S,\v.k:^.VsS>sn\^^«^^^^^^ ™Mf^^^^^ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. "qj2)^rv\ — - Shelf .iTA;helled, and deposited in baskets, it is ready to be carried to the nursery to be planted. If the sun is warm, or the wind dry, or both, the baskets are covered with damp cloths or matting, in order to keep the seed from beinij: injured by the exposure. It is always advisable to keep the seed in the baskets in about the same temperature and hu- midity it was before, as all sudden changes have a tend- ency to injure or destroy it. It is planted, in the rows already marked out, at about two inches and a half apart. It may be closer or more distant. If large trees are desired, a greater distance will be advisable ; but if number and not size is the object sought, two inches will do, especially if stimulating fertil- izers are used. This close planting, however, we do not recommend. Small lads are usually employed to drop the seed, and when clever ones can be obtained, they are preferable to men, for the reason that they will do as much work for half the money. Besides, the stooping posture they have to assume does not tire them so much as it does men. A careful man, however, should always be along to cover up the seed, and to exercise general control. The seed is usually covered with a rake, by drawing the loose mold over it, about two inches deep. This should be pressed down closely, so as to come in close contact with the seed, and afford it aliment from the start. The cov- erer may do it by simply walking up the row as he pro- ceeds with his task, or it may be slapped down with a spade or shovel, or a light roller may be used. And hei'e the work of planting the nursery is ended. But should the ground be poor, or the season cold and backward, a slis^ht diessinor of some active fertilizer should be used. Ashes, guano, or any of the popular superphosphates will 42 PEACH CULTURE. do very well. If guano is used, care should be taken to reduce it to tlie proper stiength, by mixing with it two or three times its bulk of soil. This is the approved method of planting a nursery, and for nurserymen, is, perhaps, the best of all others, as it enables tliem to use every inch of ground, and examine every seed. But to the planter who only aims to rear a few thousand trees for his own use, we commend the following. Prepare the ground in all respects as directed in the last chapter, but in the fall instead of the spring. Then plant your seed — not in the seed-bed, but in the nursery rows where you wish them to grow. The manner of dropping and covering is the same in both cases. The advantages of this method are the following : It is more simple, there is no seed-bed, no sawdust or spading in ; no cracking of seed in the spring, no covering with damp cloths. It is cheaper. The labor of the seed-bed, crack- ing, and transporting the seed to the field or nursery is all saved. It is usually m^ore convenient, because it is done in the fiiU, and after other farm work, wdien the ground is in better order, and labor cheaper and more easily had. And lastly, it insures a more complete separa- tion of the Jcernels from the shells, as the depth below the surface is uniform, and the freezing process equal. To planters and small nurserymen, we recommend the last method whenever it is convenient. When not so, they can make their seed-bed in the ordinary way. CHAPTER YI. NURSERY CULTIVATION. The cultivation of the nursery is both easy and simple, and, if our directions for selecting and preparing the ground have been followed, will be pleasant and gratify- NURSERY CULTIVATION. 43 ing. It is almost identical with that of corn ; and were the latter cultivated in drills, would be precisely the same. If everything has been well done, and the season favor- able, in about two weeks after planting — we now speak of spring planting — the young trees or sprouts will be thickly set from one end of the row to the other. They may be three inches high if the ground is very warm and kind, and the sun and rain conducive ; or less, under less favorable circumstances. A sharp, light cultivator should now be run between the first and third rows, then be- tween the second and fourth, but never between adjacent rows on the same round; because by doing so you have to make short turns, which impose more labor on the plow- men, and often injures the trees in the end of the rows by the treading of the horse, or bruising with the culti- vator. Sometimes a small hai-row will be pi-eferable to the cultivator, especially if there are no weeds, and the object is simply to stir the ground. A week later this should be repeated ; and so continuously, through the early half of the season ; afterwards, the dressings may be less frequent, or suspended altogether, according as the ground is clean and mellow, and the growth rapid, or otherwise. Should weeds or grass make their appearance amongst the trees in the row, they must be promptly hoed or pulled up, root and branch ; they have no business there, and deserve no mercy. Should the season be dry, or the ground stiff, it may be necessary to use a small plow occasionally. Immediately after, the harrow should follow, so that the clods may be broken up and pulverized. If the ground has been well prepared, the subsequent culture good, and the season favorable, the growth of the young trees will be very rapid, and highly gratifying; and by the last of August they will have attained a hight of four, five, or even six feet, and be quite strong and 44 PEACH CULTURE. stocky. Should they flag, however, during the season, they may be stimulated and advanced by the application of artificial manures, especially by liquid ones. The last should be applied with a watering-can, between sundown and dark, directly at the roots of the trees. A very good metliod to apply guano or superphosphate, is to run a small furrow as near the rows on each side as can be done without injury to the roots, throwing it from the trees. Then sow the manure in the furrow at the rate of six hundred pounds of guano, and a thousand of superphos- phate, to the acre. Now reverse the order, and run a furrow on the outside of the first, throwing it to the rows. In this way the manure will be thoroughly distributed, deposited exactly where wanted, and well covered up. The subsequent rapid growth of the trees should soon give evidence of its powerful effect. When the trees have attained such a growth as to shade the ground between the rows sufficiently to keep it moist, all cultivation should cease. Should Aveeds appear in the rows after this, they must be pulled up; but this will seldom occur unless foul manure lias been used. - It sometimes happens that, through the inexperience or carelessness of the seed planters, the young trees come up too thick ; when this occurs, the superfluous ones should be pulled up. CHAPTER Vn. BUDS. These should also be selected with great care. Hund- reds of planters have been sorely disappointed when their trees came into bearing to see them turn out a different variety from what they had bought them for. Worse still, sometimes they buy and pay for the choicest bud- BUDS. • 45 ded fruit, but when the trees begin to bear, they produce, instead, small, knotty, natural peaches. Tliis, in most cases, occurs through carelessness. As the natural fruit is nearly wortliless, and wholly unmarketable, the loss to the planter is very great ; and, as several years must elapse before a change can be eifected, it is almost irrepar- able. The strictest care should, therefore, be exercised in selecting buds. They must he true to hind y that is, they must certainly be of the variety intended. A mistake in this regard would destroy the reputation of a nursery- man, and would be a sore disappointment to the planter. The best way to insure buds of the kind wanted, is, to get them out of the nursery of some well-known nurseryman, whose character, as such, is beyond question for skill, care, and honesty, and who has been long in the business. This last will have given him that extraordinary caution which is only the result of experience and previous disappoint- ment. Even with all this circumspection, it is possible to fail ; but failure will be rare. These disappointments oc- cur from various causes. Marks may be lost or mis- placed in the rows, or the labels, when the trees are sent away from the nursery. A mistake once made is very likely to be multiplied and perpetuated, because subse- quent budders rely upon what they or their neighbors have purchased as a particular variety, and they cannot do otherwise unless they can wait until the trees have borne, and thus test the matter for themselves. If access cannot be had to a nursery, the next best resource is a young orchard of the first or second year's growth. The buds themselves must be of the current season. Some prefer to take buds from hearing orchards, as they think it insures the kind. Where the quantity of buds wanted is small, and the trees are marked and noted while in fruit, this may do very well. But large nursery- men will seldom find enough such buds convenient ; they will be difficult and tedious to procure ; as a rule, not so 46 PEACH CULTURE. fresh and thrifty; many of them will he fruit, instead of leaf, bnds ; and, after all, the risk of obtaining the true variety will be found nearly, if not altogether, as great. For ourselves, in view of all the circumstances, Ave prefer buds taken from a thrifty, vigorous, young nursery. The buds must be healtJiy. It is unnecessary to dwell on this point. No prudent or honest man, with the least regard for his own interest or char- acter, or his neighbors' rights, would knowingly bud from a diseased stock. A trader in plague-in- fested clothes or cattle is not so culpable or detestable. They must be lecf not fruit, buds. All ex- perienced cultivators know that there are two kinds of buds formed on the twigs, and that one of these produces leaves and the other fruit the next season. Now, what the budder wants is leaves and wood, not blossoms and fruit, and he must, therefore, be careful to get the right kind. The difference is easily observed ; but an inexperienced man should not trust himself, but rather employ an experienced one to make the selections for him. If he is com- pelled to do it hims(?lf, he must remember that fruit buds are rounder, softer, and more open than ^^' ■ the leaf buds. The difference between the two kinds of buds is shown in fig. 3. The small pointed buds are leaf buds, the rounder ones blossom buds, which fre- quently occur in pairs, with a leaf-bud between them. TWIGS. 47 TWIGS. When the nurser)^ or orchard is selected, the buds are taken off in this way: With a sharp knife cut off the stron<;est twigs of the present season's growth, about two inches from tlic main stem, or, if you prefer it, close to the stem. Throv/ them together in little bundles, and when 3^ou have as many as you expect to use in the suc- ceeding half day, stop, as under ordinary circumstances, no more than can be used in half a day Bhould be taken off. They are injured by being kept long. Now, gather up your bundles, throw them in a heap, and saturate them with cold water. This will keep them from shrinking, and preserve them fresh and green. But do not stop here. Take your knife, which should be as sharp as a razor, and cut away every leaf at the distance of about half an inch from the twig. This stops the flow of tne Bap to the leaf, and keeps it in the bud, thus preserv;"g its freshness for a lonorer time. The buds at the lower end of the twig are generally smaller, and not so well formed as those further up. For this reason it is advisa- ble to reject two or three inches of the lower end ; and if you have not already done it by cutting the twig from the main stock at that distance, do it now by cutting the leaves off smooth instead of leaving a half-inch stem, as above mentioned. On the other hand, the top buds sometimes swell too much, and for this reason the two or three nearest the top should be cut away in the same manner as those at the bottom. In this way the best buds only will be retained, and the success of the bud- ding greatly promoted. When the buds, or rather the twigs, are thus prepared, they should be placed, buts down, in a vessel, usually a bucket of water, and cover- ed with a damp cloth. They now go into the hands of the budder for immediate use. 48 PEACH CULTURE. BUDS EXPRESSED. It sometimes happens that nurserymen, but more fre- quently amateurs, wish to send buds of some rare variety by mail or express, and, by proper care in packing, they may be safely sent Imndreds of miles in this way. When this is desired, the buds should, in the first place, be taken off and prepared in the manner above described. If the distance is not more than two hundred miles, and on a railroad, a wrapping of moist moss, with an outer coat of thick cloth, Avill be quite sufficient. But if the distance be great, the best way is to procure a hollow tin cylinder, air-tight, and open at one end, and place the buds in this, filling the vessel about half full of buds, then fill the interstices with fine, clean sawdust, saturated with water. Now put on the cap, and either solder or seal it on, so that it will be air-tight. In this way buds may be transported five hundred miles or more. The vessel should never be filled full, as the buds swell in the Dox, and cannot be taken out without injury. CHAPTER YIII. BUDDING. The Budding is done in August and September. The lens^th of the season varies, beinij shorter in a northern than in a southern latitude. On the Delaware Peninsula it is about six weeks from and after the first of August. But sometimes it commences sooner, and is prolonged even into October. As a rule, budding may begin as soon as the buds are large enough to cut from the twig, and continue as long as the sap flows freely. Young, BUDDING. 49 vigorous trees keep green a long time, and as long as the leaves are green and the sap flowing, may be budded. But it is not safe to put it off to the last of the season, as a sudden frost or dry cold spell may kill the leaves or chill the sap, and thus prevent the bud from forming a complete union with the stem in the fall, and if not then formed, it never will be afterwards. It is not best to commence too early, either, for if the season is warm and wet, or much protracted, there is danger that the young buds will start to grow, and either burst off or spend their strength too soon. Bud-s that start in the fall are not likely to do so well. BUDDERS. Budding is a trade ; and in no department of agricul- ture is skilled labor more essential than in this. The nurseryman cannot be too careful in the selection of his budders. Experimenters, novices, bunglers, are all to be rejected without hesitation. They are dear at any price. Too dear if they would work for nothing and board them- selves. The reason is obvious. If the buds do not tahe^ you lose not only the budders' wages, but you lose the trees themselves. They can only be successfully budded the first year of their growth, and if you fail then, you fail altogether. Hence the importance of securing skilled labor in this department — expert budders, who will do their work well. In almost every community there are pretenders, who, on all occasions, are ready to offer their services to do anything and everything that may be re- quired. They make loud professions of their knowledge and ability to give satisfaction. In nine cases out of ten they are quacks, without knowledge, experience, or skill, and no man who understands his business will employ or countenance them. The reason tliat good ones are so rare is, that, except in a few localities, peach 3 50 PEAOH CULTURE. growing is a recent enterprise, and there has not been time to raise up and instruct men for this special depart- ment. It is believed that in New Jersey alone, where peaches have long been a staple, can intelligent and skill- ful budders be found in sufficient numbers to bud large nurseries in proper season. We know that in Delaware, where peach growing has been prosecuted with great energy and success for the last ten or twelve years, bud- ders are still imported from New Jersey, and their skill and speed are of the first order. They aie usually paid by the thousand, and at the rate of two dollars and fifty cents or three dollars, and board. This does not include auxiliary help, Avhich is an addi- tional charge of about equal amount. TIES. These are made of common bass-wood matting, such as usually comes around furniture and other articles, and the planter or nurseryman can often procure all he wants, second-hand, at the stores for a trifle, and this does very well. If not, he can get it new at any of the seed or agri- cultural stores in the cities or large towns for a small sum. When received, it should be cut into strands about a foot long, and ripped into pieces about half an inch wide. It should be then tied, with a few pieces of the same, into hanks or bundles of one, two, three, four, or five hundred strands, as the tyer may desire. BUDS. The buds, as before stated, are procured from budded nurseries or young orchards. In the former, the young trees are always full of thrifty, vigorous laterals, and from these the buds are taken. The best size for these twigs is the thickness of a full-sized goose-quill. BUDDING. 51 Each budder is furnished with two assistants. Intelli- gent lads, of ten or twelve years, make very good assist- ants after a little instruction and experience. One is called a stripper, the other a tyer. The stripper goes be- fore the budder, and strips or rubs off all the leaves and small shoots of the trees for a distance of six inches above the ground. Sometimes, especially late in the season, the shoots have to be cut oif with a sharp knife. This clears the way for the budder, and enables him to proceed with ease and dispatch. The budding now com- mences thus : The budder is provided with a very sharp instrument, called a budding-knife (fig. 4), made espe- cially for the pur- pose ; with this he Fijr. 4.— BUDDiNG-KAiFE. uiakcs a vertical incision in the young tree, about an inch and a half long, and a transverse one at ria:ht ano^les with it. It is made with great rapidity, and in this manner: The knife is inserted at the lower end of the slit, drawn up the de- sired length, then, with a slight twist of the hand, right and left, the transverse cut is made, and the edges of the bark at the same time loos- ened so as to readily admit the bud, as in fig. 5. These incisions are clear through the bark, and slightly into the wood. The bud (fig. 6) is now cut from the cion and immediately inserted, as shown in fig. 7. The budder has now done his part, and proceeds to an- other, and so on, with great rapidity. Some ex- pert budders will bud two thousand five hundred trees in a day ; fifteen hundred, for a skillful hand, is not re- Fig. 5. — INCISION. Fig-. 6.— BUD. Fi^. 7. — BUD INSERTED. 