78 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



1871 



rather to leave the field open for free interchange 

 of opinions resulting from your reflections and ex- 

 periences, with a full conviction on my part, that 

 in this way I shall gain much valuable information, 

 while you will lose nothing for want of such sug- 

 gestions as I might withhold on any debatable 

 questions. 



In conclusion, I take this opportunity to tender 

 my grateful acknowledgements, and with the pro- 

 foundest sentiments of my heart, thank the members 

 of this Society for their uniform kindness and par- 

 tiality towards me, since I have been associated 

 with them. To me our meetings have been exceed- 

 ingly pleasant and instructive, and the remembrance 

 of them can never be effaced while time and mem- 

 ory shall last. 



I wish it were in my power to do more for the 

 noble cause in which we are laboring ; but little as 

 I may be able to accomplish, I shall cease not to toil 

 side by side with you in my humble way, and with 

 what little strength of body and mind I may pos- 

 sess, till my last work is done, and when it is about 

 being consummated I would desire to exclaim in the 

 sincerity of my heart : — 



" Give foola their gold, and knaves their power. 



Let fortune^s bubbles rise and fall; 

 Who sows a field, or trains a flower. 



Or plants a tree, is more than all. 



And soon or late, to them that sow. 



The time of harvest shall be given; 

 The flower shall bloom, the fruit shall grow. 



If not on earth, at last in Heaven." 



Pbach Growing in Maryland. — A correspond- 

 ent of the Journal of the Farm, writing from the 

 peach growing districts of Maryland says : "Very 

 many of our farmers, who formerly gave their 

 whole time and attention to the ordinary crops of 

 the farm, such as wheat, rye, &c., have given it up, 

 and gone into the peach business. A large number 

 have already planted trees by the thousand, and 

 regard them as their principal source of revenue. 

 From this section — Cecil and Kent counties — a por- 

 tion of which borders on the Sassafras River, the 

 peach trade is large and rapidly increasing. There 

 is annually shipped from this river alone, between 

 five and six hundred thousand crates, containing 

 nearly a bushel each. These crates average the 

 growers from eighty cents to one dollar each, clear 

 of all expenses. Three-fourths of the fruit goes to 

 Philadelphia." 



Saving the Plums.— J. J. Thomas, N. Y., has a 

 plum orchard of eighty trees. Previous to 1866 he 

 had obtained but very little fruit from the whole 

 orchard on account of the curculio. Since then he 

 has saved the fruit by jarring down the insects on 

 sheets. An iron spike is placed in each tree on 

 which a sharp blow is struck. 



Tree Planting. 



The season for transplanting is near, and to assist 

 those of limited experience in such work, we pro- 

 pose some plain, practical directions, and in which 

 we must, of necessity, repeat much that we have 

 said before. No doubt many of our readers are new 

 settlers in the West, and are seeking just the infor- 

 mation we propose to give, and, in fact, there is 

 often need of the repetition of old truths and facts 

 to refresh and stir up the minds of the careless and 

 neglectful — such as need line upon line and precept 

 upon precept. 



In the commencement of an orchard, the location, 

 aspect and preparation of the soil, are matters of 

 primary importance. The worst soils the orchard- 

 ist has to deal with, are those of a level, heavy, wet 

 texture. Rolling land and hill-sides, on some ac- 

 counts, are considered the most favorable sites. 

 They are naturally drained of surface water, and 

 are less frosty than low, level land. Aspect is of 

 minor importance. Some planters prefer a gentle 

 slope to the southwest ; others an opposite direc- 

 tion, &c. Our preference is a slope or hillside to 

 the southeast. ' Deep valleys, with streams, should 

 be avoided, if possible, as in such places, frosts are 

 apt to prove fatal." But any good land will answer 

 the purpose, whether rolling or level, if naturally 

 dry or under-drained, so water will not rest long on 

 the surface, or about the roots of the trees. No 

 satisfactory result can be realized where surface 

 water will not readily pass off. The importance of 

 thorough drainage can not be too strenuously urged. 

 It is well known to every observing farmer, that no 

 crop can be successfully grown on land that is sub- 

 ject to a surplus of surfece water that stands for 

 days fermenting and souring. 



Preparation of the soil chosen for the orchard is 

 contingent upon its condition. But, be that what 

 it may — level, rolling, naturally wet, or dry — it 

 should be thoroughly stirred to the depth of twelve 

 to eighteen inches, and well manured, if deficient in 

 vegetable matter, as is generally the case with hill 

 sides. Such soil needs enriching for fruit trees no 

 less than to produce a first-rate crop of corn. It is 

 folly to suppose that 'ordinary soil for fruit trees 

 needs no enriching. An Eastern farmer was once 

 asked why his apples were so much superior to 

 those of the same variety raised by his neighbors. 

 "Because," he responded, "I fatten my apples by 

 enriching the soil around the roots of my trees." 

 Liberal application of wood ashes will produce the 

 most beneficial effects upon the growth and health 

 of orchard trees and vines, whether the soil be rich 

 or poor. Ashes can scarcely be used to excess in 

 the orchard; apply broadcast upon the surface 

 about the tree, as far as the roots extend, and par- 

 tially work into the soil. The application of half 

 a bushel to a bushel to a tree, for five or six yean, 



