1864. 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



^. 



Let the horticultural student acquaint himself 

 with these several characteristics, and then divide 

 these into two sections, — the one having large 

 flowers and the other small flowers. He may then 

 proceed with the examination of fruit<, and will, 

 with the aid of the distinctions named, be able to 

 arrive at some dt finite results ; will be able to give 

 satisfactory reasons why this or that variety of 

 fruit is the one under consideration. Without a 

 correct understanding of these natur.il divisions of 

 the peach, but little knowledge can be reached in 

 the nomenclature of sorts. 



To the English much is due that has been writ- 

 ten on the growth and cultivation of the peaeh. — 

 Perhaps it is a little curious that we shonld have 

 adopted so many of the principles of our transat- 

 lantic brethren in the management of our trees. 

 They have written treatise on treatise to demon- 

 strate the^ course pursued in Britain; they have 

 provided us with books descriptive of their mode 

 of practice, and gardens to re-produce in our soil 

 and climate what they have learned at home. How 

 preposterous it would be to introduce their modes 

 of practice into this country will appear when we 

 consider that, out of all the known species of 

 fruits, only strawberries and gooseberries attain 

 perfection in their climate ; and that all other 

 fruits require specific attention to secure a limited 

 degree of success in Englai,d, when the sun can 

 but seldom show a disc brighter than would appear 

 to the beholder here when viewed through smoked 

 glass, and where the moisture in both the ground 

 and atmosphere is in excess, a eoldne^s of soil ex- 

 ists, the effects of which it becomes of the fir~t im- 

 portance to guard agrtinst. Hence we find the 

 English gardener reducing the roots of all plants 

 to one type — that of the fibrous-rooted, that they 

 may not penetrate to so great a d-prh as to be be- 

 low the infiuenee of the warmth imparted to the 

 soil by the sun's rays. 



Here, where in the main the temperature of the 

 earth exceeds in warmth that of the atmosphere, 

 we have followed the example of our English cous- 

 ins, and received our trees from the hands of nur- 

 serymen after the foreign sample. Nov does it ap- 

 pear that we have ever thought it best to inquire 

 into how many nntural divisions the roots of trees 

 are divided, nor the reasons which have induced 

 the English to disregard those di\ isions. 



How few either of our orchard sts or nursery- 

 men, wh o have bestowed much thought on the nat- 

 ural requirements of the peach tree; or have for 

 once considered the nature of the roots with which 

 they have to deal ? Supposing as is common, that 

 trees with a mass of fibrons roots ate such as are 

 best suited to their wants, without recognizing the 

 fact that nature has made the roots of :;11 cufiiva- 

 ted treesof two types, viz: the one w th tap roots 

 or with its main rrot extending perpendicularly 

 downward to a great depth, those portions below 

 the soil very much resembling the branches of a 

 tree whose main stem or trunk tapi rs regularly to 

 the top. This model or type is called deep-feed rs 

 or tap-rooted, and to this type the peach i oot be- 

 longs. The other model is known as the forcicu- 

 lated, or fibrous rooted, or sui face-feeders, being 

 destitute of the main or tap root, dividing just be 

 low the surface of the soil. No models could he 

 devised that would so cle irly ind cate the require- 

 ments of the two classes of roots as those <iescrib- 

 ed. This difference in the formation of roots may 



be made serviceable to the horticulturist in several 

 ways. 



When the trees of both types are planted near 

 I each other, each will seek much of its nourishment 

 I as though- the other was nut present. The deep- 

 j feeder will draw its food deep down in the s</il ; the 

 other, owing to the more complete diversion of its 

 ; roots, branching latterally just below the surface 

 ( of the soil, reaching out in all directions, without 

 I penetrating to any great depth. The surface-feed- 

 1 ers will, when'growing vigorously, destroy all with- 

 ' in their reach. 



By a proper mingling of the two, two plants may 

 literally be said to grow where only one grew be- 

 fore. Hence it is in bringing forward an orchard 

 that advantage should be taken of the- kind of 

 roots we cultivate. 



For example, most persons wish to grow some 

 crop under the trees until they are so fir advanced 

 as to take possession Of the soil. Oidy those plunts 

 that are of the opposite type should be u-ed. 



Corn and potatoes are found to do well among 

 peach trees. Corn, deriving all its food war the 

 surface, is, in all things considered, the best crop 

 to plant, and the one gner^lly, employed. It would 

 be far more valuable for the object named than it 

 is, but for the practice so universally adopted — " 

 that of forcing the trees to become surface instead 

 of deep-feeders. To this wholesale mutilation and 

 deprivation of the natural structure of the peach 

 tree is due many of the failures and diseases now 

 so common in this country. 



This tree, by nature so well adapted to our cli- 

 mate and soil, and so jidmimbly adapted by its pe- 

 culiar structure to draw its support from a depth 

 rarely affected by drouth, has, by reason of being 

 forced to derive a sc:inty supply of nourishment 

 from light and sandy soils, aft^r the nnmner (5£:^trr- 

 face-feedera, beconie so enfeebled th t, in many 

 parts of the United States, where it was formerly 

 vigorous and productiv(% its cultivation is now 

 nearly or quite abandoned. 



The limits of this paper will not admit, and I do 

 not propose if it would, to go into the whole de- 

 tails of planting, but simply to describe, hs briefly 

 as possible, my own mode, leaving the more tech- 

 nical points to be brought out by the discussions. 



It is of the first importance that the soil should 

 be deep, rich iind free ftoin an excess of moisture 

 to as great a depth as the roots of the tree will 

 penetrate. If these conditions cannot be secured, 

 better not plant at all ; oth.rwi.se the attempt will 

 cost more than the fruit will be worth. 



No peach tree should be planted in ground not 

 moved to the depth of at le 'St three feet, and if 

 holes are dug instead of loosening the whole ground, 

 they should be dug out at least five feet in diame- 

 ter, and filled in with g od soil; not less than one 

 wagon-load of manure should be mixed with the 

 earth of six or seven holes, at the time of filling 

 up. 



Having your trees ready, and the bruised ends of 

 the roots smoothed off, spread out the roots in the 

 soil where they are to rem.iin, in as natural a po- 

 sition as po8.sible ; then fill in the soil, not tramp- 

 ing the soil about them as 3 on proceed, until the 

 excavation is filled even with the surrounding sur- 

 face. If the tree has been planted in a hole, the 

 earth will settle with the tree, about three or four 

 inches. If, however, your planting is to be done 

 in ground, the whole of which has been deeply 



SttiAfr'ifiii r ' 1 



