fleshed sorts. It is one of the very best for Massachusetts 

 orchards. 



Champion follows Carmen at a week or ten-day interval, 

 and is reputed to .be about the best in quality of any. It is 

 apt to crack in wet seasons and is much subject to brown rot. 



Belle would be in higher favor if it did not compete in 

 season with the yellow-fleshed Elberta; it is hardier in bud 

 and €qual or a little better for eating fresh, but does not hold 

 its shape so well in canning. 



Hale (J. H.) has been brought forward as a substitute for 

 Elberta. It is a trifle earlier, somewhat larger and hand- 

 somer, but does not seem to have the adaptability to all sorts 

 of conditions that Elberta has. It is a fine peach, but will 

 hardly replace its well-established competitor. 



Elberta is the standard peach all over the country. Prob- 

 ably more are grown than of all other varieties put together. 

 I^t has two serious faults: it is not of the highest quality for 

 eating fresh, and it is tender in bud. Often an orchard will 

 have good crops of Greensboro and Carmen when Elberta is 

 totally killed. 



Other varieties worth trying to fill out the season are, in 

 approximate order of ripening, Mayflower, Arp, Waddell, 

 Edgemont, Mountain Rose, Hiley, Rochester, Stump and Fox 

 Seedling. 



Planting. 



Before planting, the soil should be put into good tilth by 

 deep plowing and harrowing. The trees should be set 18 or 

 20 feet apart. The hole should be large and the soil well 

 packed over the roots. If trees can be secured from near-by 

 nurseries, they may be set in the fall, but generally spring 

 planting is best. Immediately after planting they should be 

 severely pruned, cutting the tree back to 24 inches or lower, 

 and cutting off all weak branches and shortening in the strong 

 ones two-thirds or more. The branches to form the head 

 should come out from 6 to 24 inches from the ground. 



Soil Management. 

 A successful peach orchard cannot be grown in sod. It is 

 imperative that continuous cultivation be kept up from early 



