170 



The Peach Tree. 



Vol. III. 



earth is best calculated to produce the effect, 

 by formin;^ a compound sufficiently retentive 

 of moisture, to promote the decomposition of 

 the vet^etable and animal matter that may be 

 in their vicinity, and lo serve as a solvent to 

 prepare tiie food to be taken up, be they ab- 

 sorbents. It will be readily understood that 

 soils which are too retentive of moisture, 

 will prevent the necessary decomposition, 

 and will present to the plants more water 

 than is required to preserve them in a 

 healthy state. On the other extreme, soils 

 that are not sufficiently retentive of mois- 

 ture, in dry seasons, the decomposition will 

 be prevented, nor is there water sufficient to 

 serve as a solvent, to prepare the food for 

 the plants. From what has been said, it ap- 

 pears that soils which are too close, or too 

 loose, are not the best calculated to promote 

 general vegetation. As none of the earths, 

 except lime, can with propriety be considered 

 as one of the constituents of the food of plants, 

 a proper mixture however of some of the 

 other earths is necessary to form a matrix, 

 in which the vegetables are most advantage- 

 ously sustained. 



Joseph Cloud. 



For the Farmors' Cabinet. 



Tbe Peacli Tree.— ]¥o. II. 



The luscious peach, with blushing cheek, 



Graceful, autumnal fruits among ; 

 And healthful, does Experience speak. 



Salubrious food, will life prolong. — Anon. 



I think I have satisfied the readers of the 

 preceding article, that I have traced the habits 

 of the peach fly successfully ; I shall now 

 proceed to sliow how I have managed to pro- 

 tect my peach trees frotin so formidable an 

 enemy. 



I planted in protected situations near one 

 hundred of the trees alluded to in my first 

 number; having examined and well washed 

 the roots, for if the young worm is now left 

 in the root, or bark near the ground, further 

 care will be thrown away, and generally 

 those which have been standing without care 

 for two years, are ni\worthy of further atten- 

 tion ; and as this tree soon comes to bearing, 

 after planting, it is better to begin by plant- 

 ing the stone, or with trees under, or about 

 two years old — and dig tiiem up to prevent 

 being deceived; plant the young trees with 

 care, leaving the hole in the ground not 

 quite filled up. — then take as much rye straw 

 as may be readily grasped with both hands, 

 for a young tree — ctit it carefully, place it 

 evenly roimd the tree, and bind it well, with 

 three bands of the same; settle the straw 

 well down in the hollow round the tree, fill 

 up the earth rotmd the hiittsof the straw, and 

 repeat the process annually, and it is safe. 



The peach tree thrives best in a new soil ; 

 but if the land is grassy where they are 

 planted, put yearly four shovels full of sour 

 tan, from the tan yard, round them ; if it is 

 quite acid, it is the better, as it destroys the 

 grass about them and invigorates the tree 

 surprisingly, and is the best article that can 

 be had for that purpose. A handy boy will 

 dress with straw twenty trees, (if they are 

 small,) in one hour. Those trees of mine so 

 dressed annually, continued to flourish four- 

 teen years, with less loss than occured in the 

 apple orchard around which they are plant- 

 ed ; of those thus cared for, not more than 

 four per cent, died in ten years, and only one, 

 a neglected tree, was destroyed by the worm. 

 When the bark of those trees by age had 

 become hard, or rigid, say on the ninth year, 

 [ ceased to put straw around them, and only 

 put tan around the roots every spring. 



They were an inferior lot of trees as to 

 fruit, and were not innoculated, and all of 

 one kind; they blo.ssomed early, and frosts 

 in our limestone land often killed the blossom; 

 the rose bugs were numerou.*!, and some sea- 

 sons destroyed most of the fruit ; and in the 

 dry summer of, perhaps, 1818, they bore re- 

 markably full, there was not moisture enough 

 to support the tree, and mature the fruit — 

 and they declined from that cause all in the 

 next year. 



I have about thirty trees of three years stand- 

 ing now ; they all appear thrifly and likely 

 to succeed well, confirming all my former 

 experience in the plan I have described. 



Note. — A corroborating circumstance, go- 

 ing to prove that the egis, which produces 

 [the worm, is laid in the limbs of the tree, I 

 add — A peach tree sprung up on the margin 

 of a mill race, belonging to a friend of mine, 

 and as it grew, took an oblique ditection over 

 the water in the race, so that the young 

 worms as they dropjied oft' the tree, fell in 

 the stream, and passed away ; and it remained 

 uninjured at the root, although all other trees 

 of the kind on the farm, were destroyed by 

 the corrimon enemy. The disease called the 

 yellows, never appeared among my trees. 

 S.\MUEL Johnson. 



Buckingham, 11 mo. Id, 1833. 

 P. S. So confident am I of tiie succe.ss of 

 this plan, (though I have not the merit of in- 

 venting it,) of the culture of the peach, that 

 had I personal ability, I would und<^rtake to 

 furnish plants, and assure to Crtrr/l^Z people, 

 the longevity of the trees for less than the 

 present price of the Morus Multicauli.*. I 

 iiave related facts as they were presented to 

 my view, and should be pleased if others profit 

 by them. 



The injuries we do, and those we suffer, 

 are seldom weighed in the same balance. 



