146 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Apiul, 
from this and other causes that cultivators think 
themselves fortunate if they have two good crops 
in five years. Ordinarily the laud is plowed as 
for grain, hut deep working would be much 
better. Twenty feet apart is the usual distance 
for planting. Before planting, the trees should 
be examined for any signs of the borer, and if 
found, the grub must be cut out. The trees 
should be cut back to the distance at which it is 
desired to form the head. The usual practice is 
to head the trees at three or four feet from the 
ground, but some form it much lower. The 
spaces between the trees are cultivated in corn, 
potatoes, or other crops, aud it is a com- 
mon practice to sow buckwheat in the 
orchard. The trees usually come into 
bearing the third year afterplauting, when 
the growing of crops is discontinued, but 
weeds are kept down by the use of the 
plow and harrow. In ordinary culture 
but little pruning is done, except to re- 
move broken and diseased limbs, but 
there is no doubt it would pay to shorten 
in the new growth, not only in increased 
frnitfulness, but in the greater longevity 
of the tree. When the peach is allowed 
to grow without shortening the limbs, 
they elongate and the tree becomes strag- 
gling, and the fruit being borne at the 
extremities of the branches they often 
break down with the weight. By cutting 
off half or two-thirds of the previous sea- 
son's growth each spring, and at the same 
time thinning out crowded or useless 
shoots, a round, compact head is formed, 
and a supply of young wood — which is 
necessary to continued frnitfulness — is 
maintained. Besides the injury from ex- 
treme cold, the cultivator has to contend 
with the curl, the yellows, and the borer. 
Good cultivation is the best preventive 
of the curl. The yellows is less liable to 
appear on new land, but wherever it ap- 
pears the only remedy is to convert the 
tree into fire-wood. Various plans have 
been devised to keep the borers out. One 
is to make a bank of earth a foot high 
around the trees in June, and level it just 
before it freezes ; another is to draw 
the earth away from the tree so as to 
uncover the collar aud upper portion of 
the large roots ; in either case the object 
is to expose the borers, which have not 
yet entered the tree, to the attacks of 
birds and to freezing. Wrapping with 
paper or other protecting material, and 
other devices for preventing the borer 
from entering, have been suggested. None 
nl' these will do away with the neces 
sity for watchfulness. Whenever the gum 
exudes, the borer is to be be looked for; 
cut it out at once with the knife or gouge. 
Varieties are numerous, and each peach re- 
gion has some peculiar to itself, or old sorts 
under local names. The selection of one grow- 
er in Southern New Jersey is Troth's Early, 
Walter's Early, Marker's Seedling, Oldrnixon 
Free, Ketchell's Favorite, Crawford's Early, 
Crawford's Late, aud Stump of the World. 
This list does not include Hale's Early, earlier 
by ten days than Troth's, nor Early York, nor 
Honest John, Ward's Late, and others that are 
much grown iu New Jersey, The late Mr. 
White's selection for the South is Early Tillot- 
son, Crawford's Early, Stump of the World, Old- 
rnixon Cling, Washington Cling, Heath Cling. 
The Missouri Horticultural Socic'v r<rrntl\ 
discussed Peaches, and a committee reported a 
useful table of the times of ripening of the 
different varieties at St. Louis. Of course the 
times given will be earlier than iu less favored 
localities, but the differences will remain about 
the same. Hale's Early, July 20th; Troth's 
Early, July 30th ; Large Early York, Aug. 7th ; 
Yellow Rareripe and Crawford's Early, Aug. 
10th; Oldrnixon Free, Aug. 20th ; Oldrnixon 
Cling, Aug. 25th ; President and Morris White, 
left blank ; Stump of the World, Aug. 30th ; 
Columbia, Sept. 5th; Crawford's Late, Sept. 
10th; Washington Cling, Sept. 15th; Ward's 
Late and Late Admirable, Sept. 20th; Smock 
and La Grange, Sept, 35tU j Heath, Sept, 30th. 
