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PEACHES. 



The preferable soil for a Peach orchard is a rich 

 sandy loam, but this fruit will succeed in any soil with 

 proper attention to cultivation and manuring; particular 

 care, however, should be taken not to plant a new or- 

 chard on the site of an old one. There are two causes 

 which have operated against the success of this tree, 

 and which seem peculiar to it — the one is a Worm 

 which attacks the tree at the root, near the surface of 

 the ground, and often totally encircles it; the other is a 

 disease usually denominated the Yellows. 



The Worm* — The most proper course to obviate the 

 depredations of the worm is to examine the trees every 

 spring and autumn, and to make an application of fresh 

 cow dung to the wounds which have been made by 

 them. Lime or ashes thrown around the roots of 

 Peach trees are found to prevent, in a great measure, 

 ihe depredations of the worm. 



Yellows. — This disease, which commenced its rava- 

 ges in New-Jersey and Pennsylvania about the year 

 1 797, and in New- York in 1 80 1 , and has spread through 

 several of the states, is by far more destructive to Peach 

 trees than the worm, and is evidently contagious. The 

 disease is spread at the time when the trees are in 

 bloom, and is disseminated by the pollen or farina blow- 

 ing from the flowers of diseased trees, and impregnat- 

 ing the flowers of those which are healthy, and which 

 is quickly circulated by the sap through the branches, 

 foliage, and fruit, causing the fruit, wherever the infec- 

 tion extends, to ripen prematurely. That this disease 

 is entitely distinct from the worm, is sufficiently proved 

 by the circumstance, thai Peach trees which ha\e been 

 inoculated on Plum or Almond stocks, though never 

 affected by the wor?n, are equally suhjett to the yellozas, 

 — and a decisive proof of its being contagious is, that a 

 healthy tree, inoculated from a branch of a diseased 

 one. instead of restoring it to vigour and health, i]p me- 

 diately becomes itself infected with the disease. As all 



