No. 129.] 483 



peach than I have, and with some success, that they are too much 

 nui'sed, too much pruned and dosed with food, solid and liquid'; 

 washed, rubbed and scoured to death, like a pet animal, they are 

 often nursed into disease. Plant the young tree well as you 

 would any other. The peach does not require a rich soil to 

 thrive: it does best on a thin soil, with none or very little trim- 

 ming and cutting. Let nature have its course with the peach. 

 The stem, foliage and branches should be permitted to grow in 

 all their native luxuriance and wildness. It is believed the tree 

 will live longer by this system than by overdosing it with too 

 much and great a variety of medicine, and produce more and 

 better fruit. It is a refinement in care and nursing which the 

 character of the plant does not require. If any of tlie branches 

 interlock or cross each other so as to cliafe or rub, apply the knife 

 if you cannot turn them in a different direction by the hand. 

 Some years ago I was at the South, and was shown peach trees 

 there said to be nearly or quite one hundred years old, still bear- 

 ing and looking tolerably thrifty. I inquired what they did to 

 make them live to such an age. They answered, nothing; let 

 them alone. Nature was the doctor, and it was the only one the 

 plant required ; and this system they pursued with young ones 

 as well as those that they budded ; both those they raised from 

 the pit and by inoculation. Fine peaches, too — plenty of them, 

 and some of the best quality : no premature decay from disease. 

 Sometimes the disease of a hundred years old v.ould produce 

 decline and death, as it does vrith every thing possessing life, 

 plants as well as animals. The southerners always planted their 

 peach orchards on the poorest land they had — a rich soil they 

 considered as hostile to the health of th'. pl.-'ut. 



Mr. Elliott had resided in the neighborhood of the celebrated 

 Cramp cow and believes the report of her remarkable case exactly 

 true. She had during the day five changes of food, as of clover, 

 tares, lucerne and hay in summer even. She was kept clean in 

 a small paddock; her bag was well washed with cold water 

 always before milking. She was of the pure Sussex breed. 



Professor Mapes. — Tlie regular subject of the day, or rather, 

 one of the subjects being the peach, I will make a few remarks. 

 It is a native ot Persia, where it 'is of slow growth, producing a 



