The Florida agriculturist., 1889-05-15
Florida Horticulturists.
MR.. MOTIFS REPORT ON PEAcHER

they have been cut back severely, or some Other
bad treatment that thefruit has dropped enough
that the 'croakers' are pleased but the promise
now is that carload after carload OF peaches
will go from South Florida. where four years ago
hardly a. tree had been planted.
JAMES MORT.
p s. Since this report was not given in at the
Ocala meeting, as l expected have thought IT
very proper to extend it yet further, and for that
purpose the past week made quite tour In
those sections of Orange and Lake counties
where peaches and plums are quite extensively
planted, and must say l am greatly pleased
with the many points of interest l saw on the
trip, it being more to find out the behavior OF the
Kelsey plum in the various sections visited MY
first stop was with John Page, one mile south o1
Apopka Mr.. Page, in the spring OF 1883, grated
several hundred, as also some imported Chlcka-
saws, to the Kelsey plum, many OF the trees be-
ing quite large and others small. The gratis
made very strong growth the first season, and
most of them / think all, had been quite severely
cut back the past winter, and SO far as saw no
fruit had set. ~
visited that Spanish peach mentioned at Bay
Ridge The tree is badly diseased from improper
treatment, yet holding quite crop OF fruit,
some of the limbs were full Another tree OF the
same strain but cling of very good quality was
holding good crop, and was made to believe
from what have seen of these two trees for the
past three seasons, they are-especially the free
stone-worthy of cultivation for home use. At
Sorrento found few trees OF Kelsey and some
specimens of fruit.
With Rev c. A. Lander, at Messina, found one
tree twoyears planted mot large for it's age) hold
hI1nd dOr fpuifS ali q
peach of the Spanish strain quite FULL and a
Honey two years planted with light crop. /
visited Mr.. Gleason Mt. Dora his is one of the
most interesting fruit farms in Lake county.
His Honey peaches were holding a light crop.
The Seeding Honey, before mentioned. seemed
doing some better than the parent. None OF them
had on a full crop. Near Mr.. Gleason's Mr..
Grassland has five hundred Peentos three years
planted, land rather poor pine. The trees were
planted and barrel of saw-grass swamp muck
placed in each hole where the trees were planted.
/ was unfortunate in not finding Mr.. Grassland
at home, so could not learn from him OF their
culture. His neighbors have told me that he
had never used any other than the muck fertili-
ger. When there last Thursday took the liber-
ty to examine closely; dug down to the roots OF
the trees and while found no signs OF fertilizing
of any kind, must believe the trees have had
some help besides the muck to make this peach
orchard, planted on sandy soil, the finest have
seen in any section have visited. The trees were
carrying an average of half a bushel to the tree.
At Lake Butler, with Mr. LewtOn, / found several
Kelseys grated in wild stock, all but one tree
with more or less fruit that one tree had made a
rapid growth, while all the others small.
They were near the lake and he had cut then
back in midsummer TO stop a growth that
was liable to be broken down by the wind and it
is a question with me, did that checking of the
growth of the tree in midsummer cause the sap
to flow, the tree to bloom early and thus crop ?
With r. D. Fuller, at Altamonte, found one
tree very small yet healthy, with enough fruit
for it's size. With Mr.. Stebbins, near Lake Lucy
in Orange county, 1 was much interested in his
fine peach orchard OF one hundred trees, Peentos,
and Bdwes. vigorous, healthy, carrying heavy
crop and maturing early fruit. All the trees on
the place, oranges as well, were very fine, and Mr.
Stebbins told me that with but one exception he
had never used any manure except rakings in the
forest and rotten pine wood. all OF the trees be-
ing mulched with it, He remarked that he was
too poor to buy fertilizers and the trash he
gathered up he had at hand
Should make a summary of this trip, while it
might be called speculation in part. there is more
that is fact. The use of muck, if extensive
enough. under peach trees, prevents root-knot
and is valuable and cheap manure, as is also
IKE rakings of the forest and any decayed vege-
table matter when worked into our light sandy
soil so much is fact beyond question The ques-
tion, Did that checking of the growth of the Kel
sey at the time of it's most rapid growth, conduce