PEA, EVERLASTING. 



as is practised in the moist climate of England 

 with clover. 



PEA, EVERLASTING. See EVERLASTING 

 PEA and LATHYIU-S. 



PEAS and OATS. These, in the Eastern 

 and Northern States, are often sown together 

 broad-cast, producing a mixed crop called 

 Meslin. The common proportions are one- 

 fourth of peas to three-fourths of oats. The 

 pea commonly sown is the green pea from 

 Canada, which ripens about the time of the 

 oats, and for which, while growing, the oats 

 act as supporters. Peas and oats are usually 

 ground together as feed for their fatting cattle, 

 and are deemed valuable, though not so good 

 or so much relished as Indian meal without 

 mixture. Forty bushels of peas and oats per 

 acre would be regarded a large crop. This 

 has been produced, however, on nine acres, in 

 Deerfield meadows. Some farmers sow at the 

 rate of one-third peas and two-thirds oats. 



PEA, PARTRIDGE. The C atria Chamacrista 

 of Beck; a native of the Middle and Southern 

 States, where it goes by the common names of 

 Sensitive pea and Magothybay bean. The 

 stem is 1 to 2 feet high, rather erect, firm, and 

 much branched, downy, and often purplish. 

 Leaflets 8, 10, or 12 pairs, i to J inch in length 

 and 2 to 3 lines wide. Petals of the flowers, 

 deep bright-yellow, obovate, 2 or 3 of them with 

 a purple spot at base. Stamens 10, unequal, all 

 fertile ; anthers very long, 4 of them yellowish 

 and 6 purple. Legume about 2 inches long 

 and to of an inch wide, with a short, abrupt, 

 oblique acumination, hairy along the sutures. 

 See WILD SENSITIVE PLAKTT. 



PEACH (Fr.peche; Lat. Amygdalus, derived 

 from amysso, to lacerate, in allusion to the fis- 

 sured shell). The tall and coarse portion of 

 the ornamental, early flowering plants, of which 

 the peach forms a species, may be advantage- 

 ously disposed of in large plantations, and the 

 dwarf kinds in small shrubberies at the front 

 of the large ones. In England the common 

 way of increasing them is by budding on the 

 plum stock or the bitter almond. Rich mould 

 is a proper medium for them. They are most 

 valued for producing their showy pink blos- 

 soms early in the season, sooner than almost 

 any other shrubs. The peach is now one of 

 the most esteemed fruits: nearly 200 varieties 

 are enumerated in the London Horticultural So- 

 ciety's Catalogue. 



Although the peach is raised in the open air, 

 in every part of the United States, it succeeds 

 best in the states of New Jersey, Delaware, 

 Maryland, Virginia, and some of the Western 

 States in similar latitudes. The flavour of the 

 peaches of the United States is far superior to 

 that of the same kind of fruit in Europe. In 

 the vicinity of the large cities, or where facili- 

 ties of quick transportation to these are fur- 

 nished, the culture of the peach is a source of 

 great profit. 



Mr. Thomas Hancock, a very intelligent 

 nurseryman, near Burlington, New Jersey, gives 

 the following description of the mode practised 

 by him in planting and managing peach or- 

 chards. " When it is intended to plant out a good 

 orchard of trees, we generally select an elevated 

 position, entirely unprotected by any timber 



PEACH. 



or shelter of any kind; if a situation can be 

 selected near the bank of a river, the crop is 

 more certain, as the trees better withstand the 

 frosts, which occasionally do much damage. 



"Plough, and put the land in good condition 

 for corn or vegetables, and plant the trees 20 

 feet apart each way ; continue to till the land, 

 taking off a crop of peas, beans, potatoes, or 

 something that does not grow too high : wheat, 

 rye, and oats are very injurious, and should not 

 be planted. The land must not remain with- 

 out tillage, as the trees would soon be injured: 

 indeed, nothing will destroy a fine peach or- 

 chard sooner than to let it lie in sward. 



"The trees should be 2 years old on the stock 

 from seed, and 1 year from the bud, the year offer 

 liulding. This is considered as the best age 

 for transplanting. If the water stands near 

 the surface of the soil, or if the land has springs 

 near the top of the ground, I should not deem 

 it advisable to plant with the expectation of 

 very certain crops. I have lost two orchards 

 planted in this manner, while in an adjoining 

 field, where the land, or a part of it, was high, 

 with a dry subsoil, the trees flourished and 

 produced abundant crops. 



"Light sandy soil, or light loam, we consider 

 the most preferable for planting out peach 

 orchards, and I should judge that on many of 

 the elevated knolls, in the vicinity of Boston, 

 the peach might be cultivated to good advan- 

 tage, particularly the earlier varieties. It is at 

 least well worthy of trial." (Orchardist's Com- 

 panion.} 



The peach crop is, however, limited in a 

 great degree by the destruction of the trees 

 effected by a worm which attacks the inner 

 bark of the root about the crown, and by a 

 disease of uncertain origin, generally termed 

 the yellows. In some parts of the country 

 where the peach was formerly very extensively 

 raised, the culture has been abandoned in con- 

 sequence of the destruction of the trees from 

 these two causes. Mr. Samuel Reeve, of Sa- 

 lem, New Jersey, very advantageously known 

 as a nurseryman, says that the attacks of the 

 peach-worm may be obviated or the insect de- 

 stroyed by frequently examining the root at the 

 surface of the ground while the tree is in a 

 state of vegetation, removing the insects, as far 

 as possible, and then washing the tree at the 

 earth's surface with strong soap-suds, every 

 week or two. Rubbing the trunk and main 

 branches with soap-suds several times a year, 

 is also highly conducive to keeping the tree in 

 a healthy state. The ground should be kept 

 loose around the peach tree. (Orchardist's 

 Companion.') 



The application of a mixture of common 

 salt and saltpetre has been recommended by a 

 gentleman in Maryland, as successful in pre- 

 serving peach trees against the attacks of 

 worms. The proportions are, 1 part of salt- 

 petre to 8 parts of common salt. Half a pound 

 of this mixture to a tree of 7 years old and 

 upwards, is to be strewed upon the surface of 

 the ground around and in immediate contact 

 with the trunk of the tree. The mixture is 

 also recommended to be sown over the or- 

 chard in the proportion of 2 bushels to the acre. 

 By this means, it is said, the fruit is improved 



879 



