The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-09

4 southern farm paper says: As
TO the sell. the peach prefers light,
warm, well-drained sandy or loamy land,
with a clay subsOi although some sue
cessful orchards are upon rather heavy
clay soils and many upon deep sand. Much
sandy, heavy clays that are retentive
of moisture, wet lands and all fiat. frosty
lands are especially 10 be avoided. Com
mercial orchards succeed in New England
on graVelly or sandy soils of poor char
acter, in Maryland, Delaware and New
Jersey on fertile loans and on light
pine sands; in Pennsylvania on mountain
soils derived from limestone and sand
stone; in South Carolina and Georgia
on light pine sands and stiff red clay de-
rived from the decOmposed GRANTEES; in
Mlchigan on rather heavy clay hills and
also on loans and light pine sands, and
even on beach sands so light as 10 be
blown about by the winds; in northwest
ern New York on a variety of clay grav-
sands, and in Kansas on deep, black prai-
RE soil. The variety of soils TO which
the peach will accommodate itself is
therefore quite wide
Some fields on a farm are much better
adapted TO the peach than Others. In gen
eral, higher lands are preferred. In
northern regions a water front is prefera-
bic to an inland location. In inland To-
calities a hillside with northern expos
ure is preferred, since it will retard the
opening of tho blossoms and in this way
the orchards Will escape late spring trosts.
In Michigan the peach on lands bordering
on Lake Michigan is retarded in blossom
ing at least a week or ten days as COM
pared with inland orchards.
The preparation of the soil advised is
that Ii be as careful as for a crop or
wheat, corn or cotton. The trees should
be set not nearer than 20x20 feet If the
soil is in good condition, and the prepd-
ration, the digging of the holes and all
the work in connection with the planting
should be done in advance so that when
the trees are received there will be no de-
lay and consequently drying or roots.
The trees selected should not be very
large, but should be smooth and well
grown, and with abundant roots as little
injured as possible. They should not pc
close pruned except for the removal or
mangled or Splintered portions, ana the
holes should be of ample SIZE so that there
is no twisting or cramping. The trees
should not be set shallow nor buried much
deeper than they stood in the nursery.
Peach trees in open orchards do best on
peach roots, as a rule. but II the Sltua-
ton is low and the soil rather heavy plum
roots may be substituted, in Whlch case
the trees may be set 15x15 or 15x12 feet
apart. Whether June-budded or August
budded trees are best is rather an open
question, but preference Is expressed Tor
those propagated in August
For market orchards. varieties gener-
ally found most profitable are the Alex
ander, Amsden, Troth, EiVers, louise;
Hale, St John, Mountain Rose, Crawford
Early Foster Old Nixon, stump. alberta
Crawford Late, Reeves, Wager, Fox seed
ling and Beers Snoclk, these varieties rip
ening in about the order named. In the
extreme north and at the far south, some
of these varieties would not succeed. For
example, in Michigan the Crawford early
is likely to be winter killed, or caught by
late spring frosts, and harder varieties
such as the Barnard or Shows Orange,
have been substituted. In Connecticut,
where late spring frosts often catch the
old varieties, the Crosby has been found
exceptionally hardy.
The cultivation should be as careful as
that of corn Some cultivate from the
start without crops; others plant corn or
tomatoes between the trees for the first
two or three years. To this there is no
objection, provided the soil be strong and
we'll fortified. and it appears to have adj
vantages. But on no account should
wheat or potatoes be cultivated in the or
ri