160 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
YELLOWS IN THE PEACH. 
We have received an extended communication from 
“ I. M. B.” on this subject, consisting: chiefly of sugges¬ 
tions. anti not of the results of experiments, and which 
the crowded state of our columns precludes publishing 
at length. 
Our correspondent calls attention to the difference of 
culture given to the peach in this country and in Eng¬ 
land, and speaks of the superior management in the lat¬ 
ter country, by selection of soil, situation, and stock; 
and by pruning, training, and thinning the leaves, flow¬ 
ers, and fruit, and where the yellows is unknown. 
He next proceeds to show, by the composition of the 
peach tree and its products, that a large share of nitro¬ 
gen is required in its growth. <{ One of the distinguish¬ 
ing products of the seeds and leaves, and doubtless ne¬ 
cessary to the existence of the peach, is Prussic or Hy- 
droganic acid, a highly nitrogenized substance. The 
constituents of this acid are as follows :— 
Cyanogen, (by weight,) 1.8054 
Hydrogen, “ 0.0694 
Cyanogen is constituted as follows :— 
Nitrogen, (by weight,) 29.652 
Carbon, “ 25.418 
« Although nitrogen is an abundant constituent of the 
atmosphere, it is not in a form well adapted for the food 
of plants, and yet in a form that can be so used, it is of 
the utmost importance. The proportion to be sure, is 
small, but if it fail it must be replaced by artificial means. 
If we look at the economy of the peach, it will be ob¬ 
served, that probably, double the quantity of nitrogen 
will be required to sustain it in a healthy and vigorous 
state, than that of wheat, which we hnow cannot be suc¬ 
cessfully raised many years on the same field, without 
an artificial supply of this kind of food. If wheat can 
exhaust the natural fertility of the soil in eight or ten 
years, it is not unreasonable to suppose that the peach 
will do it in less time. If we consider one moment we 
shall satisfy ourselves that the necessary principle is na¬ 
turally returned to the peach orchard in very limited 
quantities ; the seeds being carried off entirely, and 
nearly all the leaves being scattered by the winds, out 
of the reach of the roots. As one of (he universal laws 
of nature is the propagation of the species, even at the 
expense of the vitality of the individual; so when this 
elementary food becomes exhausted in the soil, the seed 
draws so heavily upon the resources of the root, bark, 
and leaves, that they become bankrupt of this fructifying 
principle, and of course, if there is no further supply to 
be obtained from the soil, the tree must necessarily 
perish. When we see then, what large quantities of 
highly nitrogenized materiel the healthy fuuctions of the 
peach require, can we wonder that when the resources 
fail, the tree should take the “ yellows ,” and d-ie?” 
We make this quotation from the remarks of our cor¬ 
respondent, with the view of inviting attention to the 
comparatively short life of the peach tree when not 
affected by disease, which may possibly be influenced in 
part by the nature of the food it requires. The pear is 
known to grow and flourish for centuries; we have never 
known a peach tree older than 50 or 60 years; a know¬ 
ledge of the difference in chemical composition might ! 
throw some light on the subject. But that the exhaust- | 
ion of the soil is the cause of the yellows , seems to be J 
conclusively disproved by numerous facts. Some of 
these are stated in the excellent article of N. Darling, in 
the second number of the Cultivator, to which our cor¬ 
respondent alludes. Numerous others might be men¬ 
tioned. We have known young and vigorous trees, 
growing on the strongest and richest wheat lands of Cay¬ 
uga county, which had never been occupied before by 
any fruit trees, take the disease and die. And on the 
other hand, throughout the western part of the State, 
where the yellows have never yet extended, (with the 
exception of two or three limited patches, infected from 
abroad,) we have known trees, growing under all cir¬ 
cumstances, on rich and on poor land, on clay and on 
sand, in new and in worn soil, the trees thrifty and stunt¬ 
ed, all perfectly free from the yellows; and in all 
cases where we have witnessed it, it has evidently been 
brought from a distance by the importations of trees, or 
communicated by infection from them. Exhaustion by 
crops of fruit cannot cause it, for we could cite many 
cases in trees which never bore ; and on the other hand, 
we have known trees which continued to bear for more 
than forty years which continued healthy and vigorous. 
