Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-09-24

Peach Culture at the Massacbuse tts
Agricultural College Orchard,
[Prof. s. T. Maynard in the New England Home
| Bteadl
There is very little in the orchard itself TO
attract special attention, but its history, with
an account of its present condition, may fur
nish facts which will enable others to take adj
vantage Of the best methods of growing this
most delicious fruit. The orchard consists Of
$50 trees, Of which 80 were planted in the
spring of 80, while the remainder have been
| planted within the past six years, the last lot
of some % being set two years ago the last
spring. For the first three years the orchard
received but little attention, and many of
| them were injured or broken down by care
less teamsters in working among them.
When the writer took charge of them in rs,
| the prospect of success was anything but
promising.
The first thing done was TO cut away the
numerous suckers that had been allowed to
grow up from the roots, and to cut back the
top so as to give the head q close, compact
form. With good cultivation rapid change
took place. and some of the trees that then
appeared diseased and sickly are now in per-
| feet health and bear an abundance of fruit.
Most of the varieties first planted were the
white feshed Sorts and, being cling stones,
not very valuable for market, as they ripen
| here about the time when our best varieties
are being brought into our markets from
New Jersey. Yet some very good peaches
have been grown, especially when only lin
tied number were allowed to mature.
Very little manure has been used, and in
some cases the exhaustion of the soil, togeth-
err with other causes, perhaps, has caused the
trees to assume the sickly yellowish appear
| ance of trees attacked with what is called the
yellows. Whether this appearance is due to
| disease or fungus growth, which attacks
healthy trees or whether only exhausted or
injured trees, is a question that has caused
much discussion. Certain it is that several
trees that appeared to be in the last stages of
it, as shown by the premature ripening of the
fruit and the small, wiry yellow shoots COM
| ing out upon the main branches, have recov-
| cred and are now bearing. Analyses are now
being made by DR.. Goessmann TO whom so
much is due for the work he has done for the
farmers of the country, of branches, leaves
| and fruit, of both diseased and healthy trees
to ascertain il any element is wanting in the
unhealthy trees that is found in the healthy
ones. By the application of fertilizing chem
icas, and, particularly potash, with some or
| ganic matter, this unhealthy condition has
| given place to a healthy and vigorous growth
in several instances. In every case the spec
ial application has been accompanied by a
severe cutting back of the top.
1t has been the practice for the past seven
years to prune the new wood back, during the
| fall or winter, at least one-half, and in some
| cases, where the trees were one-sided, to cut
back more severely the side that was out
growing the other. The result has been that
the trees have been kept close and branching
| low, with vigorous young shoots in the cen
tire as well as at the extremities, and large
| oF frptk h,,Is ,.l,i,b
vented injury from over-bearing. This prun-
ing has always been done by students at their
class Of work, and not as thoroughly done,
| perhaps, as il performed by skilled labor.
| Summer pruning has not been practiced, as
it is believed that the removal of large
amount of foliage from any tree or vine dur
| ing vigorous growth can only result in in
| jury.
Tue trunks of the trees near the ground
| have been examined twice every season-in
July and again in September, and all borers
| destroyed. In many cases, and generally in
those trees most diseased, from three to six
borers have been found, varying from
| one-fourth to one inch in length, and the
part injured by each from space the
size of a nickle five cent piece to q inches in
diameter. The borer is always found just be-
low the bark and is easily destroyed with an
| ordinary pocket knife. Its presence may be
known by the gum which exudes from the in
| jured part containing its droppings or chips.
| The writer has known of several trees with
every indication of disease in which were
found several large borers, which, when the
| cause of injury was removed and the trees
cut back, recovered and bore several crops of
| fine fruit.
During the past seven years the orchard
has borne four crops of fruit. The seasons
when they bore none were when the fruit
buds were destroyed, which has always been
| during very cold weather. following a long
warm time which caused the buds to start.
At one time they were destroyed about the
middle of December, at another about the
first of January, and again in the middle Of
March. During the past season about one
half of the fruit buds were destroyed early in
the winter, but enough remained to give a
fair crop of very large peaches.
Since the spring of 1873 not tree has
died from disease or been killed by cold OF
any other cause, until the last winter, when
one of the original trees and five that were
planted two years ago died very suddenly in
April from something that appears very much
like the pear blight. The trees seemed per.
fectly healthy and the buds began to swell,
when within few days, tho trunks turned
black and all growth ceased. A few others
were injured, but have to all appearance re.
covered with the exception of large patches
of dead bark and wood upon the trunks.
These are not confined to one side, but are
found, some upon the east and south as well
as the other sides. This is proof that it was
not due to the action of the sun upon the
trunks while frozen. We hope at some flu
ture time to more fully investigate the matter
and trace out the cause, if possible.
The soil is strong gravelly loan of fair
quality, with the exception of a small lot in
the centre which may be called poor. The
trees planted in the poorest soil are much
more diseased than those in the richer and
moist portion. The slope is slightly to the
south and is well sheltered upon the north
and west by a heavy growth of timber.
Two principal difficulties encountered il
the attempt to grow peaches in New England
arc the injury to the trees by borers and the
destruction of the fruit buds by cold. The
first is very easily overcome, but as the wealth
er cannot be controlled, some means must be
found to protect the buds from injury. Plant
ing upon elevated land has a tendency &c
overcome the difficulty, as in such situations
the buds mature more fully and are not ai
liable 10 be affected by the extremes of tenn
perature but for the finest favored fruit
warm location is desirable. Many plans hav,
been suggested to protect the fruit buds, anC
perhaps the simplest and at tho same time
most etfectual is one practiced upon the
grounds of Mr. William Knowlton Il Sons Of
West Upton. 1t consists in standing pine oil
other evergreen boughs among the branches
upon the south side, the base to be firmly
planted in the ground and the top tied to the
branches. If the trees are trained low, al
they should be, and kept cut back, this meth
cd can be very easily praetised Tying the
branches close together and covering will
mats that may be obtained at straw shops
may prove an easily applied and effectua
protection. Both of the above methods viii
be tried the coming winter upon the colleg,
orchard.
The cultivation the orchard has received
has been simply to keep the weeds down by
running heavy cultivator both ways through
the trees; and for several years no crop hai
been removed from the land.
| From OK IN M hushaIs of fr,it xvara soIf