Dig a good large hole, removing the earth, and fill with new earth from between the rows, and in this way healthy growth ought to be obtained, although there is always a disposition in some trees to put on knots.  They should be looked at from time to time and all those affecting the larger stem should be removed and the wound painted with bordeaux mixture.

Buds in Bearing Trees.

In budding over some old peach trees, should I cut away the branch above the bud when the latter seems to have taken?

The sap flow to the upper part of the branch should be checked by part girdling or by part breaking or bending the top above the bud, after the bud is seen to have set or taken.  Do not remove the whole top until the growth on the bud has started out well or else you will “drown it” with excessive sap flow.

Pollen Must Be of the Same Kind.

Do peaches, nectarines and apricots set fruit with the pollen of one another, and are the various peaches, nectarines and apricots self-sterile, or will most kinds set fruit with their own pollen?

We do not count upon pollination between different kinds of fruit.  Most fruits are self-fertile, else we could not attain the practical results we do, because it is only in the planting of almonds, cherries, pears and apples that any regard is paid to the association of varieties for that cross-fertilization.  Some fruits are more apt to be self-fertile in this State than in other States where the growing conditions are not so favorable.

Peach Budding.

Which is easier with the peach, grafting or budding?

The peach is rather a difficult tree to graft, and budding, on the other hand, is quite easy.  You can bud into new shoots of this season’s growth in July, and, if necessary, you can improve the slipping of the bark by irrigation a few days before budding.  Buds can also be successfully placed in June in the old bark of the peach, providing it is not too old.  For this select well-matured buds from the larger shoots and use rather a larger shield than in working into new shoots.  When the buds are seen to have taken, the top growth beyond it can be reduced gradually and some new growth forced on the buds the same season, if the sap flow continues as it might be expected to do on young trees well cared for.

Grafting on the Peach.

Will pears do to graft on the peach, or will plums do well on the peach?  How soon ought they to bear when grafted on the peach which is past three years old?

Pears cannot be grafted on peaches.  Plums generally do well on the peach, and if the grafts are taken from bearing trees, should come into fruit the second season.  The peach is more difficult to graft than other fruit trees, because of the drying back of the bark.  Be extra careful in the waxing and be sure that the waxing remains good until the growth starts out well the following summer.

Young Trees Failing to Start.