The Canadian Horticulturist 



PEACHES FOR MARKET. 



THINNING, PICKINi;, ^ORrIN^; AND SELLING. 





S to the experiment with the borer wash, Mr. Hale found 

 that 90 per cent, of the trees washed were free from the 

 pest, while 90 per cent, of the unwashed trees suffered from 

 their attacks. Speaking of this subject, he says : 



After the first three years and our orchard had grown 

 arger we cjuit using soft-soap and substituted caustic 

 potash, as the only object of the soap was to smooth the 

 J bark that there might be less chances for rough places for 

 the mother beetle to deposit the eggs which hatch out and make the borer. 

 Potash answers the purpose just as well. We also add white arsenic, as it makes 

 good feed for mice and rabbits that try to live on peach bark. Some clay or 

 fresh cowdung is also put into the mixture as it helps to adhere to the tree 

 better than when lime alone is used. 



" Experience has taught me," said Mr. Hale to the Tribune reporter, " that 

 raspberries or other plants take from the peach trees substance which should be 

 theirs and induce the yellows and decay. So we give up the land eiitirely to the 

 trees and after the second year we spread fertilizers broadcast all over the ground 

 early in the spring and keep the ground free with harrow and single-horse 

 cultivator. Every year, whether we have any fruit or not, the orchards have had 

 from 1,000 to 1,200 pounds of fine ground raw bone, and 300 to 500 [)ounds of 

 80 per cent, muriate of potash per acre." 



There is a vast difference in varieties as to hardiness. The Crawfords, early 

 and late, gave us one light and one full crop in ten years, while Alexander, 

 Smock and Hill's Chili produce good crops every year. Mountain Rose, 

 Oldmixon, Stump, Keyport, Ward's Late and Stevens gave three full crops and 

 two partial ones in ten years. More than 80 per cent, of our trees are about 

 equally divided between Stump, Mountain Rose and Oldmixon. Therefore, 

 although we had over 6,000 trees planted previous to 1881, it was not till 1887 

 that we had any considerable crop of fruit. Those that blossomed full were 

 very closely pruned by the shortening-in and tlninning-out process, cutting away 

 fully one-half of the fruit that had started. Then early in July when the fruit 

 was three- quarters of an inch or so in diameter we began thinning by hand-picking, 

 leaving the best specimens not nearer than four inches apart. To accomplish 

 this on some 600 of the trees we had to take out about four out of every five 

 peaches. 



This thinning was a slow and somewhat costly undertaLiiig and some of the 

 help on the farm as well as some o{ the neighbors thought we were a "little off' 

 I ) " wait six years for a crop of peaches and then destroy it when half-grown." 



