DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



Dnintstic Uatitrs. 



Gen. Hand Plum. — Being a constant reader 

 of the Horticulturist, I have noticed several ar- 

 tides on tlie Gen. Hand Plum, and as its ori- 

 gin seems somewhat of a mj'stery,, and as I 

 happen to know all that is known about it, I 

 have taken the liberty of addressing you on the 

 subject- 



The tree from whicli tlie original graft was 

 obtained, grew on the late Gen. Hand's place, 

 on the Conestoga, about a mile from Lancaster, 

 Pa.j and if living, would now be fifty or sixty 

 years old. About thirty years ago, Mr. George 

 Miller procured a graft, and succeeded in rais- 

 ing it. The original tree died shortly after. Mr. 

 E. W, Carpenter, nurseryman, of Lancaster, 

 Pa., procured a specimen of the fruit about 

 1831, and as it was of an uncommon size, mea- 

 suring about two and a quarter inches in diam- 

 eter, I made a drawing of it for him, as I was 

 in the habit of doing as fast as his standards 

 came into bearing. He budded a number of 

 trees, and sent grafts (among the rest,) to his 

 brother, S. Carpenter, of Lancaster, Ohio, 

 and RoBT. Sinclair, Baltimore, and thus in- 

 troduced it to notice. The drawing in the Horti- 

 culturist, though correct, is not as large as I 

 have seen the fruit. It is supposed to be a 

 seedling. 



I would also bring to your notice another 

 plum, introduced by E. W. Carpenter, viz : 

 the Montgomeiy Plum. He found the tree, (a 

 very old one,) some twenty years ago, in adj'- 

 ing condition, on the premises of Mr. Mont- 

 gomery, and procured four grafts, one of which 

 grew, I have never seen the fruit itself, but he 

 describes it as a very large oval purple plum, 

 and of a most delicious flavor, and very prolific. 

 He has had them as large as a hen's egg. The 

 wood and fruit somewhat resemble the German 

 Quetsche, (blue prune,) though the tree is of a 

 more vigorous growth, and more prolific. Dr. 

 Eli Parry of Lancaster, could doubtless pro- 

 cure you some of the fruit next summer. Hav- 

 ing obtained a few grafts, I shall test it here. 

 Yours respectfully. C. G. Siewers. Cincin- 

 March 5, 1851. 

 are obliged to our correspondent for his 



concise and detailed account of these fruits. 

 Ed.] 



Boiling Water for Peach Trees.— It has 

 been thought impossible to recover a tree badly 

 infected with the yellows. If the following ex- 

 periment on a peach in this condition will prove 

 of any use by saving the trees of others, it is at 

 the service of your readers. 



Many of our peach trees perished during the 

 winter of '49. Others bore no fruit the fol- 

 lowing summer, and were deeply infected with 

 the yellows, and were accordingly cut down and 

 their roots grubbed up. One or two trees, 

 however, in the same condition, were overlook- 

 ed, and left. A friend, who is a successful 

 fruit culturist, happened to walk into the gar- 

 den, and observing a tree bad with the yellows, 

 and hearing an intention of cutting it down ex- 

 pressed, cried out, " By no means, by no 

 means, you can save it!" This was about the 

 commencement of autumn. The tree was evi- 

 dently dying— leaves yellow, stems full of dried 

 withered fruit, and the root very gummy. He 

 immediately caused a basin to be excavated 

 round the trunk, and the gum and worms to be 

 taken out thoroughly with a sharp knife ; while 

 this was doing he applied himself to heading in 

 the branches, lopping off from one foot to three, 

 as he thought necessary; cutting away all the 

 dead spurs, twigs, and fruit, and pruning out 

 superfluous branches of sound wood. This 

 done, and the litter all carried off", he ordered 

 a copious supply, (2 or 3 gallons) of boiling 

 water poured round the trunk where the exca- 

 vation was made. Whether it was the prun- 

 ing of the limbs, the scraping about the base of 

 the tree, or the boiling water, those wiser in 

 pomology than myself, must decide ; certain it 

 is, however, that an influence quite magical 

 was exerted on the peach, for in two or thi-ee 

 weeks it put out fresh and abundant foliage, of 

 a deep green, and continued full of verdure till 

 late frost. [Boiling water is a most excellent 

 application in the spring of the year, for dis- 

 eased and feeble peach trees, and is a certain 

 remedy for the peach worm. "We presume 

 from our correspondent's description of the tree 



