FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
suited for young citrus trees. Trees on 
Pasco plum roots should receive only two 
to four pounds the first year, as the plum 
is a very gross feeder, and is inclined to 
force too rapid a growth when excessive 
quantities of ammonia are applied. It 
is best to divide the fertilizer into at least 
three applications, beginning soon after 
the trees begin to grow and continuing 
until the first of July. Larger amounts 
should be used the second year, contain¬ 
ing at least eight to ten per cent of phos¬ 
phoric acid and ten to twelve per cent of 
potash, as the trees come to the fruiting 
stage. This should be divided into at 
least two applications, one in January or 
February and the second from March to 
May, varying in time as to whether the 
variety is an early or late one. Kainit is 
a valuable source of potash and is bene¬ 
ficial in killing root-aphis and other in¬ 
sects in the soil. 
Give clean cultivation the first year. 
When trees are on plum stock, cow peas, 
sweet potatoes and truck of all kinds may 
be grown between the rows. Never plant 
oats in a peach orchard except for a 
winter cover crop. The second year give 
clean cultivation until May or June and 
then seed to beggar weed or cow peas. 
Few Florida growers realize the impor¬ 
tance of proper pruning at the right time. 
The trees should be cut back almost to 
a straight stick when set. After the first 
year they should again be headed in close¬ 
ly before growth starts in the spring, and 
trained to take on an open vase shaped 
form. After the second year most of the 
pruning should be done in the summer 
after the fruit is off, and the trees always 
kept headed in so that no fruit ladder will 
141 
be needed. Our long summer allows the 
early varieties to form a good fruiting top 
again before fall. This gives the grow¬ 
ers of Florida a great advantage over 
those in other states. Fruit on properly 
pruned trees of a given variety ranges 
one-third to twice as large as that on 
trees that have been allowed to run wild, 
and many years are added to the life of 
the trees. 
Root knot is caused by a microscop-ic 
nematode closely related to the parasite 
that produces hook-worm in the human 
family. It attacks cow peas, tomatoes, 
okra, and many other plants, but is es¬ 
pecially bad on peaches in South Florida. 
Planting on virgin soil will usually in¬ 
sure freedom from this disease for two or 
three years. However, the most satis¬ 
factory method of avoiding it is to plant 
trees propagated on plum stock. Several 
varieties have been tried out and so far 
the Pasco plum has given the best results. 
It does not stunt the trees as 1 Marianna 
and some other stocks. Trees on this 
stock should be grafted four to five inches 
below the surface of the soil, as much 
more satisfactory results can be obtained 
than by budding in the usual way. Your 
committee does not recommend the plum 
stock as a panacea for every ailment of 
the peach. It solves the root knot prob¬ 
lem and leaves the trees just as suscep¬ 
tible to other diseases as if they were on 
peach roots. However, -by using this 
stock an orchard may be planted on old 
land, and, by replanting trees that die 
from time to time, may be kept indefi¬ 
nitely on the same land. The humus con¬ 
tent can be kept up by growing cow peas 
and begfgar weed in the summer. 
