The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-24

Probably II the matter could be submit
ted to popular vote, the fruit that would
carry off the palm for excellence would be
the peach, says the Southern Planter. Ii
is a universal favorite the world over and
there are very few people who do not feel
a sense of almost personal loss, when, as
now, the country has been swept by so
disastrous a freeze as that of Feb. II of the
present year.
Naturally there will be a great deal of
encouragement among the growers Of this
delicious fruit, and many no doubt, will
be induced to abandon the business of
peach growing. This is human nature,
but it is not wisdom or business shrewd-
ness The crop of any kind for which
there is universal, deql3nd, and which a
great many people are ready to give up
on account of the obstacles encountered, is
The very one a wise man will make every
effort to grow.
To those who have skill and perseverance
and business sense to take advantage of
the present discouraginS conditions in
peach culture few words by way of sug-
gestion may not be amiss In the Northern
fruit belt it is not 100 late to set trees.
and in the Southern the summer may be
profitably spent in getting ready to do so.
Very much depends on selecting the
ground. The peach tree is very poor
weather profit 1t is altogether in too big
hurry 10 get started in the spring. Loca-
tions should always be chosen which are
likely 10 retard rather than favor early
blooming Dry, weI-dralned soil, with more
sand than clay in its composition and fair
ly high elevation, should be given the pref
eTence.
The number of varieties now urged upon
the attention of the growers is so great
the task OF making a good selection has
| become a rather difficult one. Probably the
| best thing one can do IS 20 consult expert
! enced growers in the immediate neighbor-
! hood.
Get budded trees warranted free from
| fungoid diseases ana insect pests. Don't
! fool away your time and money with seed
! lings under the mistaken notion that they
make more hardy tree. Let them not be
! over / year Old. "Juue-budded" trees cost
| less, and, whit not SO large. can be trans
planted with greater ease and more GER
| tainty.
Liberality in the preparation of the soil
certainly pays, thorough culture and gen
erous fertilization are prime requisites.
| Better plant one acre and give il extra
/ care manuring and attention than five
| with half way feeding and indifferent cul-
ture If the land has been planted with
cowpeas the previous year, with dressing
of 100 pounds of muriatc of potash and 800
pounds of superphosphate, other things
being favorable it viii probably be in good
condition for setting the young grove
Some trees can be lei alone and without
| pruning will bear a fair amount of fruit,
| but nor the peach As soon as the trees
are set they should he cut back to about
twenty inches of the ground. Great care
must be taken in setting trees that oil
bruised or dried up roots are pruned off
aud the earth carefully packed in around
the roots. Water freely after the earth is
tightly crowded in. From one-half to two
thirds of the new growth must be shorten
ed in each year Ensourage a low and
wide branching, open and Symmetrical top.
Frequent shallow and clean culture
and plenty of available plant food are
the basic principles of successful peach
growing.
on no account attempt to grow any other
crop in a peach orchard.
on most soils for a fuE-food ration not
less than 100 pounds of muriate of potash
and 800 of surerphOsphate should he an
nualy applied to the acre. These should
be worked into the soil in the late winter
or early spring. To this should be added
200 pounds of nitrate of soda or lot
pounds of sulphate of ammonia, to be APP
piled at two or three different times dur
ing the growing season. One-fourth OF
these amounts shou be given the first
year when the trees are newly set, and an
other fourth added each year until the full
amount is reached.
Most people IAN IN lnlnnluS tne lIult
1t seems such a pity to pull off so much
promising fruit, but to insure success il
must be done. perserveringly, pitilessly
The grower that has pulled off al that
his conscience will lie him probably sot of
one-half as many as ought 10 come. We
often hear people Boosting about theiI
trees being loaded with fruit" Limbs
breaking" etc. 1t is nothing to brag about
Nothing can be more fatal to peach or
chard. Indeed, the shortened lives and i'll
/ condition of many Of the peach groves ali
over the country are probably quite as
much owing to permitting them to over
bear as to any other cause. one such mis-
take may not absolutely destroy tree
but il saps its vitality, and the tree wifi
take years TO recover. Besides crowded
fruit is always small and seldom pays foI
shipping. Therefore The man who makes
this mistake IS dong two very unwist
things-kilhns both the fruit market and
the trees. 1t pays handsomely in the end
TO thin out fruit.
Canning Fruit.