150 
CULTURE OF THE PEACH-TREE. 
ways; but the mode preferable to adopt, which is 
practicable, would be to employ the current of the 
river for a motive power, and this too, without re¬ 
sorting to pumps and the ordinary machines for 
raising water, which require constant attention and 
are always subject to repairs. The mode referred 
to is, to place the ends of a series of tubes in the 
ditches, as at o, o, o, with the other ends communi¬ 
cating with certain contrivances in the river to be 
acted upon by the current, and by that means the 
space inclosed may be completely drained. As these 
contrivances cannot be clearly understood without 
the aid of models, or several diagrams at least, a 
further description would seem to be foreign to the 
present purpose. At a future time, however, should 
these few hints awaken attention to the subject, if 
called upon by any one interested in an enterprise 
of the kind, I would be willing further to enlighten 
them on these points. B. 
The writer above is personally known to us, and 
has had considerable experience in draining on a 
large scale. We are not fully acquainted with his 
mode of discharging water by means of a current, 
but trust, if called upon, as he suggests, his plan 
would be fully explained. 
CULTURE OF THE PEACH-TREE. 
In perusing the January No., Vol. 6, of the Agri¬ 
culturist, my attention was soon drawn to the arti¬ 
cle headed “ Cultivation of Fruit-trees” over the 
signature of “ An Amateur,” asking various ques¬ 
tions touching their practical management; and in 
the notes which immediately followed, allow me to 
observe, that I, for one, was not only perfectly satis¬ 
fied, but very agreeably entertained and much in¬ 
structed by the very able and scientific, yet practical 
treatment of the various interrogatories. Such plain 
information is genuine coin for the farmer, and if 
he does not avail himself of it, why who is to 
blame ? The truth is, we have a country, a soil, 
and a climate adapted to the rapid and healthy 
growth of a great variety of fruits ; and by a little 
well-directed care and management, through the aid 
of the various channels of information within the 
reach of all, there is open a great field for enter¬ 
prise and usefulness. But if we do not avail our¬ 
selves of these many privileges, again I say, who 
is at fault ? Echo says who ? In the last clause 
of the article above alluded to, 1 was not a little 
amused at the delicate hit of the writer about the 
management of the “ peach-tree.” My sympathies 
were immediately enlisted, and though, as the 
writer very timely observes, it is a subject some¬ 
what “ prolific of disputes,” yet, I have thought it 
might not be out of place for me to cast in the mite 
I have collected from my experience and obser¬ 
vation. 
On the culture of the peach, much has been said 
and very much written. I am well aware it is a 
subject fraught with endless theories. Much effort 
and enterprise have been expended in its cultiva¬ 
tion, and many experiments are continually being 
made to stay the march of its known foes. But in 
experimenting, consider it not out of place for me 
here to observe, that success in one instance will 
not always insure success in another, as cases may 
only be apparently similar, a difference of soil and 
the age of the tree having a bearing upon the effect 
of the experiment. Thus one tree thoroughly 
purged of the 44 varmints ” may thrive rapidly, and 
bear fruit a number of years ; another tree may be 
doctored of the worms and soon after perish with 
the yellows; and no apparent difference in the two 
at the time of the application. Experiments in the 
cultivation of the peach have, however, been suffi¬ 
ciently extensive and varied to demonstrate its entire 
practicability. To illustrate this position is my 
present object. 
And first in order is the propagation of healthy 
stocks. To obtain these healthy and sound , is the 
grand desideratum. The popular method, in New 
Jersey, is the following :—We prefer to have pits 
from Virginia, as it is generally conceded they are 
comparatively the most healthy. They are de¬ 
posited in the fall of the year in beds of fine soil, 
covered about three or four inches over with fine 
mould, where they remain until spring, when, as 
they sprout, they are transferred to the nursery, and 
planted out in rows four feet apart and about eight 
or ten inches in the rows. A full acre planted in 
this way will hold about 13,000 trees. Such as do 
not sprout of themselves may either be cracked or 
left in the bed another year. They are budded the 
same season in August or September with choice 
fruit, care being taken to select the buds from trees 
that have every appearance of being perfectly 
healthy. It is calculated this method will secure, 
as far as the judgment of man is concerned, sound 
and healthy trees for the orchard. But it is not 
common for disease in the peach-tree to show itself 
so young, as it does when removed from the nur¬ 
sery, being generally then but two years old. It is 
in the orchard and garden that we naturally expect 
the first symptoms of disease. It is here that the 
most skilful cultivator is baffled in his efforts to 
mature this most luscious fruit. It is the two pro¬ 
minent diseases noticed above, the “worms” and 
the yellows,” of which I propose next to treat. 
My own experience has never yet taught me at 
what precise time to look for the first attack of the 
peach-borer. The presence of the worm is known 
by a peculiar jelly or gum oozing from the trunk of 
the tree near the surface of the ground, the favored 
spot for its operations. It is very often found the 
first season of planting out for bearing, and not un- 
frequently in the nursery. An idea has here oc¬ 
curred to me, I think very important to notice, lest 
cultivators confound or unite the two diseases, the 
worms and the yellows. My practice has con¬ 
vinced me that they are entirely separate and dis¬ 
tinct. I have known a tree to die of the yellows 
with not a sign or mark of a worm at the root, and 
again others have been destroyed by the worm 
which were entirely free from any appearance of 
the yellows. I have tried experiment after experi¬ 
ment, and am still ignorant of the use of any sub¬ 
stance, sufficiently economical to become of general 
use, that can be positively relied upon as a sure and 
certain preventive. I have tried salt, tar, tan-bark, 
charcoal, fine hard coal, ashes, lime, soap, straw, 
etc., etc. Now the use of ashes, coal, lime, and 
the like, are of some value, as from their offensive 
properties they are supposed to be obnoxious to 
