
          <s>287</s> 294

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[Middlesex Co.,
(North of Monmouth)]

Jamesburg N. J. Jan. 31st, 1888.

To Erwin F. Smith, Esq.

Dear Sir:- Yours received and contents
noted.  About the year 1845 my Father commenced the culture of the
peach and very successfully and at that time there was special
attention paid to the inoculation of the young trees. No one would
think of cutting buds except from young and healthy trees bearing
fruit [begin right margin text] [Mr. Morris of Dover did this. No good!] 
[end right margin text]
and as we bud in August and September the different varieties
can be seen ripening in our locality at that time so that
there can be no mistake made by this mode as you have a strong bud
and the variety you desire from healthy trees and at that time you
would not see the Yellows in one tree in a thousand with proper
culture.  But now it is different, the young trees are principally
raised by nurserymen and the buds cut out of the nursery
adjoining, a weak bud, and if diseased it is carried along for years
without any attention being paid to it and sold to consumer and
the same is true of mistake in variety which very often occurs, for
instance, you cannot get any one now to warrant the fruit.
I attribute the whole trouble by this mode of inoculation, strongly
advocate the old method as it looks reasonable and there can be
no mistake made in the variety.  This wiry growth you speak about
I think is because the trees have been frozen and should be cut
off where the top begins to branch and allow a new growth to start.
        