52 PEACH CULTURE. garded as a great day's work ; and some have even ex- ceeded three thousand, so expert do they become by practice. Nor is it poorly done ; on the contrary, we have always found the speediest hands the most successful in obtaining adhesion and growth. The tyer now follows with liis hank of ties, and, taking one between his thumb and fingers, he places the center of it firmly just below the eye of the bud, passes the ends rapidly round the stock in op- posite directions, brings them back above the eye of the bud, and ties them. Figure 8 shows the bud as tied in this manner. Another method is for the tyer to place himself on the opposite side of the bud, but place the tie as before, pass it clear round, and back to the side opposite the bud, and tie it there, as in fig. 9. By this method the tie makes a half circle more Fig. 8. than by the former, and the knot, instead of be- ing over the bud, is opposite to it. Some prefer this, as they insist that it holds the bud more firmly, and that when the ties have to be cut, there will be less risk to the bud. But if the tie be good, and the knot skill- fully made, the bud will be well held in position by the first method. Indeed, we are not sure but that it will be quite as firmly held as by the second, inasmuch as the knot will be over the bud, and thus bear stronger vipon it, afibrding greater protec- tion and support ; and, as for the cutting, this can and should be done at the op- posite side from the bud, in either case. Besides, when the tyer is on the same side as the bud, he can see exactly where to place the tie, which he cannot always do in the other method. The budding is now complete. Fig;. 9. BUDDING. 53 SLIPPING AND QUILLING. Slipping the bud or bark is a very common expression among budders. It occurs in the act of taking the bud from the stem. In cutting the bud from tlie stem a small piece of the wood is usually removed witli it. But when the bark is flowing freely, budders only cut through the bark, and then, with their thumb and finger, peel or slip the bud, without any wood, from the stem, and this is called dipping the bud. It is speedier than the other method, and quite as good, as there is no need whatever of any wood with the bud. Quilling^ on the other hand, occurs when the flow of sap is deficient, and the bark begins to tighten on the stock that is budded. The budder then provides himself with a goose-quill, cuts away about half the barrel as for a pen, but, instead of p>ointing the side he retains, only rounds it ofl* in the form of a semicircle. This he inserts in the bark of the stock, at the intersection of the verti- cal and transverse incisions, heretofore described, and slips it down between the bark and the wood a sufiicient distance to admit the bud. And this is call quilling. In- stead, however, of using a quill, the budding-knife is now provided with a horn or bone point on the opposite end to the knife proper, which answers the purj)ose of the old quill, and is more convenient. When the rows run north and south, the buds should be put in on the west side; when east and west, on the north side. This will enable them the better to resist the north and west winds the next season, when the young, tender budded stock, full of sap and foliage, is easily parted from the stem, but capable of much greater re- sistance when tlie pressure is towards the stem, than /rom it. The proper place to insert the bud is about one and a half or two inches above the ground ; the nearer the ground the better. 54 PEACH CULTURK MARKING. This is an important, although an oft-neglected or ill- performed, part of the Avork, On it, however, depends the reputation of the nurseryman as well as the success and satisfaction of the planter. Every precaution should be taken to insure comj^lete certainty of the kind in each row. Having had but one kind of buds on hand at a time, and after throwing away whatever of that kind may be left, when all wanted have been budded, the next thing is to properly and permanently distinguish and designate the particular variety in each row. We know of no bet- ter way than this: Procure at the saw-mill or lumber-yard a sufficient quantity of what is commonly called shin- gling lath, — oak is best, but any kind of wood will do. The stakes are to be three feet long, and the lath, for the Bake of economy, should be twelve feet long, which is a very common and desirable length. It should be from two and a half to three inches wide, and from three- quarters of an inch to one inch thick, but these dimen- sions are not essential. When the lath has been sawed into pieces three feet long, and pointed at one end so as to be easily driven into the ground, one of the faces of each piece should be either shaved or planed smooth, a distance of one foot from the top, in order that it may be the better marked at the proper time. The stakes may now be marked altogether, or they may be marked as they are set in the ground. We prefer the former, for the reason that it can be the better done, and may then be done by one man ; and the proprietor himself, or a reliable overseer, should attend to this in person, and not leave it to careless or uninterested persons. It may be well done with red lead, or a heavy black lead pencil, or with paint or printers' ink. The aim should be to obtain a clear and permanent mark; one that can be easily read, and one that will not fade. BUDDING. 55 The mark itself may be of two kinds. The one is by- writing the names of the variety in large, plain letters on the stake, and the otiier is by writing numbers thereon in the same way ; and when this is done, by entering the numbers in a book, with the varieties opposite. By the first method the variety can always be told on the ground by anybody by simple inspection ; by the second, no one can tell except he who has the book, nor can he often do it without the book. Some prefer one method, and some another, and for various reasons. We advise a combina- tion of botli. First, let the stakes be distinctly marked with the name of the variety, then let the first row be marked in a book N'o. 1, with the variety in it, and so on of the rest. In this way, if the stakes should be lost, or removed, the nurseryman would still have the means of telling what variety he had in every row, and would not be entirely dependent on either the stakes or numbers. The first stake should be set at the south end of the west row, where the rows rim north and south, and at the west end of the north row, where they run east and west ; and the rows should be numbered from west to east, or from north to south. As soon as the first bud is inserted, the first stake should be set with name or number facing towards the row, and not from it, as is in some places the fashion, and when budding of that variety ends, another stake, with the same variety and number, should be immediately set beyond the last bud, and facing the first stake. And now another stake, with the name or number of the next variety, should be set with its back to the back of tlie last stake, if the varieties end anywhere except at the end of the row. This method should be repeated with each variety until all are budded, and if this be done, it will be almost impossible to confuse the varieties. A flat stake, without name or number, may be driven between the two ^^ PEACH CULTURE. Other stakes for greater caution, in case of the fading of the marks or accident to the stakes themselves. Whenever convenient, it is advisable never to bud a row with more than one variety. CHAPTER IX. CULTIVATION OF BUDS. In about two weeks after budding, the buds should be examined. Those that have taken will have a lively green appearance, especially towards tlie center, while those that have not taken, will be slirunken at the edges, and of a brown hue. They will also have shed the leaf-stem, while those that have not taken Avill still retain it. Ninety per cent should be living, and where the conditions have been favorable, nearly all. Wlien the time is proper, the buds fresh, and the budder skillful, there is no necessity for losing a single bud ; and very few, in fact, are lost. If it is discovered, in this examination, that some have not taken, and the season is not too fir advanced, they may be re-budded. Another object of the examination is, to see if the ties are cvtting the buds. This occurs when the tie has been tightly drawn, the union prompt and complete, and the growth rapid. The tie should now be cut. This is ef- fected by a single stroke of a sharp knife, drawn across the tie on the opposite side to the bud, and at an acute angle with the stem of the young tree. If the nursery- man prefers to loosen the tie, he will di-awthe loop of the knot when it has been so tied ; if tied in a hard knot, he will have to undo the last draw. This is tedious, and CULTIVATION OF BUDS. 57 large growers very seldom resort to it ; when it is ex- pected to be used, the knots should all be loop. But the process of budding peaches is so easy when done by skil- ful hands, and in proper season, that a slight band, and that only for a short time, is all that is necessary. We have even known them to take and do well without being tied at all. To neglect this precaution, however, is neither ju- dicious nor safe. But when the work is done late, or any other unfavorable incident intervenes, the tying is highly important, and the manner in which it is done may greatly tend to insure success or promote defeat. It may be found, on examination, that some of the bands have been burst. This occurs where the band has been weak and the groAvth rapid. In such cases no further attention is necessary. The buds will take care of themselves. In some cases the bands will be found to have cut into the bark, owing to their strength and tight- ness, and the rapid growth of the bud. Here the bands should be immediately cut. This examination should be repeated ten days or a fort- night later, unless further growth has been checked by early frosts or cold, dry weather, when it will be un- necessary. The treatment should be precisely as before, with this addition ; that where it is apparent the bud has taken well, the band should be cut ; but when this is doubtful, or it is plain the union is slight, the bands should be left until the sap begins to flow the next spring, as the freezing and thawing of winter greatly tends to throw off buds that are not fairly joined to the stems, and the band is of o^reat service in maintainino; their close union with them. Kothing more is required until the next spring, when all remaining bands should be cut on the first start of the sap. In the spring, and as soon as the sap begins to flow freely, the natural stocks must be cut away just above the bud. It must not be done too early, as there is dan- 3* 58 PEACH CULTURE. ger then that the warm sun in the daytime, and the cold frosts at night will so dry and harden the stump, as to obstruct the flow of saj) to the top altogether, and thus kill the bud by drying up the bark and cutting ofi" its aliment. This sometimes happens, and is more likely to occur in large, thrifty stocks than small ones. Neither must it be deferred too long ; as, in that case, the sap will be drawn rapidly from the roots by the large surface of the limbs and buds ; a direct current will be established between the root and the top ; the bud, which is one side of this current, will receive but little, and will be retarded in its after growth, if not dwarfed altogether. Besides, when cut late, numerous suckers will be thrown up from the stem, and sometimes even from the roots. If the cutting is done at the proper time, just after the sap begins to flow continuously, the bud will draw nutri- ment immediately from the root, and make very rapid and satisfactory growth. THE CUTTING. Cutting is done in this way. Take a common bill-hooked pruning-knife, as sharp as it can be made. It should cut as smooth as a razor. A dull knife is abominable, but a sharp one the delight of the operator. It should be sharp, because the work can be done faster, better, and with more satisfaction. If it is dull, there is more or less danger of loosening the bark around the edge of the stump, and thus endangering the life or thrift of the bud. The operator, being provided with his sharp knife, be- gins at the south end of the west row, or the west end of the south row, according as they have been planted north and south, or east and west. Placing himself on the same side of the row with the bud, he seizes the first tree, bends it slightly towards him, which facilitates the excision, and inserting the edge of the knife on a level CULTIVATION OF BIDS. 59 with, or slightly below the lower end of the bud, draws it, with a rapid motion towards him, in an upward di- rection, and at an angle of about forty-five or fifty de- grees, leaving from a quarter to a half inch of the stump above the bud. This is a very speedy work, a single good hand being able to dispatch five thousand in a day. As soon as it is clearly ascertained what buds have not taken, the stumps should be immediately taken up with the spade. If this is not done, they will send up suckers which will grow rapidly, take the room and aliment that should be reserved solely for the young buds that have taken, and interfere with the cultivation. Besides this, if great care be not exercised in taking up the trees in the fall or spring succeeding, they will be mixed in with the stock of budded ones, and thus destroy its purity, and injure both its sale, and the reputation of the vender. RUBBING OFF BUDS. In two or three weeks after the topping takes place, and even sooner, if the growth has been rapid, all the natural buds below the cion must be rubbed off*. This is readily done with the hand, if performed in proper season. The process is repeated a week or two later, as the supera- bundant sap is continually forcing out new ones. The object of rubbing is to destroy the natural, and stimulate the artificial, buds. At first the union is so slight and the flow of sap so abundant, that there is a strong and constant effort of nature to furnish new stems to sup- ply the loss of the one cut away ; but as the leaves of the inserted bud begin to develop themselves, and the bud itself to assume the form of the exscinded stem, this effort is directed into the new channel, and the tendency to throw off" new shoots is greatly weakened. Two or three rubbings will generally be sufficient, but, from the tardy growth of the artificial, bud, or the great strength of the 60 PEACH CULTURE. roots, more may sometimes be necessary. The observant planter Avill be able to decide this without difficulty ; and to the practical nurseryman, further directions on this point would be superfluous. The object of leaving a natural bud above the artificial one is, to assist in carry- ing the sap above the latter ; but after the first rubbing this will hardly be needful ; and at the second operation, all natural buds may, as a general rule, be removed. TILLAGE. The ground should be kept free from weeds, and loose and friable. This can usually be accomplislied by running the cultivator up and down between the rows. The judg- ment of the planter will direct him how frequently this should be done. If the ground has been such as we have advised, two or three times during the entire season, may be sufficient ; but one thing we w^ill say, it cannot be done too often if the cultivator looks only to the growth of the trees ; and were we to give one general rule, we should say once a week, throughout the season. MANURE. If the growth of the tree is not satisfactory, it may be promoted greatly by stimulating manures, either liquid or solid. Liquid may be made by dissolvhig guano or hen manure in an old barrel or hogshead, and applied, by a common watering-pot directly to the neck of the tree. Guano or other concentrated manures can be applied with almost immediate efi'ect by running a furrow on each side with a light plow, very near the row, throwing it from the row, then depositing the guano with the hand or hand-drill in the bottom of the furrow. Cover it by running another furrow around the row, throwing the furrow this time towards the row. In this way the young trees will reap nearly the entire benefit of the manure during the single season of their growth in the nursery. CULTIVATION OF BUDS. 61 The quantity of guano will vary according as the quality of the ground or character of the season varies, or as the desire to have larger or smaller trees varies. Six hundred pounds per acre will be sufficient in almost any instance, and sometimes too much. PRUNING. As the young tree usually forms a single upright, straight, and handsome stem, pruning is not essential. Still it may sometimes be done with advantage. Espe- cially Avill this be the case where the distance between the trees has been increased by failure of buds or otlier cause, thus giving them a tendency to throw out lateral branches ; and if not done too early, it will generally be beneficial. The advantage consists in confining the sap within narrower bounds, and thus increasing the size and height of the main stem, and also causing the wood to mature earlier. The last is of considerable importance, especially in northern localities, where it is often difficult to obtain wood that will stand the next Avinter's freezinsr. The pruning may be done any time between the middle of July and the middle of September, and will vary a little in different latitudes. If done before the middle of July, the succeeding growth will be so great as to par- tially neutralize the effect ; while, if deferred beyond the middle of September, it will be so little as to be of small advantage. But, as before remarked, much will depend upon the particular latitude, and something will depend upon topographical and other specific causes. In pruning, it is not generally advisable to cut away the limbs more than to the height of two feet from the ground. If the trees are large, three feet may not be too much ; and if small, one may be enough. From one-third to one-half the length of the tree will usually afford a safe rule ; one- third, if the pruning be done early in the season, and one-half, if late. 62 PEACH CULTURE. CHAPTER X. TAKING UP AND SENDING TO MARKET. Peach trees must be set in the orchard at one year's growth from the bud, that is, the fall or spring after the natural stock has been cut off, as described in the last chapter. The progressive steps are these. Make the seed-bed in the fall, the next spring plant the seed in the nursery, the fall of the same year, bud ; the next spring, top, and the next fall or spring, plant the trees in the orchard. They will then be two-year-old from the seed, and one year from the bud. With extensive nurserymen the fall and spring, but especially the former, are busy times. Traveling and local agents, as well as many immediate customers, have been sending in, and are still continuing to send in their orders. These have all to be numbered and entered in the nursery order-book, and each compared and verified in order to prevent mistakes. Labels have to be procured and prepared, so that they may be at hand when wanted. Boxes for packing, or, if the nurseryman makes his own boxes, the material for them ; boards, lath, or scantling, hoop-iron, nails, chaff, and straw, as well as saws, ham- mers, etc. When these are all provided, and the hands engaged, the nurseryman awaits the proper season to commence work. When it comes it is a busy time, for all orders have to be filled, and all shipments made within a few weeks, and these may be curtailed by the early approach of winter, which suspends all operations. The time to commence taking up trees varies as the latitude. In the North it will be much earlier than at the South. At TAKING UP AND SENDING TO MARKET. 