being within four or five miles of 

 the water. During recent years it has been found that the peach will thrive along the 

 shore of Nottawasaga Bay, which is known as the Georgian Bay district, but up to the 

 present time only a limited number of trees have been planted. 



Peaches are raised for home use all over the western part of the Province with 

 varying degrees of success, depending on the protection afforded and the soil, but where 

 the temperature falls much more than 10 degrees Pahr. below zero success is very un- 

 certain. Probably the extreme northern limit where peaches have been produced in 

 the open is at Orillia, though the trees lived but a few years. They have been grown 

 as far east as the city of Belleville, and perhaps further. 



The market for the best peaches is good, and the peach where it can be grown suc- 

 cessfully is one of the most profitable fruits. 



As the peach is a tender fruit and the trees suffer when there are extremes of tem- 

 perature, and at certain seasons when there are light frosts, great judgment should be 

 shown in choosing a site for the orchard. Where possible, a site should be chosen with 

 an exiposure facing the water. If a northern exposure is available and the site is suit- 

 able in other ways it should be utilized, as often great injury is done by spring frosts 

 when the buds are swelling, and buds will not expand as rapidly on a northern slope as 

 on a southern. A site where local frosts are known to occur should be avoided. 



While the situation for the peach orchard is important, a site will avail little if the 

 soil is not suitable. The soil should be as near as possible a rich warm sandy loam 

 with an open gravelly subsoil affording perfect drainage. Orchards are occasionally 

 found thriving on heavier soils, but success is less certain on the heavier lands.. The 

 soil should be thoroughly prepared as recommended for the apple, and no fruit will 

 respond better to thorough tillage than the peach. 



Trees one year from the bud are the best kind to plant. They should be thrifty 

 and free from insects and disease. The best time to plant is early in the spring, although 

 fall planting is sometimes successful. Peach trees are planted twenty feet apart. When 

 planting, some of the best growers remove all of the side branches, leaving a mere whip, 

 while others cut the side branches back to within one or two buds of the main stem. 

 The advantage gained by the latter method is that the tree is stronger at the crotches and 

 not quite so liable to split down with weight of crop. Whatever plan is adopted, the 

 tree should be pruned back severely when set. Peaches are usually headed lower than 

 other large fruits, .from 12 to 18 inches from the ground being the usual distance at 

 which the head is started. For the first two or three years pruning should be carefully 

 done in order to get a well-balanced top with four or five strong branches, avoiding bad 

 crotches. In order to keep the tree within bounds, severe heading back is necessary 

 until the trees come into full bearing, the usual practice being to head back from one- 

 half to two-thirds of the previous year's growth every spring, at the same time removing 

 altogether branches which will make the top too crowded. The object is to have a tree 

 which will bear fruit all through the head instead of merely on the outside or at the 

 top of the tree. 



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