THE PEACH AND NECTARINE. 137 



The shortness of life in the peach tree, and the 

 consequent difficulty of its culture in the vicinity 

 of New- York and Philadelphia, and in other pla- 

 ces, appears to be chiefly owing to this disease. In 

 western New- York, it is comparatively unknown, 

 and great care should be used by cultivators that it 

 be not introduced by importations of trees. 



The peach tree, though generally supposed to be 

 very short lived, when not destroyed by unnatural 

 causes, will continue to flourish and bear for many 

 years. Trees, twenty years old and upwards, are 

 frequently seen in western New- York ; and in the 

 town of Farmington, Ontario county, were lately 

 the remains of an Indian orchard, containing peach 

 trees a foot in diameter and probably fifty years 

 old, in a bearing state. 



The curled leaf, which frequently appears on 

 peach trees early in summer, is occasioned by frost. 

 These leaves soon drop, and the tree assumes a 

 healthy appearance. It would not be worth noti- 

 cing except that it sometimes occasions unnecessa- 

 ry alarm. 



The growth of peach trees is often retarded by 

 mildew upon the leaves. This is confined to 

 glandless, cut-leaved varieties only; such as the 

 Early White Nutmeg, the Early Anne, and some 

 of the earliest varieties of the red rareripe. Yel- 

 low fleshed peaches never suffer from it. It is not 

 often a formidable evil. 



