10 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



Jan. 



worked, you may put your tree three or four inch- 

 es dei-per than it slood in the nursery. 



Si' ce it is true that our chemists agree that barn- 

 yanl munure contains all that is essential to the 

 wclfiire of our fruit trees, you may maka as liberal 

 use of it as cither your convenience or purse will 

 allow ; and that, too, without troubling; yourself a 

 great deal about the specific ingredients so much 

 needed in the development of healthy trees. 



We s*hould recoHect.in pruning our trees, that to 

 the healthy action of the leaves we owe much of 

 our success in fruit-growing. They collect, through 

 the medium of the roots and the atmo?phere, all 

 tho*e ingredients so necessary to the vital welfare 

 of the pliints. The crude juices taken up by the 

 roots, and all the food they absorb from the air, in 

 them undergo that chemical change from which 

 the structural cells are formed. Most of the im- 

 proved varieties of the peach have larger leaves 

 than are produced by the healthy seedlings, which 

 will direct your attention to the fact that they must 

 in proportion to their increased size, be fewer in 

 number. They must be carefully cared for. If the 

 tree is showing fruit, they must be so subordinated, 

 by careful pruning until the fruit shall, by the de- 

 mand on the tree, prevent the further formation 

 of leaves, except at the extremity of the vertical 

 or leading branches, that each individual leaf shall 

 receive its full share of work in the maturing a full 

 crop of large and high colored fault, and at the 

 same time, provide the extra share of material that 

 is needed for the safety of the fruit germs for the 

 succeeding year. 



No art can produce the sugar and certain flavors 

 of fruit due to the agency of light and heat, nor 

 can it impart that degree of health due to those 

 agents. Hence it should always be remembered 

 that no two leaves should be allowed to so far 

 compete for light as to lessen their utmost limits 

 of growth. 



One other remark and I am done. Were I called 

 upon to describe two conditions of success of the 

 most importance in the growth and management 

 of the Peach, I should say : 



1. Do all in your power to restore and encour- 

 age the dct'p-rooting of your plants. 



2. The pruning of the trt'cs on the principle 

 herein described. 



To these add continued stirring of the soil dur- 

 ing the period of growth the judicious thinning of 

 the fruit, the removal of borers, &c., &c. Other 

 conditions being favorable, your success will be 

 certain." 



At the close, the Doctor submitted the following 



list for orchard planting, 

 of the figures annexed : 



1 — Serrate Early York. 

 2 — Haines Early Red. 

 8 — Large Early York. 

 3 — Earfy Crajyford. 

 4 — Bergen's'S'eliow. 

 -Old Mixon Free. 



These are in the order 



5 — George the Fourth, 



5 — Late Crawford. 



6 — Late Admirable. 



6 — Columbia. 



1 — Smock. 



8— Heath Cling. 



The system of deep holes recommended by Dr. 

 Hull, was assailed by several members as not adap- 

 ted to clay soils or in any other than soils naturally 

 dry like the bluffs along the river, as is the loca- 

 tion of the Doctor. 



Mr. Colman, editor of the Valley Farmer, made 

 an attempt to add several cling peaches to the list, 

 but the taste of members evidently did not run to 

 clings. After various attempts to strike out and 



add to the Doctor's list, it was adopted without 

 chavge. 



Hale's Early was recommended for trial. It ia 

 said that this is the earliest peach of the season, 

 Mr. Teas, of Indiana, claimed that it is ten days 

 earlier than Serrate Early York, our earliest peach. 

 Mr. Baker, of South Pass, had fruited it last sum- 

 mer, and found it some seven days in advance of 

 the Serrate Early York, and nearly ten days ahead 

 of Troth's Early," which is the earliest peach sent 

 to the Chicago market in any quantity. In this 

 connection, considerable sparring was had over 

 the value of the Serrate Early York as a market 

 peach. Dr. Hull said its only value was its earli- 

 ness, and that some of the Serrate (saw-edged) va- 

 rieties were of little value. The growers from the 

 South part of the State found this variety of no 

 value, and depended mainly on Troth's Early for 

 an early market peach, and they had great confi- 

 dence that Hale's Early would prove a valuable 

 addition to the list of early peaches. 



It may be interesting to state the time of ripen- 

 ing of peaches, as set forth by growers, both at 

 Alton and Cobden. 



At Cobden— Hale's Early, July, 1st ; Early Til- 

 lotson, 5th; Troth's Early, lOth ; Large Early 

 York, 15th ; Honest John, 20th ; Early Crawford, 

 25th ; Coolage's Favorite, August 1st ; Old Mixon 

 Free, 10th; Late Crawford, 15th; Lagrange, Sept. 

 1st; Smock, 5th. 



At Alton — Early Tillotson ripens July 5th. By 

 this, planters and others can see what varieties to 

 select for a succession of this delicious fruit. 



The rule requiring twelve votes to place any 

 new fruit on the list, was changed to six, and^ 

 majority of all the votes cast. 



PLANTING AND CULTURE. 



The discussion under this head took a wide range, 

 but the conclusion arrived at was that trees should 

 be planted no deeper than they stood in the nur- 

 sery, and that the ground should be deeply plowed, 

 not less than a foot deep ; that deep holes should 

 not be employed unless the soil was thoroughly 

 underdrained, either naturally or artificially. One 

 man would plant one or two feet deeper than they 

 grew in the nursery, but he was soon laughed down 



as a quack. 



Several members came in on the evening trains, 



among them a large delegation from Cobden. 



Several of these members, fruit growers, took 

 an active part in the discussion of the peach. The 

 Alton people admired Haine's Early red, while the 

 Cobden growers have Troth's Early. An attempt 

 was made to prove them identical, but it was not 

 conclusive. If not the same peach they must be 

 very similar. The discussion brought out the fact 

 that peach orcharding has received a new impetus 

 the past year, aad that nearly all the peach trees 

 in the nurseries, both East and West, have been 

 disposed of. The Michigan planters have cleaned 

 the East of peach trees, and our own planters the 

 large stocks in this State and Missouri. The pros- 

 pect is that this fruit will in the course of three or 

 four years be more abundant, if not cheaper. 



