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V On Peach Trees. By miliam Phillips. 



Read July 14th, 1809. 



Riversdale, November 23cl, 1809. 

 Sir, 



From a desire to promote the cultivation of fine fruit, 

 and a belief that every publication of experiments that 

 are attended with success, may at least have the happy 

 effect of stimulating others in the pursuit of so desira- 

 ble an object and eventually perfect it, I am induced to 

 relate to you my mode of cultivating peach trees, as 

 well as that pursued by others as far as they have come 

 under my observation, together with the effects. 



Seven years past when I took possession of Rivers- 

 dale farm, I planted 30 peach trees in a grass lot which 

 had not been ploughed for at least twenty years, and 

 was very tough and bound. The first and second year 

 they did not grow the least, and appeared as if they 

 would soon die ; my gardener wished to cut them down 

 as he thought them not worth removing, but I pre- 

 ferred trying an experiment with them ; which was to 

 throw about half a peck of well slacked lime (which had 

 been exposed to the weather several months) round 

 each, the following spring I was agreeably surprised 

 with their very thrifty appearance they bore as many 

 fine peaches as they could support, and though the 

 ground had not been dug it was perfectly loose four 

 feet in circumference round them : they grew very 

 much tliat year, and have continued to produce me a 