63 Rochester, New York, the first of October will be found about the average, while at Dover, Delaware, it will be four weeks later. The true criterion in any place is when the leaves will rub off the trees by the hand. But it will not always do to wait even so long; for if the season has been wet and warm, the young trees will continue to grow and hold their leayes until the winter sets in. When the season has arrived, a shanty or tent of loose boards is erected on the edge of the nursery. Here are the head-quarters for the time being. Here are deposited the materials, the tools, labels, etc., and from here issue the orders to the workmen, and here the trees are brought to be labeled, packed, and marked. On the morning the work begins, the foremen who have been selected and engaged to do the work, and they always should be and mostly are, expert, careful men, re- pair to the tent for instructions. The proprietor or over- seer now opens his order-book at the first page, and reads, — "Fifteen hundred Hale's Early;" "Five hundred Early York," etc., imtil he goes through the order. While he is reading, the foreman or leader has been taking down the names and numbers on a small memorandum book for the purpose. When the overseer is through reading, the foreman has them all down, and immediately commences repeating the order from the beginning, while the overseer is carefully watching to see that it is exact. Being found BO, the foreman proceeds to the nursery, followed by his assistants, where the requisite number of each variety is carefully taken up with the spade, and left lying in their respective rows, if to be bundled and tied by the same hands ; but if other hands follow, then they are tied by the latter in bundles and labeled. If the same men who take up are to bundle, then the trees are all taken up first, and when this is done, bundled in the same way. The label consists of a small piece of light wood, about an 64 PEACH C'ULTLRE. inch wide, and four inches long, upon which the name of the variety is plainly written in letters, and the number of trees in the bundle in figures, thus, " Hale's Early, 25." Until recently all nursery stock was taken up with the spade ; but latterly, an implement, called a " Tree Digging Plow," has been invented, and, among large nurserymen, Fig. 10.— TREE DIGGING PLOW. entirely supersedes the old method. It is constructed with two beams, one to run on each side of the row of trees, two sets of handles, and a peculiar share, much in shape like the letter U. This share is very sharp ; the horizontal part runs under, and the vertical ones on each side of the trees, and the roots are thus smoothly cut off, both verti- cally and laterally, while the trees themselves remain standing, and may be taken up by the hand at pleasure. The plow is propelled by four horses, two on each side of the row, harnessed tandem, and guided by two plowmen, one on each side. With this plow and equipment, ten thousand trees may be prepared in a single day. But the saving of labor is not the only advantage. The roots are never broken, and need no pruning. Besides, the neces- sity of heeling-in is obviated, as the trees may be taken out at any time, either the same fall or the next spring, without further expense or trouble. TAKING UP AND SENDING TO MARKET. 65 The bundles are usually tied with strong twine in sev- eral places, and the label is secured to the twine by a small wire, passing through or around the end thereof, and fastened to the twdne by slipping one strand under, and the other above the twine, and twisting the ends to- gether. Ordinary iron wire will answer for this purpose ; but copper wire, being more ductile, and less liable to rust, is preferable, and is now mostly used by our large nurserymen. When the bundles have been thus made up, they are brought to the shanty to be inspected and verified with the recorded order. Each variety is placed on a pile by itself, and the overseer then reads, as before, " Fifteen hundred Hale's Early, — five hundred Early York," etc. The varieties and numbers being found to correspond with the order, the bundles are now carefully packed ; and this is done in two ways. If the trees are to be sent a great distance, it is usual and preferable to pack in large boxes. These are made of boards of the cheapest material, and of various widths, in order to facilitate boxing. The length is usually eight or nine feet, the breadth and depth thirty-six to forty inches. The thickness of the boards is usually three-quarter inch for sides, and one inch for ends. In order to support and strengthen the boxes still further, it is usual and indeed necessary, to put several bands of hoop-iron clear around them. In this w\ay they will carry safely any distance. When the boxes are ready, the packer puts some old straw, hay, or other soft substance, light and capable of retaining moisture, in the bottom of the box. He then lays a bundle of trees in, wdth the roots towards the end, and another bundle with the roots towards the opposite end, and so on, until the box is full. In this way the tops overlap, so that the tliickness of the mass is nearly uniform throughout — the length of the box being guaged so as to effectuate this as nearly as may be. When the box 66 PEACH CULTURE. is full, more straw is stuffed in along the sides of the box, and some placed on the top, then tlie lid is put on and nailed fast, the hoops also, and the trees are boxed. The name and address of the consignee is then painted or stenciled in large letters on the lid of the box; and, if not to be transported by the ordinary route, the special line or way is to be indicated by smaller letters in the border, as " Via Norfolk," " Citizens' Line," " Steamer Belle Mary," and so on. This latter direction is usually that of the consignee ; as the shipper, unless special orders be given, will ship by the ordinary line, and without any special directions whatever, thus : Henky Wilmer, Wilmington^ N. C. This is sufficient, as the goods will be delivered by one transportation company to another, until they reach their destination. The other method of packing is in bundles. To pack in bundles, you must be piovided with matting, moss, straw and twine. The matting is cut into squares of various sizes to suit the size of the bundles. It is spread on the ground and covered several inches deep with damp moss, rotten straw or hay. The trees tied in bundles, as before described, are now brought and set upright on the moss-covered matting. Four bundles, one hundred trees, are as many as it is advisable to put into one package. When thus set, the corners of the matting are drawn up closely around the trees ; some more moss placed around the roots if needful, and the whole tightly tied with strong twine, passed round and round and knotted, until it is completely secured. The bundle is then further protect- ed by being thatched with long rye-straw, firmly tied with twine. The straw is some times put on before the matting is tied, and the latter drawn up over the lower TAKING UP AND SENDING TO MARKET. 67 end of the straw ; and some times the matting is first fastened as above described, and the straw thatch placed on afterwards. When the boxes and bundles are thus prepared, they are hauled to the station or landing to be shipped. Here they are weighed, and the weight marked in pounds. When delivered to the transporters, duplicate bills of lading are made out, signed and delivered to the shipper. When this is received at the shanty or office, the or- der is marked, " filled October 20th, 1869, and goods ship- ped by P. W. & B. R R." The trees are then charged in the journal, a bill made out unless already paid for, and it, together with one of the bills of lading, mailed to the consignee, and the transaction is complete, so far as the nursery is concerned. If they are not paid, lawyers suits, commissions, and reductions of profits will follow; but we do not propose to speak of this rather piquant and practical feature of the business. The subsequent work is but a repetition or continuation of what we have described ; and it is unnecessary to pur- sue it further. It seldom happens that, all the stock is got off in the Fall. The trees that remain, are either left in the rows as they grow, or taken up marked, and heeled-in. The heeling -in is done, by digging a trench, on some suit- able, dry spot, free from roots and stones, about three feet wide, two deep, and as long as may be necessary to con- tain the trees. The trench should, if convenient, run north-east and south-west. The dirt should be thrown on the north-west side. The trees should then be placed in the trench, in a leaning posture with the tops towards the south-east. The dirt should now be shovelled in and closely packed, both to keep the roots in a natural state, and also to leave no lurking place for mice or moles. When the trench is full, the residue of the dirt should be banked up against the trees and on them from the north- 68 PEACH CULTURE. west side. This Avill shield them from the cold blasts of winter, and keep them in good condition until wanted the next spring. They may be still further protected by throwing over them, small branches of pine or other ever- green, bagasse, corn-stalks, or straw. The freer from seed or grain the better, as that, sometimes attracts the mice and other vermin, which often injure the trees. Here they should remain until wanted for shipment or planting the next spring. CHAPTER XI. SELECTING A SITE FOR AN ORCHARD. The first step, after the planter has either reared or purchased his trees, is the selection of a site for his or- chard. At first view this seems very simple ; but to in- sure satisfaction several things are to be considered. As the young wood and fruit buds often suffer from the piercing blasts of winter, a spot that is sheltered from these is much to be desired. And, as they usually come from the north and north-west, a site on the south, or south-east, of a wood or hill, is, other things being equal, greatly to be preferred. And if a cove or valley can be found, surrounded on all sides by high lands, so much the better. But, except in a hilly country, sites of this kind cannot be found. But their value can hardly be overestimated ; and the possession of such a one has sometimes made the fortune of its owner. We will give an instance or two. On the Alleghany river, thirty-six miles above Pittsburg, resides Mr. Thomas Logan, whose success in raising fine fruit, especially apples, is famous. His land is good, but not better than that of many of his neighbors ; his culture is good, but not better than some SELECTING A SITE FOR AN ORCHARD. 69 others in the vicinity ; yet his success is far greater than any others. Indeed, he scarcely ever fails, and it is at- tributed to this cause — his orchard is surrounded by high hills. On the north, they rise several hundred feet, but are a mile or more in the distance ; on the east, they are not quite so high, but approach nearer ; on the south, they are nearly as high as on the north, and about the same distance ; and on the west, they are not more than fifty or sixty feet high, but covered with timber. Between these flows the river, not in a straight line, but first to the south-west, then to the south-east, and then back again to the south-west. By this peculiar topographical position, the wind has no direct sweep on the farm. What is more remarkable still, and goes even further to prove that Mr. Logan's success is owing to position, and not cultivation or other cause, is the fact, that on the fourth of June, A. D., 1859, a remarkable frost occurred, which killed not only the fruit, but the wheat and rye, and even the leaves of the trees, in all that section of the country. Yet Mr. Logan had sixty acres of wheat, which was not even injured. Many similar instances, but not jierhaps so remarkable, have come under our own observation. The cases of trees in towns protected by houses and walls, are famil- iar. It seems plain, therefore, that the topography of a place has much to do with the success or failure of an or- chard. But it is equally evident, that favorable locations, such as we have described, are very rare. Proximity to a body of water is supposed by some to be a favorable circumstance ; and some remarkable results are referred to in support of this opinion. It is, no doubt true, that the proximity of a bay, lake or large river materially allevi- ates the severity of winter ; and often prevents the inju- rious effects of late frosts in the spring. These beneficial results, however, are sometimes impaired, or entirely neutralized, by counteracting ones ; and especially in the 70 PEACH CULTURE. case of peaches. The peach is a tender and delicate fruit, ripens almost in a day and j^erishes in another, if not eaten or preserved. It is exceedingly susceptible to at- mospheric influences, and thousands of baskets have perished on the trees in consequence of one warm wet day. This was the case in Delaware, in 1867, when the fruit rotted on the trees by car loads, for tlie want of dry air and sunshine. Now it has been found that orchards near water are more exposed to this danger than others. Hence, it is difficult to say whether or not it is advisable to select a site on the margin of a water. The advantages seem to be nearly equally balanced ; and the preponderance will, perhaps, be generally determined by other considera- tions. In former years, sites on the north sides of hills were considered best by many, inasmuch as the ground remained frozen much longer in the spring, thus retarding the blooming of the blossoms until after severe frosts, which it undoubtedly did. But closer and longer experi- ence and obser\ ation have satisfied planters that there is more danger from winter killin(j^ while the germ is her- metically folded in its flower leaves, than from spring frosts. Hence, that it is more important to obtain a shelter from the northern blasts of winter, than from the late frosts of spring. SOIL. The character of the soil must not be overlooked. Much will depend upon this, in general, but especially in the culture and growth of the young trees. After the orchard is established and in bearing, the difference will not be so material. Along the whole Delaware Peninsula, from Cape Charles, on the south, to the Delaware and Chesapeake Canal on the north, the soil is so peculiarly conducive to the production of the peach in all its rich luxuriousness, that it is difficult to make a mistake in the SELECTING A SITE FOR AN ORCHARD. 71 soil. Here, perhaps, the only thing to be studiously avoid- ed, is the low lands. Land that holds water is unfit for fruit of any kind, but especially so for peaches. Avoid- ing this, the cultivator can scarcely go wrong within the limits mentioned. In general, any soil that is well adapted to corn is good for peaches. But a light, sandy loam is best. Quick growth and rapid maturity, both of tree and fruit, are the characteristics of the peach ; and a light, warm soil is a necessary element in their production. The lighter tiie soil, the earlier will the tree bear and the fruit ripen, and the sooner will both fail. THE FIELD. It is usual to plant an entire field, and often several. As every planter wishes his plantation or farm to present a handsome appearance to the public road or street, he will, when selecting a site for an orchard, have regard to this, and select a spot that will gratify this commendable desire. Now, although orchards are very pretty in them- selves, yet, as they hide every thing beyond them, it is usually judicious to place them in the rear, where they form a handsome background to a stately mansion and beautiful lawn, flanked by waving fields of golden grain and fragrant clover. Besides, as a general rule, they are less exposed to depredations than when in front. SHAPE. Some regard should also be had to the shape of the field to be planted. A long strip, or angular piece, should be avoided, unless it is all the land on one side of a road, or pi'operly rounds off another orchard. Orchards planted in squares, other things being equal, look best, and are most convenient. 12 PEACH CULTURE. CHAPTER XIL PLANTING AN ORCHARD. After the selection, the preparation of the ground is naturally the next thing in order. This is quite simple, but often neglected. If there are any stumps, roots, or Btones, they should be removed. If left they will interfere with the comfortable cultivation of the orchard, and may some day injure a tree. An orchard may be planted after any crop, but corn stubble is, perhaps, a preferable ground. If taste and neatness are to control, the ground will be carefully plowed, harrowed, and rolled. But when hun- dreds of trees are to be set in a short time, and speed and economy are important objects, all this is seldom done. It is quite common to do nothing more than plow the ground. Even this is sometimes omitted ; and that, too, without materially impairing the success of the job. When the ground is not even plowed, it is prepared in one of these two ways. A beginning is made by running a furrow, at the dis- tance of twenty feet, say, from the fence, in the direction the first row is to run ; and another, and another, at the same distance ap;irt, until the ground has been gone over. Cross furrows are then run at right angles with the former, and at the same distances. The trees are planted at the intersections. The other way is very similar; the only material differ- ence being, that instead of forming single furrows the first time, a double one is run, and a ridge formed by throw- ing two together. In order to do this accurately, begin on the east side of the field to be planted, and run the first furrow from north to south, nineteen feet from the PLANTING AN ORCHARD. 73 fence ; when at the south end, turn to the right., and run back to the place of starting at the distance of twenty' one feet from the fence. By so doing, the two furrows will be thrown tocrether, and the center of the rid ore formed by these two furrows will be twenty feet from the fence, the distance designed for the first row of trees. Another ridge twenty feet to the west of that will now be formed in the same way, and so on until the requisite number has been made. If a beginning be made on the west side of the field, the process will be the same, ex- cept that the first furrow will be twenty-one and the second nineteen feet from the fence, reversing the first order, but producing the same result. When these ridges have been made, the cross furrows are also run in two ways. The first is simply single furrows run at right angles with the ridges, and twenty feet apart. The other is to run two furrows, one nineteen and the other twenty-one feet from the fence, throwing the mold in op- posite directions ; and thus forming the ridges into squares whose sides are two feet. In the center of these squares, the trees are planted. It is easily seen that by this meth- od a dry seat is obtained for the young tree, as it is drained on all sides, which is the only advantage. In fall planting, especially when the land is low, we think it is to be preferred, but not in the spring — indeed, unless there is danger of drowning out the trees, during winter, we would not recommend it. When the ground has been prepared by running the cross furrows or ridges, there is nothing more to do until the planting begins. But when it has been plowed, har- rowed, and rolled, as at first described, the planter has a choice of methods of marking, or " signing " out, his or- chard. He can do it by simply running furrows and cross furrows, at the proper distances, as heretofore men- tioned, for ground that has not been plowed at all, and which is done just as for corn, only that the rows are 4 74 PKAOH t;i:LTUKE. wider. But, if geometrical exactness is required, he will have it staked off with chain and compass. This is sel- dom, if ever, done in large peach growing districts, where peaches are planted for profit, and where thousands, and sometimes tens of thousands, in a single season by the same proprietor. Besides, a careful man, with a quiet team can run off the rows very well, and so as to neither incommode the after tillage nor offend the eye by ir- regular lines. PLANTING. When all things are ready, the planting begins. And we remark here, that the same care is to be exercised to prevent mixture or confusion of varieties, as at the nur- sery. There should be only one variety in a row, and all of the same variety should be planted together. This will prove satisfactory when the fruit comes to be gathered. We might here suggest another method, which we have never seen adopted ; but, in view of the conveni- ence of gathering, we think worthy of consideration ; it is to plant the same variety in squares of 100, thus : By this method great compactness will be attained. For small orchards, where not more than two or three hundred of the same variety are desired, we think it will be found very convenient ; but when more are wanted, it will not afford any additional advantage. PLANTING AN ORCHARD. 