THE PEACH. 



The peach is the tendcrest of the larg-e 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 Penin- 

 sula, where Lake Ontario and Lake Erie do much to ameliorate 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 south-western part of the 

 Province, the peach also succeeds well, but has in the past been more subject to 

 root killing in winter. This mav 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 

 shore, 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. It is 

 still doubtful if peaches will ever be grown there to any extent commercially. 



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 lo degrees Fahr. below zero 

 success is very uncertain. 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 citv of Belleville, and perhaps 

 further. 



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

 successfully is one of the most profitable fruits. 



As the peach is a tender fruit and the trees suffer when there are extremes, 

 of temperature, and at certain seasons when there are light frosts, great judg- 

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

 a site should be chosen with an exposure facing the water. If a northern 

 exposure is available and the site is suitable 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 

 thriftv 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 

 from fourteen to twenty feet apart, depending upon the system of pruning which 

 is followed. The former, distance is adopted only when severe heading back is 

 practised, otherwise the trees would soon become too crowded. For general cul- 

 ture the best distance is from eighteen to twenty feet apart each wav. 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 the tree is stronger at 

 the crotches and not quite so liable to split down with weight of crop. \\'hatever 

 plan is adopted, the tree should be pruned back severely when set. Peaches are 



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