P EAR-TREE. 24? 



shoots. The same shoot seldom bears after the first yeu-, 

 except on some casual, small spurs, on the two years' wood, 

 which is not to be counted upon. Hence the trees are to 

 be pruned, as bearing entirely on the shoots of the preced- 

 ing year ; and a full supply of every year's shoots must be 

 trained in for successional bearers. 



Thinning the fruit. " In favourable seasons, the blos- 

 soms often set more fruit than they can support, or than 

 have room to attain full growth ; and if all were to remain, 

 it would hurt the trees in their future bearing ; therefore 

 they should be timely thinned, when of the size of large 

 peas, or half-grown gooseberries. There should be a pre- 

 paratory thinning at the time of stoning, and a final thin- 

 ning afterwards, because most plants, especially such as 

 have overborne themselves, drop many fruit at that crisis. 

 Finish the thinning with great regularity, leaving those re- 

 tained at proper distances, three, four, or five, on strong 

 shoots, two or three on middling, and one or two on the 

 weaker shoots ; and never leaving more than one peach at 

 the same eye. The fruit on weakly trees thin more in 

 p roportion . ' ' Abercrombie 



Use. The use of the peach, as a dessert-fruit of the first 

 order, is too weH known to require observation. In seve- 

 ral of the Southern States, a sort of brandy is made from this 

 fruit. This liquor, however, though highly flavoured, is 

 said to be unwholesome. 



The following mode of drying peaches has been 

 practised by Thomas Belangee, of Egg Harbour, New 

 Jersey : 



He has a small house, with a stove in it, and drawers iu 

 the sides of the house, Jathed at their bottoms. Each 

 drawer will hold nearly half a bushel of peaches, which 

 should be ripe, and not peeled, but cut in two, and laid on 

 the laths, with their skins downwards, so as to save the 

 juice. On shoving the drawer in, they are soon dried by 

 the hot air of the stove, and laid up. Peaches, thus dried, 

 eat like raisins. With a paring-machine, which may be 

 had for a dollar or two, apples or pears may be pared, and 

 a sufficient quantity dried, to keep a family in pies, and 

 apple-bread and milk, till apples come again. With a par- 

 ing machine, one person can pare for five or six cutters. 



PEAR-TREE. Pyrus commuuis.The pear-tree is 



found in a wild state in Europe as far north as latitude 51. 



It grows in almost any soil, and seems to be quite at home 



' New England. In a dry soil (according to Loudon) it 



21 