75 In planting an orchard, it is usual to plant a number of varieties ; some early, some late, and some intermediate ones. The object of this is two-fold. First, in order that success or failure may not depend altogether upon a sin- gle variety, but upon many. Secondly, that the fruit may ripen progressively, so that the planter will liave a supply for the market during the entire season. Also, that he may be the better able to handle the crop, for while it may be quite convenient to send ten thousand baskets of a dozen varieties to market during a season of six weeks, it may be quite impracticable to send the same quantity, of one variety, in a single week. For these rea- sons a selection is made, beginning with the earliest, and ending with the latest. One side of the orchard should be fixed upon as the front. Here should be the entrance, and as near the center as convenient, and from the entrance there should be an avenue, or main way, through to the rear. This should be at least thirty feet wide ; and, if large peach wagons are to be used, more space will be required, or at least a turning place at the far end. The earliest fruit should be planted next the entrance ; and progressively to the rear, planting the latest last. This will enable the planter to clear his orchard, as he goes. The trees in front will be relieved, the limbs will gradually regain their former position, little or no fruit will be knocked off in gathering, and the good temper both of the proprietor and hands be maintained. The actual planting now begins by digging holes for the trees. When the ground has been ridged, as above describ- ed, they are made in the center of the ridge about a foot or fifteen inches below the natural surface. We say natural surface, because it will not do to place the young trees on the top of the ridge. By doing this, they would be simply planted upon a hillock, which would soon wear away, leaving the trees without adequate moisture or 76 PEACH CULTURE. support. The ridge is simply to serve as a temporary protection against water. After the first winter has pass- ed, its use will have been ended. The roots of the young tree should, therefore, find their home and sustenance in the common level of the soil. The ridges themselves, the spring after planting, will be leveled down and in- corporated with the otlier mold. The holes at the crossings, in the other method, are made substantially tlie same way. In any case, regard should be had to the size of the roots, the character of the soil, etc. The usual size is about eighteen inches square, and twelve or fifteen inches deep. The admis- sion of the roots without crowding or cramping is the aim, and the intelligent operator can see at a glance what the proper size should be. When the soil is gravelly, or clayey, it is advisable to make them larger, in order that when the young fibres begin to grow, they may not have so compact a soil to penetrate ; but in congenial ground this is unnecessary. The trees are usually trimmed at the nursery, but some- times they are not, and have to be trimmed when set out. This is properly done by taking the young tree in the left hand, immediately above the roots, and turning up the latter. Then, with a sharp pruning knife, cut off all injured roots, and sliorten such straggling ones as ex- tend more than a foot from the main stem. Now turn the tree in the hand, and cut off smoothly and closely, every limb for the distance of two feet. The tree is now ready to plant. After the holes are dug, two hands, at least, are necessary to plant. The trees are first dropped, one at each hole. One of the hands throws a shovelful of mold into the hole ; the other sets the tree therein in an erect position, and holds it there. The first, shovels in the dirt that was previously ta' en out ; or, if this is not suf- ficiently rich or fine, he scoops up some of the surrounding surface, and fills up the hole, a little above the common PLANTING xVN ORCHARD. 77 level, so as to shed the rain. All the while, the second hand is tramping the soil closely around the root of the tree, and still maintaining its erect position. The next tree is set two or three hundred feet beyond the first; and the third two or three hundred feet beyond the second, and so on to the end of the row. The object of this is to have sight trees or pointers^ and thus enable the operators to obtain straight rows, which they seldom do, when they plant continuously from one end to the other. During the planting, they are continually sighting the rows, and also the cross rows, and drawing in, or shoving out, so as to get both in line. This is done almost instantly, takes far less time in the aggregate than is supposed, and adds greatly to the appearance of the or- chard. It is not customary, to use any fertilizer when planting, but sometimes a handful of bone-dust or ashes is placed in the hill ; and it is, no doubt, beneficial. Where the soil is clean and loose, the planting is very rapid ; and two hands will dig the holes and set five hundred trees a day in the light, mellow soil of the Pen- insula. Where it is less kind, the work will, of course, be slower. TIME. The orchard may be planted in the fall or spring with equal success. Some prefer the former, and some the latter. If the young trees have been grown in rich soil, the wood will be somewhat soft and succulent ; and, if planted in the fall, in severe latitudes, they will be very much exposed, and may freeze down during the winter ; while if the same trees be kept heeled-in, and thus pro- tected, they will suffer little or no injury. The advantages of fall planting are, that first-class trees are more readily obtained, as the nurseries have not then been culled, or the stock exhausted, as is often the case in 78 PEACH CULTURE. the spring. For this reason it is well to secure the trees in the fall, even if they are not to be planted until spring. The ground is generally in better order in the fall than in the spring, and the planting can, in consequence, be done in a more satisfactory manner. It is also a more convenient season for the planter. His corn has been harvested, his fall work generally disposed of; and just before the win- ter sets in, he can plant his orchard. For these reasons we prefer the fall ; but if more convenient, we should not hesitate to plant in the spring. Our experience justifies this conclusion. We commenced planting an orchard in the fall of 1867 ; but, before we finished, w^e were over- taken by winter ; the residue of the trees were heeled-in until the next spring, when they were planted. In the sum- mer of 1869, we could not tell which looked best. Both did very well. In the fall, planting may commence as soon as the leaves can be rubbed off with the hand, and continue until winter stops the work. In spring, it may commence as soon as the ground is dry enough, and con- tinue until the buds come out. CHAPTER XIII. ORCHARD CULTIVATION. FIRST TRIMMING. When the trees are planted in the fall, it is preferable to leave a few branches towards the top of the stem. They serve as a sort of shield to frosts of winter. When ])lanting is done in the spring, the trees should be trimmed close and smooth like a rod, every limb taken off, and the tops cut down to a uniform height of not less than two feet and a half, nor more than three and a half. ORCHARD CULTIVATION. 79 Three feet is a very good height. Those planted in the fall, should be treated in the very same way in the spring following. This should be done as early in the spring as the weather will admit, as it is desirable to confine all the ascending sap to the stem, and not let it be wasted in the branches which are to be cut oiF. Some uninformed and inexperienced planters often leave a few branches, hoping thereby to induce earlier fruiting; but it has no such eifect, but rather retards it ; for it should always be re- membered, that fruit is oydy produced on wood of the previous year's growth ; so that these branches on the trees when planted, never can produce fruit, unless it be the first season. This very seldom occurs, and is yiever desirable. CROPPING. The usual crop cultivated in a young peach orchard, is corn — small grains, never. It is believed, that if the ground was merely cultivated between the rows, kept loose and clear of weeds and grass, the young trees would make more rapid growth ; and to cultivate with low vegetables, such as potatoes, cabbages, and so forth, would be better than corn. But it is too long to wait for a re- turn, to leave the ground idle until the peaches come in ; and the acreage is too great, to cultivate it all in potatoes or other root crop. It is, therefore, cultivated in the favorite crop, corn. And this is perhaps the best after all, as the injury to the young orchard is but slight, while the return is considerable. The ground is prepared in the spring as any other. It is plowed, harrowed, sometimes rolled, and then marked out and planted, with four rows between each row of trees. It is done in this way : Run a furrow for a row of corn four feet from the row of trees ; then another four feet from that one ; a third four feet from the last, and a fourth four feet from the third. The distances will count 80 PEACH CULTURE. thus : From row of trees to first cow of corn, 4 feet ; from first row of corn to second, 4 feet ; from second to third row of corn, 4 feet ; from the third to the fourth, 4 feet ; and from the fourth row of corn to the next row of trees, 4 feet ; in all, twenty feet. As no furrow can be run, between the trees and on the same line, the spaces are filled up by hand and hoe, without any furrow. It will be seen from this, that each tree occupies precisely the space of one hill of corn ; that is, a square each side of which is four feet. This is sufficient tlie first season. The second, the rows may be reduced to three ; the third to two ; after which, if the orchard has grown well, and comes into bearing, it will not be desirable to crop it at all. But planters often cultivate four rows all the while. SECOND TRIMMING. In the month of June after planting, an intelligent and careful man should go through the orchard witli his pruning knife, and lop off every limb and sucker nearer than two feet and a half to the ground. He should also cut in any straggling limbs that have gone far beyond the general contour of the head. It will also in some cases be judicious to thin out some, on one side or the other, in order to give the tree a proper balance and handsome shape. It is of great importance that this work be timely and properly done ; for if the suckers and low limbs be not cut off, they will not only spoil the shape of the tree, but exhaust its strength and greatly retard its growth. If the trimming is timely and judiciously done, the limbs that are left will grow strong and vigorous, the wood will ripen early, and the vitality of the tree be preserved. At the time this trimming takes place, if any diseased, scrubby, or incurably ill-shaped trees are found, they should be carefully noted, in order that they may be re- placed the next fall. This should be done thus: let ORCHARD CULTIVATION. 81 the pruner have a little memorandum, and enter therein the number of such trees in each row, giving also the num- ber of the row and the variety. By this means the planter will know exactly, how many trees of each variety he will need, and in what rows the vacancies occur, and all without the expense and trouble of a recount. The more effectually to insure the proper substitution, the faulty trees should be pulled up, broken down, or otherwise destroyed. HEIGHT OF HEAD. There is some diversity of opinion in regard to the height of the head of a tree ; or rather at what height the head should be allowed to commence to form. We think three feet the proper height. Allowing the limbs to stand at this point, they will naturally strike upward at an acute angle with the stem, and thus allow room enough to cultivate around them with a mule or low horse. And this is important to the cultivator ; for if the trees, instead of being plowed around, have to be dug or spaded, the expense will be considerably increased. The arguments advanced by those who advocate low heads are two. First : that the fruit is nearer the ground, more easily picked, and not so likely to break down the branches. Second : that the low heads withstand the storm better, and are not so easily blown down. But the answer to all this is, that when the heads are low, the fruit does not ripen early or well on the low branches, and is generally small in size and inferior in quality. In time, the lower branches for the want of sufficient air and light, die, and have to be removed, thus leaving the tree with less bearing wood or in worse shape than if it had been trimmed up to the proper height at first. In regard to the exemption from injury by storms, it is ascertained, from experience and observation, that very few trees are 4* 82 PEACH CULTURE. ever blown down, or even injured by ordinary storms, and as to tornadoes or hurricanes, low heads give no protec- tion. It is admitted the fruit can be more easily gathered from low than high trees ; but this advantage is but slight, and no adequate compensation for what is lost. The character of the head is formed the first year, and it will need but little attention thereafter. The trimming directed for June, however, should be repeated about the last of August. If well done on those two occasions, all that will be necessary in subsequent years will be to cut out dead and broken branches. Peach trees do not form close, compact heads, like apples and pears ; and, conse- quently, do not need thinning. CUTTING-IK Some maintain that the peach tree should be cut-in an- nnally. This is done by cutting oif about one-half of each year's growth the same season, or early the next spring. When the sap reaches this point, it is, of course, checked, and sends out several new brandies, instead of following the old one, as it would have done, had not that been cut in. In this way, more bearing wood is pro- duced nearer the main stem and nearer the ground. We believe it is an advantage ; and, in the case of young trees, may do very well ; but when the trees attain full size, it would require much labor, and be attended with considerable expense ; and, taking into view the fact, that the trees hardly ever bear three years in succession, it is believed that cutting-in would not pay. For garden cul- ture, or even small orchards, it may be adopted; but when trees are counted by thousands, and tens of thou- sands, few will find it convenient or profitable. There is still another advantage claimed for cutting-in, and which we do not wish to undervalue. It is, that it invigorates and prolongs the life of the tree. We think this is so, ORCHARD CULTIVATION. 83 and that a tree cut-in annually will remain longer thrifty than one not so treated. The leaves will be greener, the young bearing wood more abundant, and the fruit larger and richer. But in a congenial soil, where orchards are nearly as easily renewed as strawberries, and where the trouble and expense of cuttiug-in are considerable, it will not be often resorted to. PLOWING. The orchard should be plowed at least twice during the year. Once between the middle of April and the middle of May ; and again between the middle of Septem- ber and the middle of October; each time with a small plow. A small plow is preferable, because it can be easily handled and guided among the trees and about the roots without injury; and also because a large plow makes the furrows too deep, and thereby cuts the roots. The furrows should be narrow, so that the ground may be well broken. The rows of trees are first plowed around with a low horse or mule, so that he can walk close up to the trees. The single-tree used should not be more than eighteen inches long, and the ends should be covered with stiff leather shields. The horse should be muzzled to keep him from biting the trees. Both these precautions should be taken whenever an orchard is plowed, but in plowing amongst young trees, it is doubly important. The fur- rows, in the spring, are thrown from the tree; in the fall, toioards them. The reason of this is, that in spring, when growth commences, it is not advantageous, but rather in- jurious to the tree to have any soil piled around it. The light and air are wanted to act on the roots. The rains also, trickle down the branches and stems, and thus reach the roots. A pile of earth, therefore, around the roots, sheds the water, and prevents its proper distribution. But in the fall, after the growth has been made and the 84 PEACH CULTURE. fruit gathered, the tree needs rest, the less water about the stem the better. The earth thrown up about the root is then a positive advantage, as it not only sheds the winter rains in some degree, but it also serves as a mulch to protect from injury. This tender part is what is called the " neck," and extends about an inch above, and two below the surface. Here, then, is a constant ebb and flow of heat, and operating in contrary directions at different seasons. In summer tlie air is warmer than the earth ; but in winter, colder. The surface line marks the limit of these two influences ; and from their constant fluctuations, it is always a tender point, and liable to be attacked by disease. In plowing around the trees, about two circuits are made. The 7niddles are then broken up with two horses or mules, and a somewhat larger plow ; but a very large plow should never be used. When the ground is thus plowed, it is carefully harrowed, or cultivated down, un- til every clod is broken, and the whole surface left as smooth as a garden. In doing this, one horse and a small harrow is used around the trees, and two horses and a larger one in the middles. In wet seasons, foul land, or very rich soil, the cultivations may have to be. repeated oftener than have been mentioned heretofore in this chapter. Indeed, the best planters now cultivate their orchards as they do their corn, about four or five times between the spring plowing and the first of July. COMING IN. 85 CHAPTER XIV. COMING IN. A full crop of peaches may usually be expected the fourth year after planting. Thus, an orchard planted in the fall of 1865, yields a full crop of peaches in 1869. "When we say a full crop, we mean a basket to the tree. This is a full crop for trees of that age and size, and qiute as much as they ought to bear. Some, however, will bear two baskets instead of one, and others will not have half a basket. Something depends upon variety, culture, and so on. Sometimes it is very difficult to account for the difference in production. But there are some varieties that uniformly bear large crops, and others that as uni- formly bear small ones ; the Troth, or Old Mixon, is an instance of the former, and Susquehanna of the latter. From years, however, of observation, it is found that certain varieties are not only much more fruitful than others, but commence bearing much earlier. Whether or not they continue as long, is a question not so well settled, as there has not been time enough for observa- tion. From present indications it would seem that they do ; but longer experience and closer observation will be needed to test it thoroughly. We have said a full crop may be expected in four years. Of course this general statement should be quali- fied by the remark that it is not to be expected if the season be inimical. If there is st failure generally, the young trees will share the fate of the old ones. Again, they often begin to bear earlier. We have seen trees, planted in the spring, mature perfect fruit the same fall; and we have now, July 1869, young trees full 86 PEACH CULTURE. of fruit that were planted in the fall of 1867. They are, however, all of one variety, Hale's Early, which is re- markable for its early bearing as well as its early ripen- ing, but many of these will yet fall off before full ma- turity. Sometimes fruit will appear the second, and others the third year. It is not generally desirable that trees should bear when very young. It is injurious in two ways. It weakens the tree itself in diverting the vital forces from the formation of wood into the production of fruit, oftentimes giving the tree a lasting tendency to feebleness. At an early age neither the stem nor the branches are able to bear a load of fruit, and they often break down under its weight. Tlie tree is thus permanently injured both in usefulness and beauty. The sum of the matter is, that trees do sometimes bear even the first year, which is to be regretted ; often the second, which is not to be desired ; very often the third, which is gratifying ; and nearly always the fourth, which is to be expected and desired. When fruit appears the first year, it should be rubbed off, in order to protect the tree. A single peach may sometimes be left to gratify the enthusiastic planter. The second year thrifty, vigorous trees may be allowed to carry a dozen. The third year, two or tree times as many. The fourth, whatever they produce. BASKETS AND CRATES. 