5S TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



ESSAY ON PEACH-GROWING. 



Having been requested by the Secretary of this Society to furnish an essay to be read 

 at this meeting, on some subject connected with the Peach, I consented to do so, not re- 

 alizing then as fully as now, my unfitness for the task, but chiefly desirous of showing a 

 disposition at least, to do my part as a member of this society. 



It is not my purpose in this paper, to furnish an exhaustive essay (which I could not 

 do if I would), but shall confine myself to a few general thoughts and practical sugges- 

 tions on the subject of peach-growing. It is perhaps proper to say that my experience 

 and observation on this subject have been limited to the last half dozen years, and prin- 

 cipally confined to the neighborhood and vicinity of South Pass, HI. With this under- 

 standing, the importance of any thought I may express will not be overestimated. 



The Peach seems to be the favorite fruit of the millions — universally regarded as 

 among the most delicious of all fruits. Although it can be grown over a very wide ex- 

 tent of latitude in the United States, nevertheless the largest part of the population re- 

 side in localities where it is not grown successfully, and must therefore depend, for their 

 supply of this delicious fruit upon those more favored regions naturally adapted to its 

 production. Peach-growing has become one of the most important branches of Horti- 

 culture in this country. Millions of dollars are invested in the business, and millions are 

 paid anually by the people for the limited supply so far furnished. So large a portion of 

 our own State is adapted to the growing of this fruit, that it seems to me appropriate 

 that the subject in all its branches should receive its due share of consideration by this 

 society. There may be other fruits of more universal interest, as the Apple for instance, 

 which may be grown to some extent in every part of our State, but the subject of the 

 Peach should not be entirely pushed aside in our discussions on account of the more gen- 

 eral interest attached to some other fruits, and esspecially not for that irrepressible sub- 

 ject of the grape, the growing of which for the purpose of making wine, is, " not to put 

 too fine a point upon it," of such doubtful utility to the world. 



All the knowledge requisite to the highest success in peach-growing, has not been ob- 

 tained. My own observation convinces me that more knowledge and more skill, as well 

 as more labor, will be required for success in the future than in the past. It has been 

 quite common to suppose that peaches could be raised in peach regions, with as little 

 care and attention as hickory nuts in the forest — that after planting the trees, there was 

 little to be done, until the fruit was ready to be gathered, when a few weeks of extra la- 

 bor would suffice to send it to market and to return to the producer almost fabulous 

 profits. Some happy experiences in some newly-found peach localities years ago, 

 seemed to favor this impression, but that time has passed and not likely to return. This 

 very erroneous supposition has caused many to rush into those localities which had be- 

 come noted as fruit regions, with the expectation of becoming quickly rich, and to 

 plant large orchards, far beyond the ability of the proprietors to have properly cared for 

 even if they had the requisite knowledge and skill. The result has been not only an in- 

 crease of the amount of fruit, very much of which is inferior, but an increase beyond the 

 power of computation of the number of noxious insects which threaten to destroy the 

 larger part of future crops, and to wipe out all the profits of peach-growing in such local- 

 ities. The final result will be failure unless the mistakes of the past can be corrected in 

 the future. 



I do not wish to discourage any one who is disposed to enter upon the business of 



