PEACH AND THE PEAR. 83 



by Prof. S. T. Maynard of the Botanic Department of 

 the Massachusetts Agricultural College, which is so 

 interesting and which I feel presents facts of such value 

 that I am sure it will be well worth the space it will 

 occupy, and I give it to my readers almost entire. As 

 Prof. Maynard stated, he presented the subject from a 

 New England stand-point, and the reader must remem- 

 ber that New England differs widely from the Peninsula, 

 in both soil and climate. 



"In looking over the history of peach-culture in 

 New England, we find that, when first planted in the 

 early days of its settlement, the trees were very easily 

 grown, and produced large crops of delicious fruit, but 

 soon that fell destroyer of the peach — the yellows — 

 made its appearance. We are told it was very destruc- 

 tive one hundred and twenty years ago, and yet peaches 

 continue to be planted, grow and die, new trees are 

 planted, bear and die, and still the process goes on. With 

 us, the peach is most succesfuUy grown on high, well 

 drained, loamy soil. The exposure, whether north, 

 south, east or west, seems to make but little difference 

 as to the hardiness of the trees, but the fruit is generally 

 of better quality on a southern slope, than upon a 

 northern one. 



About fifteen years ago a lot of some one hundred 

 trees were planted upon a light, stony soil, sloping to the 

 south, and protected by a heavy growth of woods on the 