87 CHAPTER XV. BASKETS AND CRATES We have now followed the peach from the kernel to the mature tree, loaded with its rich burden of delicious and health-giving fruit. The next thing is to get it to market. But before this is done, several preliminary matters have to be arranged. And amongst these, Baskets and Crates are prominent. The standard size of a peach basket is five-eighths of a bushel, struck measure. This size has been adopted and fixed by the " Peninsular Fruit Grower'' s As- sociation^'' and upon it all collateral _.^^^ calculations are made. The baskets Fi^. 11. —CHIP BASKET, are usually about eight inches in diameter at the bottom, flaring to about sixteen inches at the top. They are always made of wood, but in various ways. Some, of the old-fashioned white-oak splits, which are the most durable and substantial ; others of staves, with a solid bottom, which are neater but not so strong ; and others again, of broad bass-wood splits, very light, neat and handsome. These last are furnished also with a light frame lid fastened with a wire, which makes them very desirable for shipping by express, or when they are not ex- pected to be returned. Still another is recommended by some, and is said to be popular in the West. It is firkin-shaped, has three hoops, and contains one-third of a bushel. It is a stave basket, the staves being of tulip or poplar wood — of Fig. 12.— STAVE BASKET. 88 PEACH CULTURE. course other varieties would answer equally well — the ends and covers of pine. It is made on an iron frame of three iron discs and spindle. The inner and outer lioops are set in the top, a stave put in place, then i another, and so on all round. Some- times the staves are pierced to admit the air. All these have their special merit. The first will last for years, so far as mere wear and tear is concerned. But old baskets, when they become f!^^3.-be^er faded, make a poor appearance, and BASKET. planters generally discard them, be- lieving that they lose more in the price of their fruit than would pay for new ones. Hence the durability is not bo much of an object as lightness and neatness. The stave basket is preferred by some, because, being smooth inside, the peaches do not lodge on the sides as they do to some degree in the old split baskets. But, un- less the fruit is quite ripe, which it never should be when picked, it is believed very little injury results from this cause. Whatever baskets may be adopted, they should be procured in good time, as it often happens that just in the height of the season, when most needed, they are most difficult to obtain. The quantity a planter may need will depend, not only upon the size of his crop, but also upon his distance from market, and the prompt attention of his consignees and transporters in returning his baskets. If he send his fruit by rail, a distance not exceeding two hundred miles, the baskets should be returned to him the third day. If four hundred miles, which is about as far as mature peaches can be sent with safety, on the fifth day. This is plenty of time and rather more than faithful and ex- pert consignees and transporters will require. But we often find, that through the carelessness or dishonesty of BASKETS AND CRATES. 89 these agents, the time greatly exceeds this, and many baskets are never returned at all. When not so returned, regular business consignees pay for the baskets at whatever may be fixed upon as their full value ; but the sharpers and extemporized dealers usually manage to elude responsibil- ity, and cheat their patrons out of the baskets that have been lost throuerh their carelessness, or which thev have sold with the peaches for reshipment, and for which they have received the money. But suppose the planter to live two hundred miles from market, and have ten thousand baskets of fruit ; how many baskets should he need ? We ascertain it thus : The quantity is ten thousand baskets, and the time in which they are to be shipped will not exceed sixty work- ing days. Divide 10,000 by 60, and we have 166 ^\^ bas- kets as the average daily shipment for the season. Did not this average vary, were the baskets promptly return- ed, we would then need just five hundred baskets to ship our entire crop of ten thousand. The operation would be this: Monday we ship 166; Tuesday 167; and Wed- nesday 167, equal 500. On Wednesday evening, Mon- day's baskets come back, and are ready for Thursday's shipment ; and so, in regular succession, through the season. But no matter how judiciously orchards have been planted, with a view to uniform and successive ripen- ing, it is found in practice, that sometimes much more fruit will ripen than at others. Hence, the necessity of providing for the excess over the general average. In a * matter that in its nature is fluctuating, we can only ap- proximate exactness. In ordinary cases, twenty-five per centum wdll be a liberal allowance. This would require the planter to have 625 baskets. And this should be what he would need. But what prudent man would undertake to send a crop of ten thousand baskets in six hundred and twenty-five ? The reason he can not do it is, consignees sell or lend them to their retail customers, or 90 PEACH CULTURE. neglect to put them in return cars ; and railroad agents neglect to deliver at the right place, deliver too late, or do not deliver at all ; and the planter has to provide for all these contingencies at considerable expense and loss ; so that, instead of 650 baskets, he provides from 4,000 to 5,000 or four or five times as many as he ought to need. This abuse, however, is now attracting attention, and will no doubt be corrected, either in reforming the old, or employ- ing new agents. The estimates here given are based on the usual prac- tice amongst planters of planting early, medium and late fruit to run through the season. But some plant only a few favorites. In such instances, many more baskets will be required, because the fruit will ripen more nearly to- gether. For instance, a planter has ten thousand baskets of Hale's Early, Troth's Early, and Early York, in equal proportions. Now, instead of running sixty working days, they would not run more than twenty. And instead of sending 166 per day, he would send 500. Monday he will need^SOO ; Tuesday 500, and Wednesday 500; 1,500 in the aggregate before he gets any back. Add to this 25 per cent and he should have 1,875, were his agents honest and faithful. As he finds them, he must provide a basket for every basket of fruit, to be reasonably assured that he will have sufficient. This abuse in regard to baskets is very annoying to planters, and greatly di- minishes their profits. It should be promptly corrected. It is wholly inexcusable. CRATES. The standard dimensions of a crate are eight inches wide, fourteen deep, and twenty-three and a half long, outside measure. They are made of pine or other light wood. The ends and partition are sawed three-quarters of an inch thick, seven and a half wide, and fourteen long. BASKETS AND CRATES. . 91 The bottom and top twenty-three and a half long, six and a half wide, and three-eighths of an inch thick. The sides are composed of four slats, twenty-three and a half inches long, two and a half inches wide, and also three- eio^hths of an inch thick. Sometimes liojhter stuif is used. The ends and partition are thicker, because to these all the other pieces are nailed. The whole crate consists of thirteen pieces. It is very simple in construction, and any intelligent hand, with a proper frame, can put it up without difficulty. The stuff is sometimes planed on the outside, which gives it a much neater appearance. Crates of this kind cost about ten dollars per hundred. They go witli the peaches, and are never returned ; hence, those who ship in crates must provide as many ^. , , crates as they have fruit to Fio'. 1*.— CRATE. fill them. The reasons they are not returned, are two. First : they cannot be packed in each other like baskets, but occupy precisely as much room as when full. Besides, they are much more trouble- some to handle, and the transporters will not return them free of charge as they do baskets. Secondly : they are usually reshipped or sent at once to a distant market, and sold with the peaches. The relative merits and advantages of shipping in bas- kets and crates depend on circumstances. If the planter is shipping fruit to be sold in the New York or Philadel- phia market, he will find it profitable to ship in baskets, as it is better displayed, and presents a more inviting ap- pearance. But if he ships to more distant points, or only to the great commercial centers for reshipment, crates are preferable, as the fruit is better protected, and bears rougher handling. Shipping by express is done almost exclusively in crates. 92 PEACH CULTURE. CHAPTER XYI. TRANSPORTATION. The subject of Transportation has been, and still is, one of great interest and considerable difficulty, as well as the source of no small amount of bad feeling to peach growers on the Delaware Peninsula. The poach trade itself is but of recent date, and its rapid growth has been unprecedent- ed. Ten years ago it was insignificant ; now it is fully equal to two millions and a half baskets in a fruitful season. At first, the charge for transportation by rail to Philadel- phia was six cents per basket, and to New York twelve. But the charges have been constantly increasing ever since, until in 1867, they were to Philadelphia thirteen, and to New York, thirty-six and a half cents. On a comparison of the charges on peaches with those for transportation of other articles, the unreasonableness was so apparent, that great dissatisfaction was felt amongst growers, and means of redress were sought. For this purpose a convention of Fruit Growers was held in the Capitol at Dover, on the 15th of October, 1867, and a permanent organization efiected under the name of the " Peninsula Fruit Growers' Association.^^ One of the main objects of this association was to obtain a reduc- tion of freight to New York. A large committee of influ- ential and intelligent gentlemen was appointed to confer with the officers of the railroad companies, and endeavor to make a satisfactory arrangement. Several conferences took place accordingly, and a reduction nearly equivalent to ten cents per basket was obtained for the year 1868. But as there were no peaches that year, it amounted to no practical advantage. It was not satisfactory, anyhow, to a large portion of the peach growers, and very justly so ; for the charges were still extortionate, and totally TRANSPOllTATION. 93 unjustifiable on any principle of right and wrong ; being ahoiit foitr times as much as for any other freight of its class. Indeed the object of the railroad companies seem- ed to be to appropriate, in the form of freights, all the profits of the crop, and leave the growers only enough to pay for production, picking and selling. But this unjust and dishonest conduct, on the part of the railroad compa- nies, had the efiect of arousing public indignation, and directing public attention to other means of transporta- tion. It was soon found that most of the fruit could be sent much cheaper and in much better order by water ; and now lines of steamers are forming between New York and Philadelphia, and the several harbors on the bay-side. In order that interior growers may reach the bay, a steam-tug is to be employed in every creek to convey schooners and other small craft down the creeks to the principal stations. By this means most of the fruit can be carried to the great cities, in good time, in better order, and much clieaper than if sent by rail. The rates have not yet been permanently fixed, but it is believed they will not vary much from fifteen cents per basket to New York, or a little over half what they are by railroad. Besides this, there are new lines of roads building, which will afford still greater facilities, and reduction of freights. The route and line by which to ship the fruit, wliat- ever they may be, should be selected as early as con- venient, that is, as soon as all the accessible informa- tion can be obtained. The next thing to be looked after, is the engagement of the requisite number of cars or boats, and to arrange the time of their departure and arrival. Peaches are perishable, and it will not do to leave their transportation to the opportunities or contingencies of the hour. A complete running schedule must be fixed upon, and must be run with certainty, or the shipper may suffer great loss during the season. 94 PEACH CULTURE. CHAPTER XYII. CONSIGNEES. In the cities of Philadelphia and New York there is a a class of men known as commission merchants and prod- uce dealers. They have stands or stalls in the markets, or in some of the streets where fruits and vegetables are principally sold. But their more profitable and import- ant business in a fruitful season is to sell fruit, and espe- cially peaches, on commission. The distance between Philadelphia and the center of the peach district being only about seventy-five miles, the time very short, and only the smaller portion of the crop sent there, the com- mission men seldom make any very special effort to obtain the trade, or arrangement for its delivery. They rely upon the ordinary provisions of the roads and steamboats. But not so with those of New York. The great bulk of the crop is sent there ; the competition is very brisk, and it, conse- quently, requires special efforts, and complete arrange- ments to secure patronage. Hence, as soon as it is ascer- tained, to a reasonable certainty, that there will be a crop, the commission men visit the peach district in per- son, or send expert agents, to secure consignments and engage cars and shipping agents. They first estimate the crop ; then engage the number of cars requisite to trans- port the consignments that will be made to them ; and then the local sliippers at the different stations where peaches are to be delivered. This completes the arrange- ment at the producing end of the line. At the sale end, carts are engaged to haul the fruit from Jersey City, the end of the railroad line, to pomts of sale or reshipment in CONSIGNEES. 95 J^ew York. A portion of the fruit is sold at the stands of the consignees ; the rest is sold to other parties at whole- sale, and reshipped to Boston, Providence, Albany, Montreal, and elsewhere. . Some of the consignees are upright, honest men, who do a fair and legitimate business, on business principles ; but some of them are swindlers and sharpers, whose sole object is to make money for the time, and who have no reputation to lose, and who do not aim to gain one. These are unscrupulous in their statements, importunate in their solicitations for consignments, and wholly unreliable in making returns. They often advertise in religious papers, obtain some credulous, or good natured man, to certify to their characters and qualifications, obtain consignments upon the faith of them, and cheat their dupes out of all they send them. This may be regarded as the most dis- reputable class. There is another, however, as dishonest, but more politic. The members of this class wish to main- tain good reputations, and, at the same time, fill their pockets with what justly belongs to others. They do it in one or other of these ways : The fruit consigned to them is nearly always of difiTerent grades ; from very good to poor. If they have stands of their own, where they sell by retail, they will select a portion, it may be a fifth, a fourth, or a third, of the choicest for themselves, and sell the remainder at an average price of seventy-five cents per basket, which may be a fair enough price for such fruit. But the fruit the dealer has taken to his own stand would readily bring a dollar and a half per basket. However, he returns the whole consignment at seventy-five cents, and pockets the difierence. To illustrate. Let us suppose Peter Pence consigns to John Sly two hundred and fifty baskets of graded peaches. Fifty are very fine ; one hun- dred are good ; seventy-five are fair ; and twenty-five are poor : The proper market price would be thus presented : 96 PEACH CULTURE. 50 Baskets fine at $1.50 per basket, $75.00 100 (( good a 1.00 u (( 100.00 75 (( fair u 75 u a 56.25 25 (( poor Total, (( 50 (( (( 12.50 $243.75 200 Baskets at 75 cents - - 150.00 The difference is - - $93.75 Or if the consignee is very smart, and wishes to make a pretense of great exactness, he will make out a detailed account tlius : 50 Baskets at $1.00 - - $50.00 100 " "75 - - 75.00 75 " "50 - - 37.50 25 " " 40 . . 10.00 Total, - - ^ - $172.50 Difference, - - $71.25 This difference the dishonest consignee pockets, and absolutely cheats his confiding customer out of this amount in a simple transaction. Others manag:e it different- ly. Sell for all they can and return what they please. If the market is very good, and prices higli, tiiey may sell a whole consignment at $1.50 per basket, and return $1.25, or, if the market is, on the contrary, glutted, they may sell for 75 cents, and return 65, and so on ; their returns depending altogether upon their own cupidity, fear of de- tection, or loss of patronage. We have reliable informa- tion that some parties have actually made enough in a single season from these swindling operations, to retire from business altocjther. And we know one firm, whose business was very extensive, but whose dereliction in this respect was so gross, that not a single planter patronized them a second season. They run clear out. CONSIGNEES. 