APPENDIX. No. II. 327 



Defcriptlon of a Method of Cultivating Peach Trees^ with 

 a vii'zv to prevent their premature decay; confirmed by 

 the experience of Forty- five Tears, in Delaware State 

 and the weftern parts of Pennfylvanla. By Thomas 

 Coulter, Efq. of Bedford County, Pennfylvania. 



'"T^HE death of young peach trees is principally 

 -L owing to planting, tranfplanting, and pruning 

 the fame feck, which occafions it to be open and tender, 

 with a rough haik, in confcqucnce of which infedts lodge 

 and breed in it, and birds fearch after tliem, whereby 

 wounds are made, the gum exudes, and in a few years the 

 tree is ufelefs. To prevent tb.is, tranfplant your trees as 

 young as poiTible, if in the kernel it will be beft, as there 

 will then be no check of growth. Plant them fixteen 

 feet apart. Plow and harrow between them, for two 

 years, v/ithout regard to wounding them, but avoid tearing 

 them up by the roots. In the month of March or April, 

 in the third year after tranfplanting, cut them all off by 

 the ground, plow and harrow among them as before, but 

 with great care to avoid wounding or tearing them. Suffer 

 all the fprouts or fcinns to grow, even if they Paould 

 amount to half a dozen or more, they become bearing 

 trees almoft inftantanccufly on account of the ftrength of 

 the root. Allow no animals but hogs to enter your 

 orchaid, for fear of their wounding the fhoots, as a fub- 

 ftance drains away through the leaft wound, wbich is 

 cifentiai to the health of the tree and the good quality of 

 the fruit. 



If the old i^'ock is cut away the third year after tranf- 

 planting, no more fiioots will come to maturity than the 

 old ftump can fupport and nouriih, the remainder will 

 die before they bear iruit, and may be cut avvay, taking 

 care not to wound ar.y other ftock. The fprouts when 



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