OF FRUIT TREES. 195 



to premature decay, and the period of its duration 

 is greatly diminished, insomuch, that its continuance 

 in a healthy bearing state seldom exceeds three or 

 four years. This misfortune is increased by the 

 circumstance, that a peach orchard cannot bo rear- 

 ed a second time on the same spot, unless the soil 

 be renovated by several years intermediate cul- 

 ture of other crops. The soil best adapted to the 

 peach tree is a mellow, sandy loam. Situations 

 naturally wet, or inclining to clay, are unfavoura- 

 ble. Water should never be suffered to stand 

 round the roots of tender trees, especially in strong 

 land, as it is apt to produce the mildew, and destroy 

 them. 



In England, peach trees are planted against a 

 wall, to which their branches are trained, and 

 nailed either in the fan form, or nearly horizontal- 

 ly, and being the subjects of particular care and 

 culture, it is not uncommon for peach trees to con- 

 tinue to produce annual crops during forty years. 



The propagation of peach trees is accomplished 

 either by planting the stones or kernels, or by bud- 

 ding on proper stocks. By the first method there 

 is constantly a great tendency to deviate from the 

 nature of the variety from which the seed was 

 taken, and the variety may be almost indefinitely 

 increased. In Maryland and Virginia, this last 

 mode is adopted without budding, by which nume- 

 rous varieties are obtained, and among them are 

 found some of superiour quality. It, indeed, on 

 some occasions happens, that the same fruit is pro- 

 duced with that of the seed planted. The stones 

 are planted in beds or drills, in October or Novem- 

 ber, or they may be preserved in sand, and planted 

 in March: in this case the stones must be broken 

 open without injuring the kernel, which is the part 

 to be planted. In one year the seedlings may be 

 transplanted in rows into the nursery, which may 

 be done either in autumn or spring. It is to be 



