CULTIVATION OF THE SOIL. 69 



ed. The trees are suffered to become choked with 

 grass, weeds, or crops of grain some live and linger, 

 others die under the hardship ; or else are broken 

 off by cattle, or broken, down by the team which 

 cultivates the ground. 



An intelligent friend purchased fifty very fine 

 peach trees, handsomely rooted, and of vigorous 

 growth ; they were well set out in a field contain- 

 ing a fine crop of heavy clover and timothy. The 

 following summer was very dry ; and a luxuriant 

 growth of meadow grass nearly obscured them from 

 sight. What was the consequence ? Most of 

 them necessarily perished. 



Another person bought sixty, of worse quality in 

 growth ; he set them out well, and kept them well 

 cultivated with potatoes. He lost but one tree ; 

 and /continuing to cultivate them with low hoed 

 crops, they now promise to afford loads of rich 

 peaches, before the dead stubs of his neighbor, just 

 mentioned, have disappeared from his grounds. 



Another neighbor a year ago bought fifty good 

 trees. Passing his house late in summer, he said 

 to me, " I thought a crop of wheat one of the best 

 for young peach trees ?" " Just the reverse; it is 

 one of the worst all sown crops are injurious, all 

 low hoed ones beneficial." " Well," answered he, 

 " I have found it so my fifty trees all lived it is 

 true, but I have lost one year of their growth by 

 my want of knowledge." His trees were examined ; 



