The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1879-12-04
Aaritnltnsak.
PEACH CULTIVATION.

Mr. Gaughorn, the President of a
Michigan Pomological Society makes
the following suggestions on Peach
culture:
The peach requires two different
" treated from these that ere too
Young for bearing. It's the nature
Of the young peach tree TO keep on
growing late into the fall. This
niust not be permitted. II can be
prevented by stopping to stir the
soil n midsummer. The rest of the
season is required to harden up the
Young WOOD for winter. To proper
IL control the growth skill and ex-
perience are required. la the
month Of Angus, cultivation for the
young peach tree should stop
Should the ground be very rich and
tbe trees show a determination to
keen on growing, the leading
branches may be pinched in. After
pinching a new growth will often
start. but then we must pinch again.
Ripening up thoroughly the new
growth Of the young tree should be
the aim of the peach grower -
Where the soil is poor less care is
required 10 ripeuing the new wood.
The bearing peach tree cannot be
cultivated too often. The soil must
at all times be kept loose. Culilva
ton can be kept up till the fruit is
ripe. The new growth of the wood
in a bearing tree ceases to grow ear
ly IN the season, and there Is no dan
ger in stimulating late growth, for
the fruit consumes all the extra sap
caused by cultivation. Stirring the
soil should be thoroughly kept up, so
that any time between The setting OF
the fruit aud its being picked you
can run your hand right into the
soil snd fill it with loose earth. But
in order TO grow la sc peaches and
all Of large, uniform size, the tree
must have either its bearing branch
rs shortened in or the fruit must be
thinued out. Shortening in is prob
ably the least expensive operation OF
the two,
j. d. Baldwin, in giving his exN
perience on the subject Of peach cul-
ture. called attention 10 the danger
10 the peach blossom by late spring
frosts when the soil is cultivated too
early in the spring. By looseuing
the soil the frost penctrates to the
roots and so chill5 the tree. To
avoid this possible injury he does
not start the cultivation in the spring
until all danger from spring frOsts is
over, but having begun to cultivate
he keeps on until the peaches begin
to ripen. Thorough cal ion, Mr.
Bald win said, is indispensable to
success in the peach orchard it is
equal 10 It's effect to mannring. The
hardening up Of the new growth Of
peach trees make special work
during growing season | 60 over
my young peach trees with pair OF
shears and shorten in the summer
This stops the growth and by this
practice get a very stocky tree
My trees, which | set out but two or
three years ago, are now we'll filled
with blossom buds, and this | attri
butte to shortening in the bearing
branches during the summer ! fa~
vor the thinning OF fruit. The trees
should be so relieved from its weight
so as to prevent breaking down. -
Shortening in the bearing branches
cannot always be done 10 time when
the operation should be done. The
peach tree is believed to be a short
lived tree, and so it is GA sandy SOIL
but on clay it lives great length Of
time. If We get two crops of peach
es out Of three it pays better than
any other fruit. We have now had
three crops in succession.