338 



Culture of the Peach. — The Olive Tree. 



Vol. VI. 



Culture of the Peach. 



The most extensive peach orchard which 

 has come to my knowledge, is that belonging 

 to Messrs. Isaac Reeve and Jacob Ridgway, 

 of Philadelphia. It is situated forty-five miles 

 below the city, on the river Delaware, at 

 Delaware city, and contains 200 acres of 

 trees, in different stages of growth. In 1839, 

 they gathered from this orchard 18,000 bush- 

 els of first rate fruit from 170 acres of trees, 

 whereof only 50 acres were then in full bear- 

 ing. When the fruit has attained the size of 

 a small musket-ball, it is thinned. One of 

 those gentlemen informed me, that of that 

 small size, they had gathered in that year, 

 700 bushels, by measure, of the immature 

 fruit. By this judicious management, while 

 the amount of fruit was but little diminished, 

 either in weight or measure — its size and 

 beauty were tlius greatly improved, so that 

 their fruit was the handsomest in the Phila- 

 delphia market, and during the best of the 

 season much of it was sold at from S^4 50 to 

 .$6 the basket of three pecks in measure. 

 Since that period, they have increased their 

 orchards, which now comprise 300 acres. 

 Their trees are usually transplanted at a 

 year's growth from the bud; they usually 

 produce a full crop of fruit in the fourth year 

 after being transplanted, and from some of 

 their trees two bushels of fruit have been ga- 

 thered in a single year. They prefer a dry 

 soil, light and friable, on a foundation of clay, 

 or gravelly clay ; a good, but not a very rich 

 soil. Like all other cultivators, the whole 

 land is always kept in cultivation. For the 

 first two or three years, corn is raised in the 

 orchard, but afterwards the trees are permit- 

 ted to occupy the whole ground, nothing 

 being suffered to grow beneath their shade, 

 as this would rob the fruit of its nourishment. 

 In Delaware, where the climate is warm, and 

 the soil good, twenty feet asunder is the suit- 

 able distance recommended for the tree ; while 

 on the eastern or Atlantic side of New Jer- 

 sey, sixteen or seventeen feet is deemed suf- 

 ficient by some of their most experienced 

 cultivators on good soils ; while farther north, 

 or on poorer soils, a less distance will suffice. 

 Even ten feet asunder answers well in the 

 latitude of Boston. 



The blossoms of the peach trees, as well 

 as those of the cherry, are sometimes liable 

 to be cut off by winter, or by spring frosts, 

 which occur after the sap has arisen; the 

 danger in this case being caused by the oc- 

 currence of very warm weather, either during 

 an open winter, or during the progress of a 

 very early spring, which causes the tree to 

 advance prematurely. Those trees being 

 more especially exposed which are in warm 

 and sunny situations, while those trees which 

 are situated on the north sides of hills, the 



most exposed to cold winds, and on the north 

 sides of fences and of buildings, almost inva- 

 riably escape. In Switzerland, it has been 

 stated that a mound of earth is sometimes 

 placed over the roots of trees in autumn, as a 

 protection from winter frost, which is removed 

 in spring. Completely to protect the tree, 

 and to insure a crop of fruit in all situations 

 and seasons, let the surface of the earth be- 

 neath the tree be covered to the depth of 

 eight or twelve inches, either with leaves, or 

 coarse, strawy manure, or with coarse hay in 

 January and February, and when hard frozen. 

 This will preserve the ground in a frozen 

 state, and effectually retard the advancement 

 of the tree till the danger is past, and to a 

 late period in spring. 



The peach flourishes and ripens well its 

 fruit usually wherever and as far north as the 

 Indian-corn, or maize will produce a certain 

 crop. But by attending to the above direc- 

 tions, we are persuaded that it will succeed 

 and flourish, producing fruit perfect and ma- 

 ture, and abundantly even still farther north. 

 It is eminently deserving of trial. — Kenrick 

 New Am. Orchardist. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 



The Olive Tree. 



Esteemed Friend, — I do not know tha* 

 this tree has ever been introduced into any 

 part of the United States, but I consider the 

 cultivation of it in the Southern States of far 

 more value than the morus multicaulus in 

 the Middle States. As an article of food, the 

 olive oil is considered preferable to animal 

 fat ; but it ought always to be mild, fresh, and 

 of a sweet taste. And having in my hands 

 the following excellent observations upon the 

 culture of this tree, addressed by Thomas Jef- 

 ferson, in 1787, to the Agricultural Society 

 of Charleston, South Carolina, I make an ex- 

 tract therefrom for the pages of the Cabinet. 

 If worthy, please insert, and oblige 



A Subscriber. 



" The olive is a tree the least known in 

 America, and yet the most worthy of being 

 known. Of all the gifts of heaven to man, it 

 is next to the most precious, if not the most 

 precious. Perhaps it may claim a preference 

 even to bread, because there is such an infi- 

 nitude of vegetables, which it renders a pro- 

 per and comfortable nourishment. In passing 

 the Alps at the Colde Tende, where they are 

 mere masses of rock, wherever there happens 

 to be a little soil, there are a number of olive 

 trees, and a village supported by them. Take 

 away these trees, and the same ground in 

 corn would not support a single family. A 

 pound of oil, which can be bought for 2d or 

 4cZ sterling, is equivalent to many pounds of 