THE LEATHER-LEAF — (Cassandra iv.hjcidahi.) 
The Leather-Leaf. — (Cassandra calyculata.) 
In April there may be found along the edges 
of swamps aud in boggy meadows a little shrub, 
the Leather-leaf, with flowers of such a pure 
white, and altogether so neat and attractive in 
its appearance, that one is tempted to gather it, 
even at the risk of wet feet. It has always been 
a great favorite with us, as it not only comes very 
early in the spring, but is one of the few of our 
wild flowers that will allow us to anticipate 
their reason of bloom by forcing in a warm 
room. The buds of the Leather-leaf are formed 
the preceding summer, and are ready to open 
on a slight provocation. A handful of the 
branches gathered in mid-winter will flower in 
perfection if placed in aglassof water iu-doors. 
The Cassandra, which is a much prettier 
name than Leather-leaf, is quite common at the 
East and North ; it is a branching shrub, from 
2 to 4 feet high, with thick, dusty looking leaves, 
which remain upon the branches all winter un- 
til the flowers open. The little egg-shaped, 
white flowers are borne iuthe axils of the leaves 
along the branches, and form a one-sided cluster. 
The engraving shows a flowering branch of the 
natural size. This species is prized in England, 
where it is found in collections of "American 
plants," but it is seldom seen iu cultivation in 
our gardens. A friend succeeds in growing it by 
using a plenty of muck in the soil. With a little 
pains to imitate in a measure the natural 
condition of the plant, this early flower- 
ing shrub could no doubt be cultivated 
in our gardens wdth success. This was 
formerly called Andromeda calyculata. 
Save the Earliest. — We have often 
advised those who save their own seed 
to select the earliest and best. "J. G. O," 
of Wickford, R. I., a gentleman who gives 
us a case in point, though at the advanced 
age of 87, still keeps up an interest in 
gardening. "I have cultivated one kind 
of peas, called the Early Junes, thirty- 
two years, and have the date of plant- 
ing and first picking each year. The last 
ten years they have averaged four and 
a half days earlier than the first ten, 
which I attribute to the method of se- 
lecting the seed. Instead of saving all 
that grows on a portion of the vines, I 
save the first setting of the whole, and 
pick them as soon as fully ripe. The Early 
Junes are very prolific, grow about 3'|a 
feet high, aud have not increased in bight 
since the first planting. Of the many va- 
rieties of "Extra Early's," annually adver- 
tised, I have tried several sorts iu order 
to get an earlier kind, but all my trials 
have proved failures. The Dan. O'Rourke 
came the nearest, but they were at least 
three days behind, and less prolific." 
The Sebec Potato.— Doct. B. H. 
Stevens, Essex, Conn., writes: "Last 
spring I sent to Maine and got a quan- 
tity of the Early Sebec potatoes, and 
found them large and handsome. I plant- 
ed as directed, putting only two eyes in 
a hill; I think I could not have used 
more than 3 barrels to the acre. They 
started early and grew well. There were 
vines enough, and I sometimes thought 
that cutting to one eye would have done 
as well. They were fit to dig 10th to 15th 
July, (that was early with us last season). 
I bad from one acre 300 bushels of 
largc,smooth, handsome potatoes. I plant- 
ed the Early Goodrich in the same way, and 
the yield was about the same; it is not as ear- 
ly, not as good eating, not as fine, and with 
more small ones. The Sebee we think with 
us the best early potato that grows. It re- 
sembles the Mercer, and it has the same pink 
streak running through it when cut. I cannot 
speak too highly of the Sebec. It did nobly 
with us last season, and gave us a large \ ield, 
while almost all other kinds failed." This va- 
riety, which is quite popular "Down East," is 
not as generally known as its merits deserve. 
It was figured in our Horticultural Annual for 
1867, where it is highly commended by Mr. 
Burr ami Mr. Gregory. Mr. O. says that the 
Sebec will admit of being dug earlier iu propor- 
tion to the maturity it has attained than will 
the Early Goodrich, and is excellent and prolific. 
