286 FARMERS ASSISTANT. 



* He has tried Mr. Coulter's method of having no stem*. 

 He puts stones in the ground, any time between November 

 and April, but prefers December; and cuts out dead and 

 broken limbs, without any other pruning. 



* Ploughing and harrowing the orchards is commenced 

 when the Spring-frost is over; and about this Mr. Baylcij 

 is very particular. He ploughed, one year, a part in March; 

 after which came frost, and every peach droped off the 

 trees in the part ploughed ; while those ploughed, after the 

 frost, yielded a fine crop. At present, he ploughs in the 

 latter part of April; again in May ; harrows in June; and 

 again in July. 



The plough is a very light one, drawn by one Horse or 

 Mule, only scarifying the surface, to keep down the grass 

 and weeds, and not cuting the roots of the peacntrees, 

 which run very shallow.* 



* His harrow is nothing but three ^^^ 

 hoes, nine inches wide, each, placed h 

 under* a triangular harrow frame; 



1 their situation and shape thus, 

 making together a breadth of twenty- 

 seven inches.' 



* Another piece of labor has to be performed in this 

 warm climate, which serves likewise to keep down the 

 \veeds and grass under the trees. An insect, resembling 

 greatly in appearance the botfly that teases our Hotsr.s, 

 pierces the bark of the trees, a little below the surface of 

 the earth, and there deposits, in June and July, its evrgs; 

 out of which are hatched a red worm, half an inch long, and 

 of the thickness of a coarse knitingneedle. These worms 

 injure the trees much, and often kill them, by girdling them 

 quite round, just under the surface of the soil. 



* To prevent these winged insects from operating on the 

 softened bark, near the surface, a hill of earth about a foot 

 high is raised round each tree, abowt the 1st of June; and 

 taken away about the 1st of September. These insects 

 cither iind the, bark too hard and dry to pieree, or the 'ak- 

 ing away the earth leaves the eggs uncovered and they 

 purish. The fact is, after ten years trial, Mr. Bayley has 

 found his trees thus completely preserved against the 

 \vorms. 



' The age of a peach-orchard, Mr. Bay ley estimates at 

 twenty years. He has seen them much older; but thinks 

 more profit is to be had, by replanting at the end of twenty 

 years. A tree is nearly in perfection the sixth year ; when 

 it will yield annually at the rate of fifteen gallons ot fourth- 

 proof brandy, for every hundred trees. The price ot this 

 liquor, before the War, was one dollar fifty cents, and nor 

 two dollars per gallon. 1 