97 Such gross fraud can hardly occur in any other busi- T^ess ; but is comparatively easy in this. The fruit is perishable ; it has no standard value ; the market prices fluctuate with the supply, the temperature, and even the hour of its arrival. Hence it is almost impossible to know, or even guess, what it should bring. And this is the reason that consignors cannot protect themselves against these fraudulent practices. Their only safety is in the honesty of their consignees. Of this they judge by the season's returns. If they are consistent through- out the season, and a fair average price is realized, the planter is usually satisfied. One ships to one agent, and another to another. They can compare notes. If the man who has the worst peaches gets the best price, the other may be reasonably certain, he has been cheated. But if the fruit is equally good, and the price for the same days nearly the same, both may reasonably conclude they have been honorably dealt with. The rale is not in- fallible : for there may be collusion, or both may be equally dishonest. But the planter can do nothing more than exercise his best judgment in the selection of his consignee. It is very important he should do this; and after he has gain- ed all the information he can, he will at last have to com- mit himself to the keeping of somebody, and run the risks which are incident to his business. Old shippers are wary and alert. New ones should consult them, and avail themselves of their advice ; re- membering the old proverb, that '' experience teaches a dear school." Then again, abuses may, and should be, remedied ; and if the planters on the Peninsula would but consult their own interest, abuses would soon cease. The cure is in their own hands. But it requires combined action, and herein lies the difficulty. There is not one of them who would not willingly and cheerfully give ten times the tim« 5 98 PEACH crLTURE. and money necessary to effectuate the object, could lie do so individually ; but because it requires united eflforts, meetings, diflferences, and discussions, it is not done, and thousands, yes, tens of thousands of dollars are lost every year. One object of the Peninsula Fruit Grower ^^ Asso- ciation was to insure unity of interest and purpose. AVith this view, it embraced the entire Peninsula, which fur- nishes nearly all the peaches sent to Philadelphia and New York. But so far, it has not enlisted nearly all the planters. Most of the large ones, it is true, are members, but still a large number have stood aloof, and, while it is believed they approve of the Association and its aims, yet they have not taken interest enough in it to give it their active support. Some of them expect to reap the ad- vantages without the incidental expenses of time and money. Others do not unite from the mere force of a habit, which repels them from all associations whatever. In this way the Association is not able to do all the good it otherwise might. Did it include all the j^lanters of the Peninsula, as was intended by its founders, it is easily seen it would control the peach market, and might dic- tate its own terms. One of its first and most obvious objects then would be to establish a depot, or mart, of its own in Philadelphia and New York, where all its fruit would be sold by its own agents. This would dispense with consignees or middle men altogether, and would be a benefit to both producer and consumer ; ns the latter wouhl be better served, at no greater, if not a reduced, price, while the former would obtain what the fruit was worth in the market. Until this be done, the niantera need not expect to avoid imposition and fraud. LADDERS. 99 CHAPTER XVni. LADDERS. The ladders used in the peach orchard are about ten feet high, and are self-supporting. They are all of one general model, although differing somewhat in construc- tion. The most approved is made of t\YO boards, six in- ches wide and one thick, for the sides; into these are grooved and mortised steps of the same width. On the top there is a board about eiglit or ten inches broad for setting the basket, and also for the picker to stand on Fig. 15. — STEP LADDER. Fio-. 16 — CHEAP LADDER. while picking the highest peaches. Through the top runs an iron rod, or wooden rung, which fastens the support. This latter consists of two poles or narrow pieces of scant- ling, fastened together by cross-bars, such as shingling lath, which rotates on the rod or rung, and can be drawn out from, or up to, the steps at will. Both the ladder and support are wider at the bottom than at the top, which insures against toppling over. A simple and cheaper ladder is made by taking four 100 PEACH CULTIRE. pieces of shingling lath of the required length, nailing two strips of the same material opposite each other on two of them for a step, and as many thus as there may be steps required, and a board across the top ones for a rest for the basket. Then take the other two pieces of lath, and connect them by single rods or rungs for the support, boring holes through them at the top for the connecting rod with the steps. The upper edges of the strips in the ladder proper serve instead of the regular step in the first described. In order to stand firmly, the ladder and sup- port are both wider at the bottom than at the top as the first. Various other contrivances are used for the same pur- pose. CHAPTER XIX. SHIPPING. In this, as in most other business, there is a class of men called sh'qypers. They are generally in connection with the consignees in the city, and divide the commissions. They are always identified with the local interest, and generally have the confidence of the j^lanters. They en- gage cars, employ hands to receive the fruit from the wagons, and store it properly in them. They are a very useful adjunct to the trade as at present conducted ; but if the railroad companies would do their duty, and employ faithful and efiicient agents in sufiicient force, tliere would be no need whatever of shippers^ so called, and the expense of their employment Avould be altogether saved to the planter. But, as these companies have hither- to failed altogether in their duty in this regard, shippers SHIPPING. 101 are a necessity, except to the large planters, who can charter their own cars. For it will not justify a man who has only a few thousand baskets to sell, to go to much trouble and expense in order to get them to market ; and he, therefore, finds shippers both a convenience and a profit. The cars are prepared especially for the purpose. They are intended to carry five hundred baskets, weighing about sixteen thousand pounds. They are furnished with shelving to receive this quantity. The shelving consists of stays and boards to set the baskets on, so that one bas- ket does not rest on another, and thereby injure the fruit. It is a temporary, moval)le frame- work, taken down and set up at pleasure, and, in fact, at every loading. In filling a car, the fruit is received at the middle, and stowed away at each end ; the shelves being put up, as required, from rear to the center ; when filled, the doors are shut and locked, and so remain until they reach their destination. The cars are ventilated in order to keep the fruit from heating and rotting. When the weather is very dry, and the road dusty, considerable dust is introduced through the ventilators ; but, as the cars are at present constructed, it seems unavoidable. It is believed, however, that by a properly constructed and furnished car, this could be effectually prevented. For this reason it is much prefer- able to ship in boats where it is practicable. BOATS. r Shipping by boats, although always preferable where it can be done, is usually attended with more trouble in the first instance. The railroad is prompt, speedy, and punc- tual. All this the boats may also be, and usually are. But the railroad remains constant and continuously throughout the year. This the boats cnnnot be. Except during the peach season, there is no sufiicient trade to keep them employed, and lines have to be extemporized for the 102 TEACH CLTLTUKE. occasion. This requires negotiation, correspondence, interviews, and some responsibility. Some people do not know how or where to go about it ; others, are too cau- tious to enter upon it ; while others, again, have not in- terest enough to undertake it. Were it not for the extortionate charges of the railroad companies, they would transport nearly all the peaches. As it is, the boats take a very respectable portion. These evils, however, will correct themselves as the importance of the trade increases. The boats will either make complete aiTangements for carrying from all accessible jwiiits ; or the companies will i-educe their rates by rail to a reasonable figure. At present the boats carry for fifty per cent less than the cars, and make more money than by any other freight. Such a business will soon attract the attention of steam- boat men seeking employment for their vessels ; especially as the liight of the peacii trade occurs at a season when there is usually a dearth in other freights. CHAPTER XX. PICKING. The planter, having procured his baskets, selected his route and means of transportation, and engaged his con^ signee, now patiently awaits the maturity of his fruit. The picking commences with the earliest varieties about the tenth of July, and the season closes with the latest about the end of September. But in old orchards there are often some trees that ripen their fruit in advance even of the earliest varieties. They are decayed or diseased, and the fruit is not perfect, and often small and of very inferior flavor. The peaches are PICKING. 103 called "Prematures" and, although very inferior, sell for a good price, simply because they come in before any other. They are usually bought by keepers of restaurants for pies. We have seen them sent by express five hundied miles, and sold for from five to six dollars a crate, when they then would not have brought fifty cents at home. And afterwards, we have seen in the same market, the choicest ripe and luscious fruit of nearly a pound's weight, go a beg- ging for purchasers at two dollars per crate ! Such is the influence of circumstances. But to the planter, who raises fruit for profit, the " Prematures " are of more value than the mature peaches, and it is important to him to pick them as they ripen, and send them off. He must, therefore, provide for it in time. The quantity is so small, and the coming in so early, that no special peach transportation will have been provided ; he will, therefore, have to send by express or the ordinary freight. Some people suppose " Prematures " unhealthy : but we have used them habitu- ally in our family, for sauce and pies, without the slightest bad eflect ; and as they come in advance of the mature fruit, we relish them very much. We never use them uncooked ; and this leads us to say a word on unripe fruit. Some persons are so nervously anxious to get in early fruit before their neighbors, or so avaricious and indiffer- ent to the rights of others, that they will pick their fruit before it matures. This is an evil that must be corrected ; no just person will do it, because he knows it is wrong ; he knows it is not fit to use, and that he would not use it himself To sell it to others, is, therefore, a violation of the golden rule. But as some persons do not govern themselves by the principles of honor and religion, but only by those of pure selfishness, it is necessary for the community to protect itself against such. We therefore, advise every purchaser to reject all immature fruit. Buy it at no price. Let no commission man offer it ; and those avaricious sharks will soon find it unprofitable to ship 104 PEACH CULTURE. immature fruit, and the market will not be burdened with it. Indeed it seems a sin against nature to pull a peach when only a little over half size, green, and bitter, when by leaving it on the tree a few days longer, it would in- crease in size, beautv, sweetness, and wholesomeness. Ten days or two weeks before picking commences in earnest, the planter looks up liis pickers. Their number will depend, of course, on the quantity of fruit ripening daily. If he has ten thousand assorted trees, ripening over the whole season, he will not need nearly so many as if he has the same number of a few varieties, ripening together, or nearly so. But suppose he has ten thousand trees. If old trees they will average, with a full crop, about three baskets to the tree; an aggregate of thirty thousand baskets. In a season of sixty days, this would give five hundred baskets a day. A hand is allov.ed to pick forty baskets, which would require a force of twelve hands, con- stantly employed in picking. If the fruit is of two or three varieties only, it Avill ripen in twenty days, and the force required will be thirty-six hands. If the trees are young, one basket to the tree will be about the average ; and less than one-third the force will be required, as it is easier picking from young trees than old. From these data, any one can estimate how many hands he will need. Expert, skillful hands are as valuable in this as in any other work, but in the large peach growing districts it is impossible to obtain them. When the planters are bless- ed with a full crop, every available man, woman, and child is in requisition ; and all they can do is to secure, as far as may be, trusty leaders who will have an eye to the in- experienced and careless. When engaged, they are to hold themselves in readiness to come on the first call. The fruit must be mature, but not ripe, when picked. If picked too soon, it will shrink by the time it gets to market ; the color will not be good ; the flavor will be worse ; and a poor price will be had. If picked too late, PICKING. 105 the fruit will bruise in cartage ; the bruises will blacken ; some will rot, and the price will be no better than for the former. The greatest care is, then, necessary in deciding the exact time it should be picked. The expert will have little difficulty, as a glance of the eye, in most cases, will enable him to tell ; but the novice will often be puzzled, and will often make mistakes. Besides the size and color, the best test of maturity is the feel of the peach. In order to decide in a doubtful case, the picker should take the peach between his thumb and first and second fingers, and press it ; if it yields to the pressure, it is mature and may be picked. If it does not, it is yet too green ; while if the peach is indented by the pressure it is already ripe^ and cannot be safely shipped to a remote distance. This is the simplest and most reliable test we know. Indeed we regard it as infallible ; and fruit picked just when it be- gins to yield to the pressure may be shipped five or six hundred miles by express without danger. In most varie- ties, we may add, there is a peculiar transparency of the skin at maturity that enables the expert to say without hesitation that the fruit should be picked and he will very seldom need anything more to direct him. On the morning that the picking commences, the hands assemble at a designated place in the orchard ; and are form- ed into gangs of five, ten, or more ; and have certain rows allotted them. In forming gangs, care is taken that each has its proper proportion of skill, experience, and strength ; for it would be very injudicious to put all the good hands in one, and all the poor ones in another. Each gang is placed in charge of a leader, and each hand is furnished with one basket or more, and the picking begins. The light pickers mount the trees, the tall ones stand around the tops of the bending limbs, while the ladders are used to reach the fruit that cannot be gathered without them. It is a busy time, and nimble fingers make many ups and downs in securing the bright blushing fruit. Only such aa 106 PEACH CULTURE. is sound and mature is pulled, and all under size, defec- tive, or spotted, is rejected. Hundreds of baskets, far sweeter, more wholesome, and prettier than the prema- tures, are suffered to rot under the trees, or fed to the hogs. When the baskets are full, they are kept under the trees, to be gathered up by men witli wagons or carts. Many planters send them immediately to the shipping depot, to be put aboard the boat or car that is to carry them to the market. But this is not the best way. A better plan, and the one adopted by experienced shippers, is to have careful, skillful, and experienced men in suffici- ent force to overhaul, and assort, and grade every basket. Where this is done, the cullers are provided in the orchard with stands made of loose boards laid across benches of the proper height. To these stands the pickers bring their baskets as soon as picked. The cullers examine every peach. If it is large and without fault, it is placed in one basket ; if sound and of medium size, in a second ; if sound but small, in a third ; and if too ripe, spotted, or otherwise defective, in a fourth. Others prefer doing this at the shipping point. Three grades of marketable fruit are thus prepared, and it is foimd by observa- tion and experience that it sells for much more than the same would do, if unassorted. Indeed, if two baskets of mixed fruit were sent to market with two others of pre- cisely similar quantity and quality, but well assorted, the probability is that the prime basket of the latter class would sell for as much money as both of the first. So much has appearance to do witli the price. In this place we suggest and recommend to j^lanters who expect to ship peaches annually, to paint their baskets of three different colors, to receive fruit of as many grades ; and always to put the same grade in the same color. In this way your consignees will be able to tell at a glance, what PICKIISTG. 