CULTURE OF TUE PEACU, 



tree to jjrow with a hollow centre, julmitting lijjlit and air more tlioroujrlily amonj; 

 the braiiehes, and f^reatly facilitating: the p:atlierinp; of the fruit and tiio future 

 prnnings. These latter may be performed during- the winter, early spring, or, 

 moderately, during the summer, so as not to endanger the premature bursting or 

 running into wood, of the buds destined to furnish fruit the following year. By 

 means of an ordinary walking-stiek, furnished with a hooked handle, the topmost 

 branches, even of trees pruned with hollow centres, may be bent down, and made 

 accessible from the ground, until the limbs become too rigid to bend, tlirough ex- 

 treme old age. This is by no means a small advantage, when, among many hun- 

 dreds of trees, it is considered that the full flavor of the fruit so much depends 

 upon gathering it precisely at the proper period of maturity, and through which 

 an examination by the touch may be had with facility, of each separate fruit. 



The next, and more important consideration, is to restrain the tree from exhaust- 

 ing itself by its too generous crops of fruit, and which can only be done, with 

 facility, by diminishing the number of fruit-buds at the winter or early spring 

 pruning. My constant instructions, at this time, are "not to spare the knife," 

 being well persuaded that it is necessary not only to the longevity of the tree, but 

 also to the size and quality of the fruit. As the fruit is borne only ujjon the wood 

 formed during the preceding year, the rule is, first, duly to attend to the hollow 

 form of the tree, which should be constantly maintained, and, secondly, to head 

 back each fruit-bearing branch to at least one-half its extent. The crop is thus 

 easily kept within reasonable bounds, and if, after the lapse of many years, any of 

 the main laterals become too rigid or too much extended, new ones may be allowed 

 to grow in their place, and the old ones then withdrawn. Tlie vigor and growth 

 of the tree seem to be surprisingly increased under this restraining system, as arc 

 also the size and quality of the fruit. 



The third important point is, to guard the tree from its insidious and deadly foe, 

 the worm. For this purpose, two examinations of each tree should regularly be 

 made — one in the month of May, and the other in September. Fortunately, the 

 presence of the worm may easily be discovered at or just beneath the surface of 

 the ground, by the oozing of the gum, and, if not duly attended to, will in a short 

 time occasion the destruction of the tree by cutting around the bark, and thus 

 diminishing or totally destroying communication between the tree and its roots. 

 The worm is most speedily and effectually destroyed by scraping and probing 

 them away through the aid of an ordinary oyster-knife, which is usually jiointed 

 and formed with a double edge. With such an instrument, a person may go 

 through many hundreds of trees in a day, when the system is regularly attended 

 to as above described, and it will be found that, with such care, but here and there 

 only will a tree be infested and require attention. 



As the peach-tree is so generous in its growth, and in its exuberant crops, it is 

 necessarily a great exhauster of the soil, and must have the support of proper 

 manures. It is also essential to its prosperity that the soil should be kept open, 

 and free from grass or weeds. I have found that the cultivation of many kinds 

 of root crops requiring manures and frequent stirring of the soil, such as potatoes, 

 beets, turnips, &c., are quite consistent with the health and vigor of the tree, but 

 that, when the soil becomes bound through a dense growth of grass, which ex- 

 cludes light and air from the roots, it soon dwindles, becomes sickly, takes on the 

 yellows, and dies. At the period of stoning of the fruit, a large demand for silica 

 is made upon the soil, which must necessarily be dissolved, and conveyed through 

 the roots, trunk, and branches, in a soluble state. It is probable that, along with 

 nic acid, some kinds of alkaline manures, such as lime, or a mixture of one- 

 potash and two-thirds salt, contribute most powerfully to aid the efforts of 



