SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
283 
such direct route to the East, we must content ourselves 
by dropping the pits (instead of ye peach) into shallower 
holes, and cultivating the virtue of Patience in connec- 
tion with the result. 
But we really cannot expect too much from a Nation 
which has already presented us with an Evergreen Plum, 
and which, in its love of Festivals, celebrates none more 
sacredly than 
“The season of ye peach blossoms.” T. 
Torek Hdlf Ga., August 1, 1859. 
CHICKASAW PLUMS— PEAR ON THE HAW 
Stock, &c. 
Editors Southern Cultivator — I find the Chickasaw 
Plum subject to the attacks of a kind of worm, which is 
probably identical with the peach borer. I find it both in 
the individual tree, and in the stocks of that kind used in 
cultivating the foreign species. Please inform me whether 
the worm will injure the trees propagated on that stock, 
if the earth be piled up so as to cover the whole of the 
stock ; or, in other words, will the worm attack the 
foreign species % Further, I would like to know whether 
it is of any great use, or indeed the slightest use, to have 
the fine plums raised on the Chickasaw stock to put out 
roots of their own. I know it has been said so ; but I 
think it may be doubted ; for the reason given for that 
course is, that the Chickasaw is a dwarf; but 1 think 
good ground will grow as large trees of it as are usually 
seen of the foreign kind. I want to know, because my 
trees are planted on a hard clay subsoil, and as it is not 
right (according to my views,) to put the roots of a tree in 
a deeper hole (on that kind of subsoil,) than can be drained 
by the plowing of the soil around the same, it follows that 
if I want rcots from the graft as well as the stock — on a 
thin soil— I must pile up the earth around the tree; and 
to do this, and give the mounds so made a decent slope, 
will require a good deal of work, all of which may be un- 
necessary and, perhaps, injurious. 
Will some one who has had experience in raising 
Pears _ on the haw stocks tell us how deep we may or 
must plant them when setting out ? 
I am inclined to think it will not do to plant them as 
deep as quince stocks, but leave the question to those who 
are more experienced. The grafts grew moderately well 
with me — last year and this being all the time I have 
tried them. It is, indeed, difficult (as a writer in your 
paper has said) to find well-rooted, thrifty plants of the 
common Red Haw, growing in the woods ; but there are 
two other species of Red Haws which furnish thrifty 
looking, good rooted plants. I will describe them — be- 
ginning with the more common species. The one which 
is most common here (and most probably so all over the 
South) is characterized by a much larger number of 
thorns, and by having the old, rough bark in very nar- 
row ridges and always sticking firmly to the stem of the 
tree (especially about the ground) ; the fruit is (I believe, 
though not positive now about it) round, rather flattened 
at the ends ; red, somewhat patched with green spots ; 
there is a great diversity of form, color and size in the 
leaf, (of trees having the same characteristics in every 
other respect, and I, therefore, choose to consider that all 
such trees are mere varieties of one species). The second 
species has its rough bark in large scales, which peel off, 
and leave the sound, tight bark sometimes green and 
buff, or light brown color ; the wood is often ribbed near 
the ground ; the leaf resembles that of some varieties oi 
the (more) common species; the fruit is rather oval, deep 
red, with patches of black specks or spots. The stem, of 
bark of the stem of this species so much resembles the 
common Pear trees of this country, that 1 once mistook 
one of the Haws, for a Pear tree, (when the leaf was off) 
till I saw the fruit. This species grows tolerably large. 
The third species retains its dead bark much less than 
either of the other kinds ; its sound bark is greenish gray ; 
wood ribbed; fruit oval, clear light red ; lerf very dis- 
tii^ct, divided into three to seven lobes, (giving it a rag- 
ged appearance, from which, doubtless, it has derived the 
name of “Parsley” Haw) ; trees smaller than the others, 
and very thrifty looking. I went out, one evening in the 
first of the past spring, to a piece of woodland enclosed 
in a field and got more good stocks of this sort than I 
was willing to use. Only about a third of my grafts 
took, because I had no grafdng wax I suppose. But the 
best way to ascertain the comparative thriftiness of these 
trees is to observe the new growth of shoots in summer; 
and having done this, I can discover no decided difference 
in them, nor any thrifliness in any of them; but we know 
we ought to make allowance for these trees, because they 
are not in cultivation; and it is not likely that either the 
Quince or the Pear would show much thrift under the 
same circumstances. 
I am taking up room in dilating on this subject; but as 
I think the Haw stocK may be found peculiarity fitted for 
the cultivation of the Pear on such soils as mine is (a 
clayey limestone resting on a yellow clay subsoil), where 
the proper preparation for Quince or Pear stocks is too 
expensive for general use ; and as a good many subscri- 
bers to your paper may have just such a soil, I proceed 
without hesitation or further apology. 
But what is the proper depth to plant this stock, and, 
in fact, any dwarf stock 1 If the Haw must be planted 
deep to prevent the breoMng off of the graft, then there is 
(so far as I can see) no advantage in its use. And how 
does the planting of a tree on a dwarf stock act in 
strengthening the union between the stock and graft 1 
Does the mere proximity of the point of union to the 
roots cause a stronger union of the parts, or does deep 
planting assist cohesion merely by the surrounding earth 
forming a prop i ox the maintenance of the graft in an up- 
right position 1 My Pears on Quince stocks are planted 
in holes five feet square and two and a half feet deep, with 
the point of union generally about a foot below the surface 
— a sort of provision is made for draining the holes of 
superfluous moisture, and they are doing really well — but 
I planted my thriftiest graft' of Pear (on Haw stock) of 
last year’s raising in the same kind of hole, also to the 
depth of a foot (the point ot union) below the surface^ 
and it (after making a little growth) has stood without 
growth for near or about two months. My other grafts, 
which are of less thrifty sorts and did not equal it (the 
Angouleme) last year, are beating it considerably this, 
because they were not planted so deep. It had best roots 
— thrifty looking as a No. 1 apple tree. I don’t think the 
thorn will bear to have its roots excluded from the air — 
the Quince is a real subterranean. 
I hope this and the first questions, will be freely discuss- 
ed. I consider them all important questions in Horti — or 
rather Fruiti — culture. Will our right-hand man, “F. O. 
T.,” post us again as to the progress of that (dwarf) Pear 
tree which was planted in that im-mense hole — I believe 
no provision was made for draining that hole. Long 
life, and a free use of his pen to “F. 0. T.” 
Yours truly, J. H. Johnson. 
Marshall County, Ala., 1859. 
Reply.— If the insect that attacks the Chickasaw is 
identical with the Peach Borer, of course, the same reme- 
dies or preventives will deter him from committing his 
ravages upon the former and the finer sorts that may be 
worked upon it. The Chickasaw, we find, “suckers” 
very badly, and has no especial advantages, except that it 
is obtainable almost everywhere, while, in the South, 
other Plum stocks are scarce. We do not think it will 
