PEACHES AT THE SOUTH. 



fill practice. Is it owing to the difTerent class of peaches cultivated in each section, that 

 this diversity of belief and practice exists .' 



Here the peach does best budded or grafted on its own roots. Plum stocks they would 

 soon overgrow and break off, while probably they would be no more safe from the borer. 

 "\A'e can begin our budding in June, on seedlings planted the previous fall, and as soon as 

 the bud starts, the top being headed down, if on good healthy stocks, they are frequently 

 quite large enough to transplant the ensuing winter, or in a twelve-month from the time 

 the seed was planted. Budding may be continued through the season, until about the 

 middle of October, but early budding is most practiced. 



We find it better in budding to leave attached to the bud not only the leaf stalk, but a 

 small portion, say about half an inch, of the lower part of the leaf itself, as it is found that 

 this attracts the sap, and the budding is more likely to be successful. But if we wish to 

 keep tlie scion a day or two before use, we remove all but the foot stalk. Peaches are not 

 often grafted with you. Here fine trees are raised by cleft grafting in the root during the 

 winter. They may be planted out where they are to stand, and if well cultivated will 

 make a fine growth the ensuing summer. 



Communications appeared some time since in the Horticulturist, from Mr. Whitfield and 

 Mr. Harwell, the tendency of which was to create doubt whether the peach tree from the 

 north is not, from its period of blooming, unsuited to a southern climate. In fact there 

 exists here a prejudice against all imported fruit trees, arising from the general want of 

 success with the northern winter apples, which, if it was confined to the latter, it would 

 not be worth while to combat, as a large amount of money has been expended upon 

 them with no other benefit to the country than to establish the fact of their general want 

 of adaptation to this climate. But to tell us that the pear or peach from the same source 

 is unsuited to this section, is sheer nonsense, for trees planted here in 1836, and almost 

 every season since, are living witnesses that it is not true. 



Since Mr. Harwell's communication was published, two blossoming seasons have passed. 

 There seems to be here a slight but observable difference in the time of inflorescence be- 

 tween the native and foreign varieties, still the latest blooming native peaches continue in 

 flower until the earliest imported ones come into blossom. But upon the whole the native 

 varieties are about a week earlier than the others, in blossoming. The first peach blos- 

 soms that appear are usually natives in their first season of flowering, which are generally 

 in full bloom before full grown trees in the same aspect show a single opened blossom. 

 Probably these young trees, not throwing their roots so deeply into the earth, the soil 

 about them becomes sufficiently warm to quicken circulation and bring on inflorescence, 

 while full aged trees throw their roots more deeply in the underlying soil, still cold, are 

 not so easily affected by atmospheric temperature. Or perhaps the constitution of the 

 young tree may be more susceptible to excitement from the spring warmth. 



In ordinary seasons here, this difference in the time of blossoming between native and 

 foreign varieties is not of much practical importance. Both were cut off in 1849 by the 

 same frost, unless where protected by buildings adjacent, or some accident of site or ex- 

 posure. But it might happen if both were equally hardy, that the later period of flower- 

 ing would give us a crop of the northern peaches, when the others being more fully in 

 blossom were cut off. But practically this is of very little consequence, as both blossom 

 early enough to produce a good crop, except in case of frost, when, as a general rule, we 

 find the high flavored budded peaches, whether native or not, are more tender and easily 

 ffected than our common seedlings. The latter were almost the only ones hardy en 

 thstand uninjured the frost of last spring. 



