YOUNG PEACH TREES AND PLANTING.

Otago Witness, Issue 1387, 29 June 1878, Page 3

YOUNG PEACH TREES AND PLANTING.

Private growers seldom or never propagate their own trees nowadays, for the simple reason that they can buy a better and cheaper article from the nurserymen, some of whom devote special attention to the propagation and grafting of fruit treea. We shall, therefore, dismiss the subject of propagation, and offer, instead, some hints on the Bubject of buying peach trees

ffor planting ; as, upon the choice of good plants to begin with, much depends. A very general impression exists in favour <rf trying plants from the nearest nursery, in tho belief that, if your locality is a cold one, for instance, the trees will be hardier and better adapted for the purpose — acclimatised, in fact. This, however, ia a very fallacious notion aa far aa tender fruit-trees are concerned. Whatever the climate may be like— but more especially if it be cold and late— it is important that the trees should have their wood well matured before they are taken up in autumn. Experienced cultiyatora know this, and genoTally order their plants either from a nursery where the trees have been grown against a north wall, or from a town nursery in the north, where the climate is warm and dry, knowing that well ripened wood only is capable of withstanding the alternate frosts and thaws of our winters, no matter where the trees were grown before. In not a few nurseries they are bought in as maidens and planted in the open ground, the shoots being tied to stakes to preserve the fan shape of the trees. Those plants that are not disposed of to customers at the planting season, are pruned back to the bole again in winter, and this operation ia sometimes repeated year after year till the plants are aold, the tradesman's object not being to grow the trees, but to keep them at a saleable size. Now, there are very few places in this country where good trees can be raised in this way, for the reason that they will not ripen the wood perfectly in the open ground, though they make shoots that appear to be strong enough, but which are green and soft, and the cuttingback process, which the trees may have been subjected to in previous years, often lays the foundation of a gummy constitution. With these evils before him, the buyer will therefore be careful to secure, first, trees that are not above two or three years old, unless he wants them partially grown to begin with ; secondly, to have them sent hojne unpruned and with good roots j and thirdly, only to select trees that are grafted on the plum stock, and such as have clean, straight, and smooth stems. Peach trees may be planted any time between April and August in New Zealand with a tolerable certainty of the trees growing, provided that the work is not done in frosty weather ; but by far the best time to plant is just when the trees begin to flhed their leaves, which is generally in April or May. At this period there ia still sufficient heat in the ground to excite root action, and the trees get partially established before winter sets in, and are consequently better able to withstand the frosta, which are sometimes severe enough to injure peach shoots seriously ; they are therefore in a much better condition for starting into growth in spring. Besides, if the trees have reached a bearing age, autumn planting is not likely to spoil the chance of a crop the following season, whereas such 'can hardly be expected if planting is deferred till spring. The distance apart at whioh the permanent dwarf trees should be placed, depends upon the climate. If it ia favourable — warm enough, we should say, to mature nine inches or one foot of the young shoots every year — then the trees should not be less than 20 feet asunder ; if, on the other hand, not more than six or seven inches of well ripened young wood can be laid on annually, on an average, 14 or 15, feet will be sufficient. Between the dwarfs, "riders" should be planted, and, if the wall is not more than 12 feet high, these should have stems about four feet in height ; but for walla 18 or 20 feet high, six feet riders will be required. It is seldom trees are worked higher than this. Choosing, if possible, moist, open weather for planting, let the holes be taken out against the wall at their respective distances, of width sufficient to admit of the roots being spread evenly out in straight radiating lines, from the stem, and of the depth of nine inches. In planting, place the tree in an easy position against the wall, but not too close to it at the bottom ; secure it temporarily, and cover in the roots, 1 taking care not to throw the soil against them, as the novice ia sure to do, but to scatter ] it over them in the direction in which they grow. It is an excellent plan to i mulch newly planted trees with decayed leaves or litter, and some kind of pathway should be provided to avoid treading on the border, until such time, at least, as the soil has settled of ita own accord, and the trees have made a decided movement at their roots. For a path, there is nothing better, or more readily procurable, than broad, stout planks about three inches thick.