428 Horticulture in Mississippi. 



skill, though a merchant, he assured me that his fruit trees in 

 his garden rotted their fruit this season more than he had seen, 

 all, whether they had been cultivated or not. Others have 

 had no rotten fruit, whether cultivated or not, and others have 

 had all to rot whether cultivated or not. If the fact could be 

 known, as to the growth of the trees, we might probably ar- 

 rive at some conclusion. For instance, I have a seedling that 

 has never borne any fruit ; it is now five years old ; that is, 

 seed placed in the earth in February or March 1841, and 

 planted into orchard in the spring of 1842. There is a large 

 limb broken down, by weight of foliage I verily believe : the 

 trunk is some twenty to twenty-two inches in circumference, 

 as many others are adjoining. The foliage is so remarkable, 

 that though it has not borne fruit, I could not cut it down and 

 cast into the fire. My trees that were budded last August, 

 about six to twelve inches from the earth, on stocks that grew 

 from the seed in spring of 1845, are this day ten feet high, and 

 five inches in circumference above the budded point, — I am 

 positive, having placed the seed in the earth in the fall of 1844, 

 taken up the plant in the spring of 1845, had it replanted in 

 nursery row, budded myself, and headed down this spring., 

 after the budded had put forth. Such luxuriant vegetation 

 will destroy all fruit, and Mr. Lambert of Vicksburg pursues 

 the correct practice — spade in vegetable manure, and cut otf 

 roots about five feet distant all round the tree, then prune 

 freely. I have a tree, from the seed planted in 1841, that will 

 measure twenty-five inches in diameter, and the fruit will 

 continue to rot while so luxuriant ; its parent did so until I 

 removed it. How now shall I remedy the evil with 1200 

 peach trees ? I will scatter manure round trees, run a furrow 

 lengthwise of rows four feet from each young tree, and follow 

 with a subsoil plough, then place as near as I can, and sub- 

 soil between rows. I told several, in the spring, that my crop 

 of fruit on young trees would be a loss, because there was too 

 much thrift ; cotton will cast its forms in like circumstances, 

 and I presumed that vegetable economy was alike in all in- 

 stances. 



Can you inform me what will prevent rabbits from girdling 

 peach, apples, pears, &xj. 7 I have seen coal tar recommend- 

 ed, — and a warning — I have used whitewash ; and the best 



