The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1882-03-02
my FIRST PEACH ORCHARD"

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A correspondent, ~. w." Oakland
Co., Mich, who has now over 5000
peach trees, gives an account of his
first orchard. We give this essential
| ly As written, for two reasons; first: rs
an encouragement to Others, as Oak
land Co. is far from the peach-growing
localities of the State, and it shows
that even under adverse circumstances
his land gave him fair returns. Sec
ondly, for the purpose of suggesting
some points i'm which the manage
ment might have been improved.
Mr.. V. writes: Four years ago last
spring, | planted 800 peach trees on
poor sandy land, setting them Ii feet
apart each way; all the trees lived.
For the first two years | planted corn
in the orchard, which gave fair crop
for such land. The third year plan
tel beans, which were "A failure, but
that year / had ~ bushels of peaches,
which | sold for $50 per bushel.
This year, the third, | discovered that
the borer was injuring the trees, and
| dug out of the 800 trees about 100
borcrs. Last year, the fourth, did
not plant any crop i'm the orchard,
but cultivated the soil and kept II per-
fectlyt clean, and also hunted the cur
culiO. picked and sold 800 bushels
of choice fruit, which returned me $500
clear, after paying freight and cont
missions. | made use OF about .bW
props, besides several balls of hemp
Irvine to keep the trees from breaking
down. The injury by the borers the
third year, the heavy crop of the
fourth, followed by the severe winter
which we had In Michigan, together
caused the death Of about half of the
$40 trees."- This experiance is inter
csting, and il may he instructive to
analyze it,and see what our cores
pendent made by the operation.
Three hundred trees ut 10 feet apart,
occupy less than two acres (which |
would hold 342 trees) but We will call
the land two acres. We are not told |
what the returns from the corn were,
but il is fair to assume that the two |
fruit, the third year, paid for the trees,
so that at the beginning of the fourth /
penses. Surprising that all the trees,
instead of one half, had been killed, |
the firewOOd Ould pay for the clear
sides. The $500 received for the
fourth years crop, gives the handsome
showing of yearly return of $15 per
acre for each of the four years, which
is probably much more than the land
originally cost, and much more than
what is regarded a. an average return
in the celebrated peach districts Of
Delaware and Maryland. This report
il q particularly unfavOrable one, for
il is rare that . peach orchard does
not give more than one full crop-yet
what could J. V. have done with two
acres that would have paid him bet
ter? In what respect could our cor
have done better with his
first orchard He says that the soil
was "poor and sandy sandy 30 far
IS 1t means light, IL well for q peach
not. While peach
.rees should never be put upon low wet
ands. they should have what Is con-
,idered good corn land. The grow
ng of corn between the rows until the
orchard comes into bearing, IL regard
ID As good practice in the great Pen
nsula" peach district. The second
irawb back was i'm neglecting the borer
Until the third year. Every tree be-
ore planting, should have been care
'ully examined to see that none had
already made an entrance, and every |
all and spring thereafter, each tree
'hould have been examined. The
crop of the fourth year, and
he many props and the stays Of Irvine
Indicate that the young trees had been
lllowed to grow at will, without any
of the branches to form a {
compact head. While peach-growers
liffer as to whether II pays to do any
in" as II Is called, after the Z
rees fairly come into bearing, all
gree that ii il desirable to DO this
lpon the young trees, and cut back, in
all or early spring. one-half, more or
ess, of the growth of the previous ,
eason. There IL another point for .
,each growers to consider: much time
vas expended in cutting and adjusting
he 900 props, and Several balls Of q
Temp twine" cost something, and time ,
vas consumed in applying II. Sup
,ose that all these items Of expense In
lime and money, had been directed to
the fruit when small, would
/ not have been more profitable: We
eel quite sure that Il would have I
zen, 30 far a. the future Of the trees I
vas concerned How it would have /
zen in money returns for the fruit Z
re cannot say. or course the winter. 4
filling, which WAS in many localities,
cry disastrous that winter. could not q
ave been avoided, though IL might B
Iot have been 30 extensive had not
he trees been exhausted by overbear-
ng. We consider the experience Of 4
|. v. encouraging to those who,
utside Of what are regarded a- peach
would like To experiment In
each culture.
E-a~,, NOS .cd tha,, q ~, ,x,.i,ia |