SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
^ 6^ 
merits, but Northern Pomologists l^ave ranked several of 
them in the highest class. 
THE PEACH. 
This fruit is so easily grown with success in our climate 
that I will not dwell upon its culture. The Northern varie- 
ties do well, and ripen in June, July, and August ; for 
later kinds Southern seedlings must be, and many excel- 
lent ones already have been originated. I have known 
several sorts of this fruit to reproduce themselves from 
seed, and your venerable fellow-citizen, Mr. Carson, in- 
forms me he has had many varieties to reproduce from 
seed fruit of the highest excellence, and that he found no 
<iifficulty in succeeding, provided the peaches for seed 
were left upon the trees until, in common parlance, they 
were dead ripe. 
THE APRICOT, 
Since planting my trees upon the north side of build- 
ings, the Apricot has in some years borne heavy crops of 
delicious fruit. Blooming as it does about the time we 
have sharp frosts, it requires close watching to prevent its 
loss. Smoke from a pile of cotton seed, or rotton logs, 
>placed under trees when a frost threatens, will pi'otect the 
blooms and secure the crop. This fruit ripens here in 
May or the early part of June. 
THE CHERRY. 
Upon the Mahaleb stock, I have trees six years from 
the bud, which last year bore large crops. The fruit in 
size and flavor equalled any ever grown at the North. As 
this fruit is cultivated in perfection at the present day in 
both Italy and Spain, I see no reason why it should not 
■do equally wall in our climate. We may originate new 
varieties from seed, if Northern sorts do not readily be- 
come acclimated. 
INSECTS INJURIOUS TO FRUITS AND FRUIT TREES. 
In a country where there are few if any old orchards, 
insects injurious to trees are not likely to abound. The 
apple-borer and canker worm are seldom met with ; the 
peach-borer (^geria exiciosa) is abundant, but its depre- 
dations are easily checked. We have however an insect 
which I have reason to believe is destructive to our fruits. 
This is a small brown beetle, known as the carpnfagus, or 
fruit-eater. This insect is not so large, neither is its punc- 
ture at all like that of the curculio. They are especially 
destructive to the peach and the nectarine, boring into the 
fruit as it approaches maturity, and thus causing it to rot. 
They also attack the pear and the apple, if these fruits are 
-allowed to remain upon the tree until they become soft. 
My attention was called to this insect only a few years 
ago, when the peach first began to rot with me, and it 
seems every year to become more numerous and destruc- 
tive. I think it likely that this is the insect which causes 
the rot in the cotton pod, of late years so prevalent. I 
neither know, nor have I heard of any successful plan for 
their extirpation. I have checked their ravages in some 
degree in my orchard of peaches, by burning small torches 
at night, when many fly into light and are thus destroyed. 
I find, too, they avoid the poultry yard, where the peach 
in a great measure escapes their attack. 
In conclusion, allow me to hope, Mr. Editor, as there 
must be many zealous horticulturists within the bounds 
of our State, that they will ere long organize a State Asso- 
ciation for the furtherance of horticulture ; and if a Con- 
gress of fruit-growers, embracing the entire planting States, 
were annually or biennially to meet at some central point, 
it would tend to throw a flood of light upon a subject as 
yet in its infancy among us, but which I feel sure is des- 
tined ere many years to add largely to the wealth and re- 
sources of the South. Rusticus. 
THE PEESEEVATION OF FRUIT. 
From the address of Hon. M. P. Wilder, at the late 
meeting of the American Pomological Society, we take the 
following remarks : 
There is but one other topic to which I will avert — tJ^e 
presei-valion and ripening of frnit. 
Much progress has been made in this art within a few 
years, and important results have been attained. This 
principle has been settled that the ripening process can 
be controlled. Autumnal fruits have been kept and ex- 
hibited the succeding spring. We have seen the Seckel, 
Bartlett, and Louise bonne de Jersey pears, in perfection 
in January, and even later. The maturity of fruits de- 
pends on saccharine fermentation. This is followed by 
other fermentations, as the vinous and acetous. To pre- 
vent these, and preserve fruit in all its beauty, freshness 
and flavor, the temperature must be uniform and kept 
below the degree at which the fermtation or the ripening 
process commences. Our remarks, like our experience 
have special regard to the apple and the pear, though the 
principle is doubtless susceptible of a more extensive ap- 
plication. Fruits, designed to be kept for a considerable 
time, should be gathered with great care some days before 
the ripening process commences, especially summer pears. 
A summer pear ripened on the tree is generally inferior. 
In respect to the latter, Mr. Barry, Editor of the Horticv.l- 
turisty has so aptly expressed my own sentiments, that I 
use his language. “ The process of ripening on the tree, 
which is the natural one, seems to act upon the fruit for 
the benefit of the seed, as it tends to the formation of 
woody fibre and farina. When the fruit is removed from 
the tree, at the very commencement of ripening, and 
placed in a still atmosphere, the natural process seems to 
be counteracted, and sugar and juice are elaborated in- 
stead of fibre and farina. Thus, pears which become 
mealy and rot at the core when left on the tree to ripen, 
become juicy, melting, and delicious when ripened in the 
house.” Various fruit houses have been built both in this 
country and in Europe ; and experience shows that their 
object can be attained only by a perfect control of the tem- 
perature, moisture and light. Hence, they must be cool, 
with non-conducting walls, or with exterior and interior 
walls, or a room within a room. Thus the external at- 
mosphere, which either starts the saebarine fermentation 
or conveys the agents which produce it, can be admitted 
or excluded at pleasure. It is posssible, however, to pre- 
serve the temperature at so low a degree and for so long a 
time as to destroy, especially with some varieties of the 
pear, the vitality, and therefore all power ever to resume 
the ripening process. Experience proves that for the 
common varieties of the apple and pear, about forty de- 
grees of Farenheit is the temperature best suited to hold 
this process in equilibrium. 
The proper moAurity of fruit thus preserved demands 
skill and science. Different varieties requires different de- 
grees of moisture and heat, according to the firmness of 
the skin, the texture of the flesh, and the natural activity 
of the juices Thus, some varieties of the pear will ripen 
at a low temperature and in a comparatively dry atmos- 
phere; while others, as the Easter Bcurre, are improved 
by a warm and humid air. 
Some varietie of the pear ripening w'ith difficulty, and 
formerly esteemed only second rate, arc now pronounced 
of excellent quality, becau.se the art of maturing them is 
better understood. 
But so many experiments have been tried, or are in pro- 
gress, and so much has been written on this branch of our 
subject, that I need not enlarge except to say that the art 
of preserving and ripening fruit in perfection, involves so 
much scientific knowledge as to require great attention 
and care; and, until its laws are more fully developed, 
must be attended with considerable difficulty, I therefore 
commend it to your special attention, as .second in impor- 
tance only to the raising of new varieties. 
