Fruit Trees," it will not do to follow it verbatim in 

 every section of the country. 



We require shade ; in the Eastern States, sun is 

 necessary to perfect fruit ; hence our aim is to 

 train our trees with low bodies, making the foliage 

 of the tree shade its roots, and endeavoring to make 

 the heads as compact as possible, and produce the 

 fruit as near its centre as can be feasible. Hence 

 high, naked bodied trees are short-lived — the bark 

 is diseased on the south-west side, the heads are 

 likewise deficient there, and, after a few years, the 

 tree decays and dies. 



The Apple tree begins to bear much sooner than 

 farther North. Some varieties, like the Shockley, 

 will produce remunerative crops the third year after 

 transplanting. Others require more age ; but as a 

 rule, an orchard begins to bear well the fourth year 

 of planting. We require young trees to start with, 

 — one-year old Apple trees cut back to 2 feet are 

 the most preferable. The Apple grows with such 

 vigor that one-year old nursery trees often attain 10 

 feet growth upon ordinary upland. 



The Fear'i^ also well adapted here, if we except 

 j some varieties, which though of good quality North, 

 I become worthless. Others, again, improve in size 

 \ and flavor. The season of maturity of most varie- 

 \ ties is hastened. For instance, Doyenne d'Ete ripens 

 \ beginning of June ; Bartlett beginning of August. 

 \ We are still deficient in Southern Winter Pears, 

 \ few good varieties have been originated here, show- 

 I ing that the Pear requh-es more care in its repro- 

 I duction than the Apple. . The latter has fur- 

 I nished us with its best varieties from chance seed- 

 i lings of the Indians ; the Pear in general produces 

 I worthless fruits if unaided by a judicious knowledge 

 I in selecting the proper seeds. 



We have been visited with very destructive sea- 

 I sons of blight, especially in the spring of 1866. This 

 i year we are entirely Iree from it. 

 1 The Peach nowhere attains the size and quality 

 I it does here. Its season of maturity commences by 

 \ the 15th of June and is often prolonged until the 

 I middle of November, a period of five months. We 

 I require, therefore, a longer list of varieties than 

 I where the season of maturity scarcely lasts two 



i months. The protracted warm weather gives to 

 the fruit a degree of perfection unknown in colder 

 latitudes. 



Clingstones have long been the favorite class of 

 Peaches in this country. They are more vinous and 

 juicy than the bulk of the seedling freestone peaches, 

 and the prevailing taste having once settled in that 

 channel it is difiicult to change it. Freestone vari- 

 eties are the earliest to ripen, and for supplying 



Northern markets they alone are profitable to cul- 

 tivate. 



So far our best shipping peaches are about the 

 same as those varieties cultivated largely North. 

 We have several Southern seedlings that, in point 

 of earliness, compare favorably with such kinds as 

 Early York, but are immensely superior in point of 

 size and flavor. The defect with them is that they 

 are too tender to stand carrying to distant markets. 



The finest of all clingstone peaches is unquestion- 

 ably the Chinese Chng, a fruit that is of surpassing 

 excellence and beauty, but it must be eaten without 

 being carried far to enable one to appreciate it 

 fully. Clingstones, if picked before maturity, do 

 not ripen well, as they are apt to shrivel ; and if 

 left on the trees until ripe they cannot be shipped ; 

 hence the clingstone Peach must remain a fruit for 

 home consumption. 



The raising cf peaches for Northern markets is 

 again assuming some importance, wherever com- 

 munications are easy and regular — especially along 

 the railroad lines of South Carolina and Georgia, 

 and the St. John River, in Florida. This, it is 

 hoped, will increase in the same ratio as it did for- 

 merly. 



The Grape has received much attention, and vi- 

 ticulture was becoming of some importance when 

 the decay in the Grape made its appearance in 

 1 862. Since that time it has declined in a measure, 

 but is now again reviving, by the introduction of dif- 

 ferent varieties from those heretofore cultivated; and 

 which have succeeded in most places. The Catawba 

 was the variety generally cultivated. It has failed 

 so much that few vineyards ot that variety now re- 

 main. 



Our finest wine grapes are the varieties belonging 

 to the JEstivalis type. Their superior qualities can 

 only be perfected in a warm climate ; and, when 

 well grown, there are no finer flavored grapes on 

 this Continent than Warren, Pauline, Black July, 

 or Devereaux, etc. Unfortunately, the former has 

 generally decayed of late, the Pauline has become 

 very unproductive ; the Black July has stood well, 

 but is not a heavy bearer. The Clinton has suc- 

 ceeded everywhere, and is now becoming a popular 

 wine grape. Its season of maturity is end of July 

 to 10th of August. 



The great wine Grape of the South is the Scup- 

 pernong, which never decays, produces fabulous 

 crops of fruit, and by its peculiar habit requires no 

 trimming — three great points in its favor, particu- 

 larly the latter, as the great drawback to success- 

 ful vineyard culture has, heretofore, been the lack 

 of experienced vine-dressers. The Scuppernong, 



