The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-08
FLArwooDs SOIL BEST.


/ My orchard, like the other successful
! orchards of my section, is situated on
| fatwoods pine land, having clay subsoil
/ about two feet from the surface This
! soil is very retentiVc of moisture and re
| quires ridging or undertaking to make
1 it available.
Our best peach land is Just the kind a
/ stranger would not select for that bust
ness, while that which he would select is
! just the land on which to make failure
Peach growing at Waldo began about
| twelve years ago, with a few Peento and
Honey trees, planted in an experimental
/ way; these soon began to be so profitable
! that the acreage has gradually been ex-
! tended The PeentO is the most treacher-
| Gus variety of which l have any knowl-
/ edge, yet in my section it has made but
| two failures in ten years, while the native
| or Spanish varieties have not made a
single one. There are quite number of
| peach trees in Waldo said to be 30 years
old still bearing good crops.
PLANTING.
prefer thrifty 1-year-old trees.
The months of December and January
are the best time for setting an orchard
| When land is not underdrained, | set the
trees on top of the ground and draw the
earth over the roots with hoe, then bed
up with turning pillow, leaving a deep
water furrow in the middle; but land for
peaches should be underdrained, then the
trees may be set little lower The only
mistake / ever made in planting was in
setting too deep.
When good trees are set and well cared
for, they will as a rule, pay all expenses
up to date the second year after planting
VARIETIES.
While the PeentO is the foundation of
om peach culture, we have produced so
many improvements by planting Peento
seed and the seed of its offspring, that we
no longer consider the Peento worthy of
planting.
AS to the best varieties. the Jewel.
Waldo, Angel, Lizzie and Oyiedo ripen in
the order named and are unsurpassed in
their season.
The Jewel is seeding of the Waldo,
fruiting on my place for the third time,
and is two weeks earlier than any other
peach with me. Oviedo ripens in July. is
of Honey origin and is very fine. The
rest Of the list are two well known to
need description. All of the above origil
mated at Waldo
PRUNING.
The peach tree requires pruning as
thoroughly and Systematically as the
grape vine-and neglect of it invariably
results in inferior fruit Experience is
the only reliable guide in pruning About
the only reliable rule that can be laid
down on this point is to cut back one-half
to twO-thirds of the previous years
growth; never let the tree get so high
that the entire crop cannot be picked
from the ground. prefer to prune about
the time the tree starts in the spring
Those who have practiced pruning in mid
summer have soon found that they had no
trees TO prune as they cannot stand this
defoliatiOn at the time their leaves are
most needed.
FERTILIZING.
There has been so much said and writ
ten about the deficiency of potash in our
pine lands and in the necessity of apply
ing it to all kinds of fruit trees, the peach
in particular, that it seems like treason
to differ; yet l must say that after testing
it as fertilizer, in a way in which there
could be no mistake, have not only found
it of no value, but positive injury, not
only to the peach, but to other fruits In
buying fertilizers | select that which has
least potash.
Outside of barnyard and hen house ma
nures ! ind that cotton seed meal, ground
bone, blood and bone give better results
for the money expended than anything
else. ] am not alone in this, but believe
have expressed the almost unanimous CON
clusion of the Waldo peach growers.
STOCKS.
Peaches budded above ground on plum
stocks are worthless, but when budded at
the collar or grated in the root and trans
planted so the union will be below the
surface, the peach will push out roots Of
its own, becoming what | call double
rooted 80 making a better tree every way
than those on the peach roots alone. ]
find these double-rooted trees are more
vigorous and prolific, and produce finer