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On Peach Trees. By Wilhiam Phillips. 
Read July 14th, 1809. 
Riversdale, November 23d, 1809. 
Sir, 
From a desire to promote the cultivation of fine fruit, 
and a belief that every publication of experiments that 
are attended with success, may at least have the happy 
effect of stimulating others in the pursuit of so desira- 
ble an object and eventually perfect it, I am induced to 
relate to you my mode of cultivating peach trees, as 
well as that pursued by others as far as they have come 
under my observation, together with the effects. 
Seven years past when I took possession of Rivers- 
dale farm, I planted 30 peach trees in a grass lot which 
had not been ploughed for at least twenty years, and 
was very tough and bound. ‘The first and second year 
they did not grow the least, and appeared as if they 
would soon die; my gardener wished to cut them down 
as he thought them not worth removing, but I pre- 
ferred trying an experiment with them ; which was to 
throw about half a peck of well slacked lime (which had 
been exposed to the weather several months) round 
each, the following spring I was agreeably surprised 
with their very thrifty appearance they bore as many 
fine peaches as they could support, and though the 
ground had not been dug it was perfectly loose four 
feet in circumference round them: they grew very 
much that year, and have continued to produce me a 