We may be asked, in what way is the disease commu¬ 
nicated, above spoken of. The infection appears to be 
given in all cases where the bud of a diseased tree is in¬ 
serted into a healthy stock. Doubtless there would be 
great danger, in pruning a healthy tree with a knife pre¬ 
viously used on a diseased one. It is evidently commu¬ 
nicated either by the roots, or by the pollen, perhaps by 
both ; as we have known it to extend from tree to tree 
from one side of the orchard gradually to the other. A 
tree which had it one year, was observed to have commu¬ 
nicated the disease to the trees standing next to it, but only 
to the nearest branches first, which cannot be accounted for 
by contact of the roots, as the horizontal pores of the sap 
vesels would spread the poisonous sap through all the 
branches during its ascent. The failure of N. Darling, 
in a single experiment to inoculate artificially by the 
pollen, only shows that the disease is not thus universal¬ 
ly communicated. That infection may result from stones 
of diseased fruit, seems probable from repeated cases 
where young imported trees, in perfectly healthy dis¬ 
tricts, are taken with the malady, and spread it to others. 
But we must close these remarks, already extended much 
farther than we intended. 
COOKING ASPARAGUS. 
We present our thanks to Mrs. N. Darling, of New- 
Haven, Ct., for the following communication, and would 
assure her that we shall be greatly obliged for any fur¬ 
ther contributions she may be pleased to make to our pa¬ 
ges. We would also say to all our lady readers, that they 
would confer a favor on ourselves and the public by fur¬ 
nishing us with communications on any subject pertain¬ 
ing to the duties of Farmer’s Wives and Daughters. 
“Mr. Editor —Not having seen any recipe for cook¬ 
ing asparagus in the mode which I practice, and having 
met with very little abroad that to me has seemed fit to 
eat, I am induced to send you an account of my manner 
of dressing it for the table. 
To be first rate, the stalks should be grown from 4 to 
6 inches from the ground, and fresh cut. Wash the stalks 
clean, and cut them in bits about half an inch long. If 
the stalks are of different sizes, cut the large ones short¬ 
er than the small ones, so as to give them an equal chance 
to boil and get seasoned. The cook should throw aside 
the stalk as soon as it begins to cut tough; that is, she is 
to use only the tender part, unless the asparagus is very 
scarce, when she can divide the tougher from the tender 
portions, and put the tougher to boil about ten minutes 
first. Salt the water in proportion to a tablespoonful of 
salt to two quarts of water, which is sufficient to boil one 
quart of the pieces in. Have the water boiling when the 
asparagus is put in, and keep it boiling fast for about half 
an hour. The best way to know when it is cooked 
enough, is to take up one or two pieces and taste, for it 
sometimes cooks quicker than at others, according as it 
!has grown quick or slow. While it is boiling, get rea¬ 
lty, say for a quart of the asparagus, 2 slices of bread, cut 
| half an inch thick from a common sized wheat loaf, toas¬ 
ted a light brown, and a large gill of melted butter. 
When the asparagus is done, take it up with a skimmer, 
and lay it on a colander or sieve to drain, dip the slices 
of bread one at a time, first in the hot asparagus liquor, 
and then in the melted butter. Then put it in the middle 
of the dish that it is to be served on. When this is done, 
pour the asparagus over and around the toast, and strew 
the rest of the butter as evenly over it as possible, when 
it is ready for the table. If however, the rest of the din¬ 
ner should not be ready, let the asparagus be kept hot 
until it is; for if the cook does not serve her asparagus 
hot, she will lose much of her labor and credit.” 
“ A stitch in time saves nine.” In killing weeds, re¬ 
member this adage, which is as important here as in 
darning stockings. 