107 quality of peaches you have. But the same end may be attained by a proper discrimination in the manifest. FACING. Facing is an art. It consists in rounding up handsome- ly the top of the basket. For this purpose, a few of the larcfest, and his^hest colored peaches are laid aside in fill- ing it, and carefully placed on the top, to give a fine ap- pearance. It is the planter's art of displaying his goods. It is sometimes abused by the knavish, who put very in- ferior fruit in the bottom, and sometimes even of other varieties, and tlien "top off" with the very finest, in order to deceive the purchaser. But this is never done by the honest planter, but usually by middle men, who engage in shipping only for a season, and who have no sense of right and wrong, and no character to lose. The former simply does it to make a favorable impression, and al- ways, tacitly at least, warrants his fruit to be substan- tially the same throughout. During the picking season, the trees, as a rule, should be picked once a day at least ; some planters pick their orchards even twice a day, so rapidly does the fruit ma- ture in favorable weather, and sometimes every other day may suftice. WAGONS. The peach business has originated a Peach Wagon. This is used by large growers, and especially where the fruit has to be carried several miles to a shipping point. The genuine, full-sized peach wagon, will carry one hun- dred and fifty-six baskets, and is drawn by four draught horses. It is in all respects a substantial carriage. The wheels are heavy with a broad tread. The springs are strong, but very elastic. It is provided with a strong, light, flaring, frame bed, arranged with tiers of shelves or racks for the baskets. Baskets should never be allowed 108 PEACH CULTURE. to stand on each other, as that would compress the fruit, and injure its appearance at least, if not its quality. The wagon is coupled long. The first tier will contain three rows of twelve baskets eacli ; the second and third five rows each of the same number ; in all one hundred and fifty-six. These wagons jam the fruit very little, and as they carry such enormous loads, are almost indispensable to large grow- ers. They cannot be taken into orchards, except where wide avenues have been purposely left for them. In other cases, they are brought to the entrance, and filled from Dearborns, as ships are at anchor from lighters from the shore. CHAPTER XXL RETURNS. To the planter, who cultivates for profit, the returns are the most interesting part of the business. These are accounts of sales rendered by the consignees, which are either daily or weekly as may be agreed upon. When the quantity daily shipped is large, the shipper usually requires daily accounts of sales; if small, weekly. These show the number of baskets received and sold ; if graded, so many of each grade ; and the price received. From these accounts, the shipper sees at a glance the con- dition of his business, and, if not satisfactory, can take Bteps to advance his interest, by shipping to another market, to another consignee, and so on. He is also in- formed by letter or telegram of the condition in which his fruit arrived ; the precise time when it arrived; and, if either has been faulty, he is thus advised how to cor- rect it. Letters are the usual medium of communication between shippers and consignees ; but the telegraph is KETURNS. 109 often brought into requisition, especially in the height of the season. Once a week, at least, the shipper receives an account of the week's sales, and a check for the net proceeds. This latter is more specifically a return^ although the word is :ometimes applied indiscriminately to reports and returns. This account shows the daily receipts and sales for the week ; the price obtained ; and the aggregate amount. From it are deducted all charges, including freights. The balance is struck, and the check corresponds with this balance. Neglect to render these returns promj^tly is very annoying to planters and shippers, and very in- jurious to the interests of consignees, as it produces dis- content, destroys confidence, and ultimately ruins business. ''EMPTIES." *' Empties " are the baskets and crates after the fruit is sold. We might almost as well restrict ourselves to baskets alone, for in point of fact the crates never come back. The return of " Empties " is a part of the business in great and general confusion, and needs immediate and radical reform. It is managed somewhat in this way : When the fruit is sold to reshippers, as much of it is, they furnish their own packages, into which it is placed from the original baskets. These empty baskets are now gathered up by the person charged with that special duty. They are set one in another. If he is competent and faith- ful, he will put every man's baskets in a separate bundle. Each bundle will contain, as near as may be, twenty-five baskets. These are tied tightly together by a strong cord, passed from one end of the bundle to the other. A card, with the owner's name and address, distinctly mark- ed thereon, is then tied on the top basket ; but should the card be omitted or torn ofi*, the baskets ought to go llO PEACH CULTURE. safely, as each basket has either the shipper's name in full, distinctly marked in large letters, or his initials, with his address. When thus prepared, they are placed in the cars which brought them, and returned free of charge to the owner. Under the present system this is the way, professedly, in which the business is managed ; but, the actual management, in most cases, is much worse. If the employe is careless, he mixes people's baskets, and the man whose name is on the card gets all, or has to assort them at the shii)ping point, and throw out what are not his, and the others hardly ever all get safely home. Some- times, they are so badly mixed that even baskets belong- ing to shippers living at different parts are tied together, and thrown out at the first station at which any one of them resides. All this is attributable to incompetency or carelessness, and mostly the latter. But there are other delinquencies more reprehensible still. Where the con- signee has a stand in market, much of the fruit is taken there to be sold to his customers at retail, and the prac- tice prevails to le7id the purchaser the basket to take home his fruit. He often forcrcts or nesrlects to return it, and the delay or loss flills on the shipper, when it should fall on the consignee. Sometimes the consignee gets paid, but the consignor seldom. Again, sometimes the consignee sells the basket with the fruit, and pockets the price, trusting to the well-known looseness with which this part of the business is managed for exemption from all charges either pecuniary or moral. The subject, however, is one that has lately elicited much interest and inquiry among growers, and these abuses are likely soon to be reformed. Shippers now in- sist that baskets shall be returned or paid for ; and con- signees of reputation, and who expect to remain in the business permanently, are acquiescing in the demand, and contracting accordingly. Growers also insist on prompti' tude in returning empties. Heretofore, it was thought that MARKETS. 1 1 1 if they were returned any time during the season, or even after the season is over, it was sufficient. But this is no longer satisfiictory to planters, who very justly complain, and say, that the use of the basket, of which this delay de- prives them, is nearly as valuable as the basket itself; that baskets coming home at the end of the crop are not worth half what they were at the beginning ; and, moreover, are bleached and unattractive. If a basket sufficiently strong to carry safely, and costing only a few cents, could be made so that it might go with the fruit, a want would be supplied which has long been felt. In this case the purchaser would always have something to put his fruit in at a very small cost, which he would willingly incur for the convenience ; while a fruitful cause of vexa- tion and loss to the planter would be removed. CHAPTER XXn. MARKETS. New York city is the peach emporium of the East, and hither are sent four-fifths of the peaches raised on the Delaware Peninsula, and j^erhaps nine-tenths of all raised in Kew Jersey. A very large proportion of this is con- sumed in the city. The remainder is reshipped to Boston, Albany, Montreal, and other northern cities. Next to New York, stands Philadelphia. Her market is principally supplied from two sources. First, from peach growers residing near who, froni acquaintance and force of habit, prefer to send their fruit there, rather than to a more remote market even if prices are higher. Sec- ondly, from growers on the waters of the Chesapeake, who can ship in boats to Philadelphia, but not so conven- 112 PEACH CUl.TURE. iently to New York. These could reship in cars, but it would be attended with additional expense and delay, which the higher price might not always justify. The Philadelphia market is somewhat limited, and the shipments made thither seldom give as satisfactory returns as those to New York. Beyond these two cities very few peaches are shipped from the great peach growing centers. But planters are en- quiring whether they may not do better by seeking out more remote markets, and shipping directly to them, in- stead of allowing their fruits to fall into the hands of mid- dle men in New York ; and already, in years when the crop is very large, many are shipped to Boston and other northern towns. CHAPTER XXIII. PROFIT. The profit of peach culture, either comparatively or ab- solutely, can only be approximated, and that in a general way. When we see a man, engaged in any business, ac- quiring more property, improving what he has, and sur- rounding himself with the luxuries and elegancies of life, we certainly conclude that the business is profitable, and that he iinderstands how to manage it. When we see another engaged in the same business working hard, going in debt, selling, it may be, a portion of his patrimony to relieve his present embarrassment, we conclude as certain- ly that his business is unprofitable or he does not under- stand it. So it is in peach culture. Whoever understands it and attends to it well, does well. We know no excep- PROFIT. 113 tions. But whoever plants an orchard, and lets the cat- tle destroy it, or the weeds overrun it, or the borer girdle it, or the poverty of his land starve it, must not be surprised if he fails to make a fortune. He must not ex- pect miracles. We have had some experience and more observation, and we are decidedly of opinion that no field crop will pay better than peaches ; but they will not pay as well as gai-dening and trucking where there is a convenient market. Take, as an illustration, an orchard of ten acres, one thousand trees, when the trees are four years old. The first cost of the trees and planting we estimate, and it is very nearly the truth, at - 1150.00 Interest for four years - - 36.00 Total expense till it comes in - 1186.00 The product of the soil in corn, potatoes, etc., will equal the tillage of the trees, so that when they come in, the orchard will be in debt - - - $186.00 We estimate the first crop of peaches at one thou- sand baskets, more or less, which are worth to the planter, on the tree, forty cents, - - 1400.00 This pays the old debt and interest, and leaves $214.00 The second year there may be only two hun- dred baskets; but owing to a scanty crop, the price is doubled and the planter gets eighty cents a basket on the trees, - - - $160.00 ' The thii-d season, a full crop, three thousand baskets, worth forty cents, - - - $1,200.00 The fourth year is a total failure - - Four years then give a net income of $1,574.00 Which is equal to an annual rent of - $393.50 Or an annual rent per acre of - - $39.35 114 PEACH CULTURE. These estimates are made on the basis of good land and good tillage. In tlie absence of either or both, the profits will be much reduced ; while by extra culture, skill, and care in gathering the fruit at tlie jjroper time, and send- in JX it to the best market, they mav be increased, but in the present state of cultivation and maikets, they are above the average. Hence it follows, that land which will yield forty dol- lars an acve,per annum, should not be planted in peaches. CHAPTER XXIV. CULTURE AFTER A CROP. The culture after a crop should be prompt, careful and generous. A first class orchard of a hundred acres may have netted its owner ten ttiousand dollars in a single sea- son. But say it is only six thousand, or even five, and he can still afford to return to the soil that lias been so productive a considerable portion of this, and have a handsome sum left. The liberal and intelligent planter Mill do so cheerfully, and thus not only improve greatly the appearance of his trees, but also do much towards in- suring a crop the next year ; while the niggardly and sl.ort-sighted, will pocket all the present gains and leave his trees to take care of themselves or starve. Good cul- ture will pay as well with peaches as any thing else ; and the old proverb : " Always taking out of the meal tub, and never putting any thing in, you will soon come to the bottom," is as applicable to them as to the family Hour- chest. As soon as the last peach is gathered, the hogs should be turned in to eat up the refuse. Two purposes will be CULTURE AFTER A CROP. 115 effected by this. Tlie hogs will fatten on the decayed and imperfect fruit, and multitudes of embryo insects will be destroyed. Besides they will root about the trees, and do almost as much good as a plowing. If there are no hogs at hand, the refuse should be gathered up and re- moved ; but this is seldom done ; and the more common way is to leave all on the ground, and run the risk. The next thing is, to remove carefully all feeble, dead, and broken limbs. This should quickly follow the peach harvest. The feeble limbs are such as are near the ground, on lower branches, and have been so far deprived of the sap by the upper and more vigorous ones as to become unfruitful. They would soon die at any rate, and it is better to remove them at once, and thus give more room, as well as more sap to the thrifty and fruit-bearing ones. After a bountiful crop, many broken limbs w^ill be found ; sometimes even the whole tree wall be demolished, and apparently ruined. By careful and judicious pruning, however, much may be done to repair the injury and re- store the tree to its former beauty and productiveness. In a healthy tree, the vital forces of the roots are in exact proportion to the superficial drafts of the top. When the top is partially removed, the demand on the root is just so far diminished. There is then a superabundance of vital power, continually seeking a channel in an effort to restore the proper equilibrium. In consequence of this, the remaining branches are stimulated to extraordinary growth, and new buds shoot, and new branches are form- ed. If the whole top has been removed, the disparity be- tween the root and the stem is so great that the latter puts out buds in all directions, and soon becomes one mass of twigs and leaves. In this w^ay shade trees are often trained, their foliage thickened, and their appearance improved. By attention to this principle in arboriculture, the injured fruit- tree may soon be almost restored to its original beauty and usefulness. We have seen this illustrated at least 116 PEACH CULTURE. twice in our own experience. The first case was that of a beautiful young Bellflower apple tree, tlie one-half of which broke down under an enormous load of fruit the third year after coming in. It grew near a higli board fence, and so equally was it divided into two branches, that had it not been for the fence, we believe both would have parted, and fallen in opposite directions. As it was, only one could fall, but in doing so, it split the stem down to witliin less than two feet of the ground. So great was the injury that we seriously thought of digging it up altogether, and planting another in its stead ; but we did not. Although broken down, it did not separate from the main stem, and the fruit matured well. When it was gathered, we removed the f dlen branch neatly ; cut away a few of the lower limbs on the opposite side, shortened-in a few others, and awaited the result. The next spring, young brandies began to shoot on the injured side ; they grew^ very rapidly, filled up the vacancy, new^ wood cov- ered the wound, so that at the end of two years, no one, unaware of the accident, would have suspected that the now beautiful tree had ever sustained injury. The other, was that of some natural peach trees in full bearing that we wished to transform into choice varieties of budded fruit. For this purpose we cut off the entire tops just above the spread, and budded on the young wood the next fall. Two years after, the tops were as lar2;e, and much handsomer than when removed. The planter must not conclude that because his tree is broken down it is, therefore, destroyed. By proper atten- tion it may soon be restored ; and when we reflect that two larije crops scarcely ever follow each other iu succes- sion, we will see that the loss is really but trivial. As soon as the pruning is over, the trash is cleanly gathered up and hauled away to some vacant spot to be burned. After this the root of every tree is carefully examined CULTURE AFTER A CROP. 117 for the borers, and every one vmrelentingly destroyed. The ground is then nicely plowed, and cultivated down, as heretofore described. This should all be done by the first of October. But sometimes the ripening of late fruit retards the plowing. In such case, the pruning and plowing, may properly be deferred; but the worming never can. This must not be neglected if you value fine trees, and wish to preserve them. In a well attended orchard, the labor will be very light ; for, owing to the vigilance of the planter, fe*w worms will ever obtain a lod foment in his trees. After tlie examination of each tree, the soil is carefully replaced, so that the tender neck of the stem is not exposed. After the fall plowing, some planters give their peach orchard a top-dressing of lime ; others, later in the season, of barn-yard manure; others, again, one of wood-ashes or superphosphate about the roots. These are all excellent ; and, where it can be done, should not be omitted. But all are more or less expensive, and planters, for the most part, rely on tillage alone, and some even stint that. We believe that any orchard tliat is worth keeping at all is worth good culture, and that it is true economy to apply lime, phosphate, and manure to tlie extent of the reasona- ble requirements of the orchard and the planter's ability. Whatever dressing the orchard gets, it should be in the fall. The reason of this is, that the fertilizers will dissolve, soak in, and reach the roots during the winter, and in time to stimulate and strengthen the next year's growth ; and, if the other conditions be favorable, greatly tend to the production of a crop. Later in the season, especially if the ground is weedy or grassy, the orchard must be cultivated. In ordinary cases, once will do, but sometimes it may require two dressings. The weeds, or grass, must not be permitted to grow, but the ground should be kept clear and smooth as a floor. There is often a narrow strip, between the 118 PEACH CULTURE. trees in the same row, not caught l>y the plow ; this must be leveled with the cultivator or hoe. We need scarcely say to the tasteful planter, that the head rows and corners should be kept scrupulously clean. The culture the next spring is as described for young orchards. CHAPTER XXY. USES. As a dessert the peach is a universal favorite, and in its season has no rival. It is the Queen of Delicacies. It ripens in perfection only in the glow of a midsummer's sun ; and tlie liotter the weather, the more delicious are its rich cooling juices. It is eminently suited to the season. When the weather is so hot that even eating is a labor, the })eaeh is acceptable, for it melts in the mouth without exertion. It is perfectly healthy, and even me- dicinal. We have known it to effect a complete and al- most immediate cure in dysentery and diarrh(ra. It may be eaten at meals, which is perha|)S the best time, or between meals ; raw or cooked ; in sauce or pies ; marmalade or pre- serves ; with cream and sugar, or without — almost any way — but never green or decayed. As it is most delicious and healthy when ripe and sound, so it is most unpalatable and pernicious when green or decayed. Eating when ripe is the best, as well as the most agree- able way of using peaches ; probably nine-tenths of all raised are eaten in their ripe and uncooked states. But vast quantities are also canned, and numerous establishments turn out, respectively, several hundred thousand cans every season. These are shipped to all i)arts USES. 119 of the world ; and many tastes are gratified with the canned fruit that never knew, and never will know, the delight of a ripe, uncooked peach. Some are preserved for domestic use, and are consid- ered amongst the very best of conserves. Formerly small, inferior, and even half rotten peaches, as well as the parings thrown