SOUTHERN ORCHARD PLANTINGS 19 
broken, they should be trimmed off smoothly with a sharp knife. While filling 
in around the roots, shake the tree occasionally to help settle the soil. 
When the hole is two-thirds full, pour in two or three pails of water. After 
the water has soaked in, fill the hole, but do not pack the earth. Simply coveg 
it with a mulch of straw or Utter. 
Peaches 
The Peach is today, without doubt, the best fruit for general planting all 
over the South. The orange may be better for Florida, but outside the orange 
belt the Peach is the leader both for home consumption and for market. This 
fruit has a range of latitude exceeded in extent only by the apple. Many different 
varieties are grown successfully and profitably as far north as the Great Lakes, 
and in semi-tropical Florida you will find Peaches grown in great numbers. 
Of course the same varieties that make money for the man in Florida are not 
suited for growing in Xew York, but there are so many different kinds that it 
is easy to select the proper ones for your section. 
People demand Peaches and,' in spite of the fact that the trees are largely 
planted, the supply has never caught up with the demand. This demand is 
due to the excellent flavor of the fruit, and its value for preserving. The trees 
are easy to grow, and as they bear enormous loads of luscious fruit in a few 
years after planting, they should be .set out in greater numbers by the folks of 
the South. The first fruit to reach the markets from northern orchards does not 
arrive until the first or middle of July. Peaches grown in the South reach the 
markets in May. This gives the man of the South two extra months to market 
his Peaches at a time when northern-grown kinds are not to be found. Right 
here is an excellent reason for more extensive planting of Peach trees in the 
55outh. 
There are many varieties of Peaches suited to the South and. if a proper 
selection is made, you can have fresh fruit from May to October. Of course, 
some varieties are better for home use and others will prove more valuable 
market fruits. Let us first consider the sorts that are valuable for both purposes. 
Mayflower is without doubt the earliest. The tree is vigorous and needs watch- 
ing or it will bear too much fruit. Ordinarily about half of the young fruits 
should be removed from the tree when they are about a half-inch through. 
A Peach orchard like thio will huy you an automobile and several other things 
