
          370

7 or 8 miles.

It is beginning to look serious and
may seriously damage the peach interest.

[7.] The soil is rolling, mostly dry hill-sides
and flats between them; land are usually
rather thin & sandy or gravelly with clay
sub-soil.  Some places they are more fertile.
As a rule peach trees seem to do the best in
this county on our good medium land,
in rich bottoms they do not do so well.

I have carefully packed more specimens
* send by this mail.  There has been
a great change in the way of peach growing
in this county in the last 30 or 40
years.  Then there seemed to be no trouble
about raising all the peaches you wanted,
trees in almost any position did well, planted
in the corner of fences, or about the yard
where they had no cultivation, they did well. In 
those days all trees were seedlings and
that may have had something to do with it.
But not only peaches have greatly deteriorated
but many other kinds of fruits.  We are fast
losing our morello cherries, blue & Damson plums,
pear, quinces, etc.  There seems to be a blight
in the atmosphere.  The apple trees here for a
few years past have had blight, very much
like the pear blight. * *

I would suggest that if these samples are
not sufficient & satisfactory, you had best order
a small infected tree & have it taked up by the
roots & sent by express to the Department.
        