THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
217 
Varieties 
These are of vital importance. Plant only such as you know to 
be adapted to your locality. A variety highly successful in a certain 
section may be a dismal failure in another. If you are planting 
several varieties, select them so that one will immediately follow 
the other; or better still—have the season of ripening overlap. 
In this manner you can keep your help continually busy. Nothing 
is so demoralizing to your orchard force as to have idle periods be¬ 
tween the ripening of the different varieties. 
Plant the sorts in their respective order of maturity. It will 
save you time and money. 
Never plant less than 5,000 trees of a variety—this number will 
cut out nearly all of the express shipments—which are usually 
devoid of profit—owing to the high rate and the careless manner in 
which the express people handle the packages. 
Cultivation. 
Thorough cultivation is absolutely necessary for the success of 
the orchard. For the first three years, or up to the bearing period, 
peas, melons, potatoes, or some other hoed crop adapted to the 
locality should be planted in drills between the trees; leave at least 
four foot space between the tree and the crop. 
It is, of course, understood that the trees should be frequently 
cultivated under certain conditions, even more than the crop. 
The soil under the tree should be kept loose and friable; and 
this work entrusted only to careful and painstaking men, as thou¬ 
sands of young trees are annually injured by having the bark 
bruised by careless hoeing and plowing. 
We will now assume that the orchard has arrived at the bearing 
period; and this is the signal for clean and constant cultivation. 
The orchard should be broken up in early winter, the middles plowed 
to a depth of 8 or more inches, but when approaching the tree, the 
depth of the plowing must be lessened so as not to mutilate the 
roots. 
So soon as the first grass is in evidence, start the orchard cultiva¬ 
tors and keep them going to within three weeks of the ripening 
period. This applies to an orchard which is in a good physical condi¬ 
tion. If a thrifty orchard is cultivated too near to the time at 
which it will mature its fruit, the foliage becomes too dense and 
sufficient sunlight is not admitted to the fruit to give it the proper 
color, which is a most important factor governing the quality and 
price. If, on the other hand, the orchard has not made a satis¬ 
factory growth and the fruit is off in size,then the cultivations should 
be frequent and continued up to the time of ripening. All summer 
cultivations should be shallow. 
Immediately after the crop has been harvested, the cover crop 
should be put in and this turned under in late fall or early winter 
after a killing frost. The Cutaway, Acme and California orchard 
extension harrows and weeders are the best and most economical 
tools. 
Pruning 
Upon proper and intelligent pruning will depend in a great 
measure the success of your orchard. In the southern section of 
the peach belt, trees should be headed low when set out; 18 to 24 
inches above the ground being the best height. 
After the. newly planted tree has put out a growth of 1 l /t to 2 
inches rub off all of the three upper shoots. These should be so 
distributed about the tree that it will be well balanced. The early 
rubbing off of the surplus growth cannot be too thoroughly em¬ 
phasized. It is a great saving of time to do this before the young 
growth becomes tough. It is also not so severe a shock to the tree. 
The orchard should be gone over twice or more during the growing 
season and all superfluous growths rubbed out. If these growths 
are allowed to attain some length, it is then necessary to use a prun¬ 
ing knife which is a slow and more expensive operation. 1 he tree 
having been set to three limbs so that it is well balanced, one half to 
one third of the previous year’s growth of these limbs should be 
removed during winter, and the tree pruned so that it will ha\e a 
broad open head, thus admitting to the center of the tiee, light and 
air. Should the tree have a rank and vigorous growth, the surplus 
Fred M. Vick, who supervised decorations at Rochester meeting. 
wood should be removed during summer, but it is not advisable to 
cut a limb over three fourths of an inch in diameter at that season. 
Summer pruning, I find is economical and at the same time, a 
pruner can see where the foliage is too heavy. The pruning should 
be done annually during the winter months, when the wood is 
thoroughly dormant. In the milder peach belts of the South, the 
pruning can be commenced in early winter; but in the northern 
and colder sections, it should not be done until the period of severe 
freezes is passed. All wounds due to the removal of limbs over one 
inch in diameter should be disinfected with a solution of copper- 
sulphate, one to five gallons water; then painted with any heavy, 
lead paint. All cuts must be made close to an eye, and the eye 
should be left in the direction it is desired that the new limb should 
grow. In removing limbs, do not leave stumps, but make neat, clean 
cuts and always in a line with the trunk or limb. Care should be 
exercised not to cut out too much of the fruiting wood. 
By carefully following these directions, better fruit and longer 
life to the tree will result. 
Peach Tree Borer 
The old method of “worming” peach trees during winter has 
been found ineffective, principally because the worms caused too 
much damage before being removed. In early spring the earth 
should be removed from about the body of the tree down to the 
crown and all gummy exudations scraped off and a careful search 
made for the borer. For this purpose use a farriers knife or a tool 
especially made for scraping peach trees. Apply a wash to a 
height of 18 to 20 inches allowing this to run down well on the roots. 
As soon as this wash is applied draw up the earth to the trees, 
forming a cone about six inches above the level. A second applica¬ 
tion of this wash should be applied during August, if the first wash 
begins to get thin. During the last of October, remove the mound 
from around the trees and thoroughly scrape and clean the bark as 
in the spring, and give another application of the wash. This is a 
vigorous treatment, but very effective. The wash above men¬ 
tioned is made as follows: One bushel of quick lime, 20 pounds of 
sulphur, one gallon of coal tar, 50 gallons of water. Mix tar and 
sulphur in 10 gallons of water in barrel, add lime, keep well stirred. 
When entirely slacked dilute to 50 gallons. 
Fertilization 
For the first two years the growth of the orchard should be 
stimulated as much as possible by an abundant supply of phos¬ 
phoric acid and nitrogen, but care should be exercised not to give an 
excess of nitrogen. This is readily distinguishable by the vigorous 
growth, and the dark green color of the leaves. An excess of 
