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THE MODERN PEACH PRUNER. 



No. 4. — Soils and Manures. 



The particular kinds of soil which are adapted for 

 Peach-culture must now be considered. A more 

 important consideration cannot well occupy the 

 attention of the growers of all stone fruit. The 

 subject is a large and difficult one, and is far from 

 well understood. It is not pretended, therefore, 

 to give more than an outline of certain established 

 truths, which, it is hoped, will induce cultivators to 

 examine more carefully the nature of the soil 

 composing their gardens, so as in some measure 

 to secure materials now known to be indispensable 

 in Peach-culture. 



There are three principal earths which enter, 

 more or less largely, into the composition of all 

 soils ; these are clay, silex, and lime. Soils are 

 made by a complex combination of materials ob- 

 tained from these three primitive earths. These 

 materials vary considerably in their proportions, 

 and so affect the general nature of the soil, which, 

 moreover, depends very much on the quality of 

 the subsoil. For example : a chalky subsoil gives 

 a whitish appearance to the surface soil ; when 

 red sandstone constitutes the subsoil the earth above 

 it has a reddish hue ; on gravel it has a yellow 

 tinge, and on blue clay it appears greyish. 



