1010. 
THK RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Ruralisms 
Origin of the I’cach. 
8. II., Hagerstown, Md .—Where dirt the 
first peach originate? When were the llrut 
trees budded and can they be Inbred? 
Ans.— The peach has been grown un¬ 
der cultivation during untold centuries 
past, and how long history docs not tell. 
It is supposed to have been native in 
Persia or China, or possibly in both 
ountries. It is mentioned in some of 
the earliest writings on horticultural 
topics. When the trees were first budded 
s another mystery, for the art of propa¬ 
gation in this way was known and prac¬ 
ticed by people of the very early civilized 
nations. But it has been only within the 
last hundred years that the peach and 
other fruits, too, have been very gener¬ 
ally grown by budding and grafting the 
trees. In Europe and Asia seedling or¬ 
chards arc rather common now, and in 
some sections almost nothing is done in 
the way of budding and grafting. The 
pioneer fruit growers of America had 
mostly seedling fruit trees, but within 
the last 50 years very few have been 
planted. The nurseries rarely send out 
seedling fruit trees of any kind, and 
nearly all that arc planted come from 
the nurseries. In pioneer times they 
were rather rare, and their trees much 
more costly than they arc now. Besides, 
there arc many more choice varieties 
known and propagated, which is the 
natural result of the progress of liorti- 
eulturc. The peach, like other fruits, can 
be cross-bred or inbred at will by using 
the methods known in scientific horticul¬ 
ture, but almost nothing has been done 
in this way with the peach. Almost 
every one of the choice varieties we have 
are the result of accidental crossing or 
inbreeding. There is a good field for 
work of this kind, and it ought to be 
done. The peach is very easily crossed 
m its tlowers. Thomas Rivers of Kng- 
;md did some of this work many years 
ago in his fruit houses. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
Any “ Luck ” in Kieffcr PearsPi 
./. T. N., Crystal Hill, Fa.- My Kieffor 
•car trees bloom every year so early I lose 
my fruit. Is there any way to prevent them 
Horn blooming so early? I have about 75 
Flatter pear trees. Is there any money in 
them If I have luck with them? 
Ans.— J. T. N. has no doubt planted 
his Kieffcr pear orchard in some pro¬ 
tected location, perhaps protected from 
the north and west winds, with a south- 
rn exposure, all of which would stimu¬ 
late early growth and bloom. Such a 
position would be an ideal place for a 
late frost. The elevated open land is 
eldom struck by 'the early frosts in the 
I all or the late frosts in the Spring. 
During the Fall and Spring months the 
sun warms the earth very fast through 
the day, but this warmth is lost rapidly 
after the sun declines. It is due to the 
free movements of the air on the hills 
or higher lands that they are free from 
frosts—the air being in motion all the 
time. As the air becomes cool and dense 
it drains off and runs down the hillsides 
into the valleys or lower lands and con¬ 
denses, causing fogs and dampness 
which often terminates in frost. When¬ 
ever there is a free circulation of the air 
or air drainage, there is little danger of 
early or late frosts. 1 presume that J. 
T. N. means by “luck” if they give him 
good crops? The small number of trees 
that he has would not permit him to 
ship in car lots, and unless other grow¬ 
ers have enough to cause buyers to look 
tip their crop, he will be forced to seek 
a local market for his fruit. I do not 
think the prospect for big profits in 
Kieffcr pears is very bright for any but 
large growers in the future. 
E. S. BLACK. 
“Sir, your son has just joined a col¬ 
lege fraternity. These college fraterni¬ 
ties"— “Never mind about breaking it 
gently. What hospital is lie at?”—Louis¬ 
ville Courier-Journal. 
Starved Paeonies. 
P. M., Camp Spring, Md .—Will you give 
cultural instructions for Paeon la Cblnenls? 
I have 1,000 clumps planted two years, 
but 1 have hart very poor luck with them. 
I have them planted 3 x 3V4 feet. In 
sandy ground. Manure Is very scarce here; 
we have to haul 14 miles. 
Ans.— Paeonia Chincnsis or Sinensis 
is a variety of P. albitlora, common in 
gardens, which includes many horticul¬ 
tural variations. The inquirer does not 
give any details of his trouble with them, 
but states that they arc in sandy ground, 
and adds that manure is very scarce with 
him. Now the pacony is a gross feeder, 
requiring plenty of fertility. A deep, 
rich, rather moist loam is best for this 
plant, and while the location must be 
well drained, a clay subsoil gives the 
best blooms. Before planting the ground 
should be trenched two feet deep, and 
an abundance of cow manure worked 
in; every Fall, about November, a liberal 
top dressing of manure should be given, 
and this forked into 'the ground the next 
Spring. Good tillage is required. We 
think the whole trouble, in this case, is 
that the plants arc starved; a sandy soil 
and a scarcity of manure make an un¬ 
fortunate combination for pa^otiies. We 
can only advise replanting in a more 
favorable soil, and treating liberally, but 
wc fear the inquirer is unfortunately 
situated for paeony growing, because of 
the scarcity of manure. Wc have had 
no experience with chemical fertilizers 
for this plant. 
Cucumber or Melon Aphis. 
!•'. ('., \fialervllct, Mich. The cucumber 
growers In this vicinity all hart their crop 
considerably damaged (he past season by 
a small black parasite, about the* size of a 
pin heart, that: clung to the under side of 
the leaf. It seemed to be a sucking insect, 
causing the leaf to curl up, and finally kill¬ 
ing Ibe plant. Several remedies were tried 
but none of them seemed to be effective. 
Perhaps you know of, some weapon to use 
against this Insect. If so It will be of much 
benefit to pickle growers. 
Ans. —This insect is undoubtedly the 
Cucumber or Melon aphis, li is a sucking 
Insect and difficult to tight. II is ordinarily 
recommended that these lice be fought by 
spraying with kerosene emulsion or whale- 
oil soap, but since they are mostly on the 
under sides of the leaves it Is not at all 
easy to hit tile insects and they must In* 
actually hit in order to he killed. A method 
of fumigation has been devised by which 
such infested vines may be fumigated with 
a sheet of Nico-fume paper, which is simply 
prepared paper soaked with the nicotine 
solution of tobacco. A light frame four feet 
wide and six feet long supported by legs 
eight inches long Is constructed and over 
this elght-cent muslin, soaked in linseed oil 
to stop tlie pores, is placed. The muslin 
should be long enough so that the edges 
will touch the ground with sufficient extra 
cloth to pile dirt upon to prevent the gas 
from escaping from under It. Place the 
frame over the vines and beneath It in a 
tin can, place one of the pieces of paper 
and light it with a match. 'Tills should be 
allowed to remain In position 15 or 20 or 
perhaps .'10 minutes and in that time will 
Kill tb(> aphids. Although this sounds rather 
complicated, yet it can be done with ease 
anti facility and is very effective in its 
results. UI.KNN W. HERRICK. 
171 
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