On Peach Trees* 15 



before they come to perfection: and I have never got one 

 nectarine except from a young tree planted in the fall 

 which yielded me fourteen fine nectarines the ensuing- 

 summer; since when I have not had another, and I find 

 the older my trees are, the more they are infested with 

 insects, from which I conclude that were they attacked 

 on their first appearance, by destroying the eggs in the 

 fallen fruit, or otherwise, it might prevent their increase 

 and eventually destroy them. — For several years my fa^ 

 mily have been supplied with the finest plumbs by a 

 neighbour, who is the only person I know of who has 

 had uniform success with them, last year while his trees 

 were in full bearing, 1 carefully examined them, particu- 

 larly as respected their culture and local situation, and 

 I found that no uncommon pains had been taken with 

 them ; on the contrary, they appeared neglected as was 

 evident from the numerous dead and broken limbs that 

 hung about them, and that the very great success he 

 had, could only be attributed to their situation, which 

 was at the place where his hogs laid, and were fed ; he 

 told me that the hogs never let a plumb that had fallen 

 remain many minutes undevoured, and thereby de- 

 stroyed the insects that hung about, and the eggs that 

 were deposited in them, though of late there had appear- 

 ed but few insects about the trees. 



How easy would it be to inclose a piece of ground 

 for the purpose of feeding hogs in, which if planted with 

 the best plumb trees, might be made to yield more 

 profit than twenty times the same ground would in grain 

 or grass, when it is considered the enormous price that 

 fr\ut commands, no doubt owing to the difficulty of 