out by the canners, were distilled into peach brandy, and quite a quantity was used up in this way ; but since the discovery of the Alden and other processes of evaporation, and the invention of various evaporators, very little is used in this way ; and that only of the very worst sort. The evaporated fruit is found to be one of the best, if not the very best, forms in which it can be preserved ; and when there is a crop, tons of dried peaches are put up in every neighborhood. Indeed, in localites, almost every planter has an evaporator, and some of them several. This is found to be of great advantage, and in many ways. When the crop is very abundant, large quantities are used in this way ; a glut in the market is prevented, and better prices are obtained for what is sent. Then the fruit preserved by this method will keep. It may be packed away and shipped when there is leisure, or when good prices can be obtained, while ripe peaches, in their natural state, must be shipped and sold at once. Besides, evap- orated peaches are a most delicious and wholesome lux- ury, one that will surely make its ov^n way after the first Introduction. Indeed, desiccated peaches are now so popular, that they are usually all engaged as soon as dried, and often before. They always bring good prices, and are growing in popularity every year. The average price for evaporated peaches, of good quality, is about thirty cents a pound. We now speak of peeled ones, Unpeeled fruit does not bring half so much, imd should not, for only the very inferior is dried without peeling. Desiccated peaches may be procured at almost 120 PEACH CULTUEE. any good family grocery store, done up in neat boxes. The white colored are preferred ; but this only shows the ignorance of the purchasing public. The purest and best are of a light amber color. This is the dried peach in its natural state. The white have been bleached by the use of sulphur. This is done by evaporators in self-defence, as the white fruit will always sell better, and at a higher price, than the amber. The difference is usually from two to four cents a pound. It is contended that the bleaching does no harm, and, therefore, is an innocent concession to a popular prejudice. All the sulphur con- tained in the fruit may not render it unhealthf ul, but, to our taste, it does take away part of its delicate flavor, and renders it less palatable ; and, for this reason, we never use any bleached fruit. We might occupy a long chapter in describing the evaporators and the manner of using them ; but it would not add to the practical advantage of this little treatise. We will simply say that there are perhaps a dozen patented ones, every one of which claims to possess some special advantage, and nearly all of which are really good. A planter, in making a selection, will be governed, in a great measure, by his requiremants. If he has a great many peaches, he will want a large one ; if only a few, a small one. They range through a wide field, both in capacity and cost. The smallest and cheape^-t may cost twenty-five dollars ; the largest, perhaps, three thousand. The first will require the attention of a single person ; the latter of a hundred or more. It is said by those who make a business of preserving peaches in this way that, when peaches cost more than forty cents a basket, they can not be desiccated at a profit, but below this they may. The leaves of the peach, bruised and distilled, yield a liquor used for flavoring cookery. When steeped in spirits they impart that peculiar flavor, called noyau. USES. 121 Four pounds of peach blossoms distilled in a water bath, will yield twelve ounces of a whitish liquor, sweet to the taste, and agreeable to the smell, much resembling bruised peach kernels. This liquor is a strong perfume, and a few drops will very agreeably scent a large quantity of any other liquor or substance with which it commingles. The buds yield the same liquor, but not of so delicate a flavor. 122 PEACH CULTURE. CHAPTER XXVI. INSECTS AND DISEASES. But little is yet settled in regard to diseases of the peach. Is it really subject to any inherent disease, or are its maladies accidental ; that is, superinduced by ex- traneous causes? We incline to the latter opinion. Most of thera we know are ; and we are not certain that any are not. The Yellows is the only known one of which we doubt ; and about it very little is known either as to origin or treatment. It is generally regarded as incurable, and eradication is the only remedy recom- mended. Cultivators should observe closely, experiment extensively, and report fully. In this way more reliable data will be obtained, and, it is hoped, a remedy dis- covered. THE BORER. The 'Borer (^geria exitiosa), is the most common, as it is the most troublesome enemy of the peach on the Peninsu- la; and vet, if looked after in time, it is very easily subdued, and need in no wise seriously interfere with cultivation. But, if allowed to intrench itself in our orchards, it Mill not only require time and labor to rout it, but even this will only be effected by constant vigilance and with con- siderable loss. Hence, the planter should never permit it to obtain a footing in his young orchard, but upon its first appearance destroy it utterly. To exclude the borer, he has only to carefully examine his trees every spring and fall, and wherever he finds one, destroy it. If this rule is strictly followed, his labor will be very light, and his trees will never be permanently injured. But if he neglects this, as is so often the case, until the borer is INSECTS AND DISEASES. 123 Fig. 17.— BORER. MALE. established in the tree, the labor of extermination will not only be increased ten-fold, but he will suffer the pain of seeing some of his handsomest trees enfeebled; and, if the most prompt and vigorous measures are not adopted, they will die. The Borer is, when fully developed, a slender, dark- blue, four-winged, wasp-.sliaped insect. Figure 17 gives the male, and fig. 18 the female perfect in- sect. It does not enter the tree in this shape, but about the middle of June commences to deposit its eggs on the tender bark of the tree, at the surface of the ground, and, occasionally, through- out the summer, sometimes even as late as October. These eggs hatch, as the season advances, into small white grubs or borers^ about one inch long when fully grown, and an eighth of an inch in diameter. These penetrate the bark, and burrow in- to the sap wood, where they re- main all winter. In the spring, or early summer, they emerge in their Fig. 18.— BORER.— FEMALE, perfcct, wlugcd form, and soon commence depositing eggs for another generation. During their stay in the tree, they devour voraciously the bark and sap wood, and one or two are sufficient to destroy a young tree in a single season, and four or five, an old one. Their inroads are very insidious, and some- times the first notice the planter has of their presence is the blighting of his tree, which soon withers and dies. The work being done in the dark, under the bark, and the gum piled around the neck of the tree, the insect is com- pletely concealed, and the injury unsuspected until, like an exploded mine, the bleached and withered leaves give unmistakable evidence of its fatal presence. But a little experience will soon enable any one to detect the borer. 124 PEACH CULTURE. The most certaiti and obvious sign is the gum at the neck of the tree. Whenever this appears, you may certainly conclude the borer is entrenched. But sometimes very little gum, if any, indeed, may be there, and still this treacherous enemy may be destroying the very vitals of your beautiful and productive tree. But, generally, there will be a disturbed, raised, or loose ap|)earance of the ground immediately around the neck of the tree. When this is the case, inspect carefully. On the other hand, if the surface of the ground is flat, close, compact and hard at the neck, you may almost certainly conclude that no borer is there. One accustomed to examine for, and de- stroy these grubs, can tell at a glance whether or not the borer is present. Several remedies have been prescribed for the borer ; but the best yet discovered, where the insect has penetrated to the wood, is A Hoe, a Bill-hooked Knife, and a Punch, — The first to scrape away the earth from the root ; the second to cut away the gum and decayed bark and wood ; and the last to kill the borer. The knife should be large, strong and shaip. Either a pruning or butcher knife does very well. The punch may be of hard, seasoned wood or heavy wire ; but a whalebone one is the best, because it is pliable and elastic, and may be thrust into a curving cavity, when a straight one could not, and thus reach the borer without cutting away tlie wood. JBut the borer must he destroyed at all events. There must be no truce, no mercy, if you wisii to save your tree. If you leave even one, it will probably be tlie deatii of your tree, for it will eat, and eat away, until it has destroyed it. The greatest care should be taken to remove all. Sometimes quite a num- ber will be found in one tree. Five and six are not at all unfrequent ; and even more will sometimes be found. In removing the borer, the operator should be careful not to bruise or cut away any of the sound bark or wood, as it will all be little enough for the renovation INSECTS AND DISEASES. 125 of the tree ; but all tho dead and diseased wood and bark should be carefully removed, so that the new growth may- cover over the old wound as soon as possible. After the operation, the soil should be drawn up to the neck of the tree again, in order to prevent the sun and dry winds from cracking the bark in the summer, or the severe frosts from chilling: it in the winter. Boiling Water is recommended by some as a very safe, simple and effectual remedy. We have never tried it ourselves, and cannot speak from experience ; but we have no doubt of its beneficial effects when judiciously applied. But whether it is as good as the one we have just described, and, if as good, as cheap, we do not know. It is applied in various ways, the simplest of which is to pour it all around the neck of the tree affected, so that it may flow into, and fill up, every hole, thus destroying the borer in its retreat. Our doubt of the complete success of this method arises in the fear we have that the borer will not be reached by the scalding flood, and, conse- quently, often escape. It often, on entering a tree, ascends^ and its course is shielded, as well as concealed, by the bark. Now, how is the water to reach it heie ? Will it not be shed by this panoply, and the insect remain secure in his double- walled fortress ? Another cultivator applies the water in this way : " Take a piece of half-inch lead pipe, say three feet long ; bend one end to nearly a right angle, and fit the same to the borer's hole, the main length of the pipe standing perpendicularly ; place a funnel in the top, and fill the pipe with boiling water ; the borer will soon be dead, while the tenderest tree will not be injured by the process." This is a very complete, effectual, and highly artistic method, but we fear the time consumed in fitting the pipe to the hole, and the funnel to the pipe, with the trouble of finding the hole, and waste of water, would be dis- 126 PEACH CULTURE. couragingly tedious to a planter who had ten thousand trees to examine in a few days. Waste Water from Salt-works has also been men- tioned with favor by some. We have never used it, or seen it used, but we feel safe in recommending its trial in moderation, when at hand ; care ought to be exercised in its application, especially to young trees, as these acrid, mineral liquids often prove injurious, and sometimes fatal, to vejretable life. With this caution, let it be tried whenever it will be economy to use it. The difficulty in the application of all liquids is to reach the borer. It is often so deeply burrowed in the wood of the tree as scarcely to be found, even with knife and puncli, and is perfectly secure against water, except it be a deluge. Oil, diffused in A^'ATER, and applied with a syringe, has been recommended as a protection against all noxious insects, the borer among the rest. It is affirmed that a single drop of sweet oil, applied to the back of a wasp or hornet, produces almost instant death ; and that a very small quantity is sufficient, when diluted, to destroy myr- iads of insects. It is said it closes up the breathing-pores, and the insect dies for want of air. However destruc- tive it may be to wasps and hornets, we can not, with- out further trial, conclude that it will be equally so to the borer, whose habits of life ai-e so entirely different. The one delights in sunshine, moves on wings, and lives in air, while the other burrows into the solid wood, where light never penetrates, and seals himself up hermetically with impervious gum. Still, the smell of the oil, espe- cially of coal oil, may be useful in keeping off the fly or moth, if applied at the season it deposits its eggs. Sheathing the tree avith paper, straav, or cloth, anything that will prevent the embryo worm from ob- taining a lodgment in the bark of the tree, has been tried with success; and, if attended to in the pioper time, il INSECTS AND DISEASES. 127 about tlie middle of June, and kept on until the danger is past, about the middle of October, will prove a complete preventive. But if the borer had already obtained a lodg- ment, or the eggs had been deposited before the tree was bandaged, or the bandage was not impervious, it will prove no protection, or, an insufficient one. If paper be used, it should be wrapped once and a half, or twice, around the tree, so as to leave no place of in- gress for the insect, and should extend two inches below, and six above the ground, and be securely tied to keep it in its place. It may be secured at the lower end by sim- ply scraping away the dirt the required depth, wrapping the paper around, and then drawing the dirt back, and pressing it down firmly. The method of applying straw, cloth, or other material, is the same. Akin to this remedy is that of scraping w^ piles of dirt around the tree^ in early summer, and leaving them until fall. This is on the same principle, and answers the same end if well done, and constantly maintained ; but they must not be permitted to wear away by summer showers. Lime or wood-ashes are better than dirt for this purpose, as neither is so liable to abrasion, and both are excellent fertilizers. THE CUKCULIO. This most destructive and dreaded of all enemies of fruit has never yet troubled our peaches on the Peninsula, and consequently we have no practical experience oi" ob- servation in regard to it. We are thankful for our ex- emption ; and ignorance, in this instance, at least, is undoubtedly bliss. But in Ohio, and probably elsewhere in the West, it has become very troublesome and injuri- ous. The Curculio, Plum- Weevil {Hhy nchoemis Nenu- phar)^ is a small, dark-brown, winged beetle, with white, yellow and black spots. It is quite small, never exceed- 128 PEACH CtTLTURE. ing a quarter of an inch in length, and often not so long. It has two humps on its back, and is provided with a rela- tively long throat and bill, which fills between its fore- legs when in repose. In fig. 19 we give a much magnified drawing of the curculio attacking a plum. When in a tree, a sudden jar will cause it to fall down as if dead, rolled up ball-like. Some suppose that it hardly ever leaves the tree upon which it first finds itself; and this opinion is, in part, sustained by the method of its reproduction, the larvce being carried to, and hatched in the ground through the medium of the spoiled fruit. Others, on the contrary, contend that it is migratory, and travels over a large space — an entire orchard, at least, or even many or- chards. This view^ is strengthened by the fact that it is furnished with wings, which seem natu- rally to indicate both Fig. 19.— CURCULIO UPON A PLUM. disposltlou and ability to fly. Its cliaracter and habits are not yet fully known. Enough, however, has already been learned to make it the bane and terror of all fruit growers. Closer observa- tion and experience, it is hoped, may yet discover an eflicient protection against its ravages. None such has yet been found. As soon as the fruit begins to set, and for weeks after- wards, this pestiferous beetle commences its work of ruin by making a minute puncture in the young fruit. In this the ^^g of the grub is deposited. It grows with the fruit until it becomes so large as to destroy the vitality INSECTS AND DISEASES. 129 of the latter, which drops from the stem, and the larva finds its way into the soil, undergoes another transforma- tion, and reappears the next spring as the little winged beetle above described. This is the usual process and re- sult with the plum, its favorite object of attack ; but with the larger and hardier fruits, such as apples, pears, and peaches, the effect is not so fatal. The nature and char- acter of the attack is the same, but owing to the size and vigor of the fruit, they are better able to resist and sur- vive it. The consequence is that they are only spoiled, or partially destroyed. It was once supposed by some that as soon as the fruit was well set, the danger from the curculio was over ; and that if it could be protected for two or three weeks from the time of the f dl of the blossom, the fruit would be safe. But a better acquaintance with its habits has shown that it continues its ravages throughout the summer, and nearly, if not quite, to the ripening of the fruit ; and this is especially true with the tenderer sorts, so that nothing short of destruction or banishment to the de- stroyer will save the fruit. The loss to horticulture from this enemy alone can hardly bo overestimated. It has almost banished plums from our gardens, and changed hope and expectation into fear and despair. When we think of the rich Golden Drops, the delicious Gages, and the splendid Jeffersons, which this inveterate and malignant foe has snatched al- most from our lips, our disappointment and vexation know no bounds. But should it, with like malignity, invade our peach plantations, we should be driven to despair. Formerly, it was supposed that the character of the soil determined, in a great measure, whether or not the curculio w^ould be troublesome ; and it was supposed that stifi' clay lands were a preventive, while light, sandy ones were conducive, to its propagation and increase. Later observations and experience, liowever, have demonstrated 130 PEACH CULTURK that the character of the soil has very little, if any, influ- ence on it. Many remedies have been tried and abandoned, and many more are still recommended as worthy of yet fur- ther tri.'il. We are sorry we have none that we can recom- mend with confidence. Such as they are, we state them. If not effectual, they may still prove useful, in a measure. Let planters observe, note, and experiment. It is a bad disease that has no cure. The end is so valuable and de- sirable, we should never despair of attaining it. 1. Jar the thee, axd kill the ixsect. — This is one of the oldest and most effective of any proposed, but, at the same time, tedious, expensive, and, on a large scale, almost impracticable. The mode is to saw off one of the lower branches, leaving a stump about half an inch long ; then spread sheets under the tree early every morning, during the season the curculio is troublesome, and, with a wooden mallet, give the stump two or three sharp strokes. The tree is thus suddenly jarred, and the insects, dislodged, fall upon the sheets, and are gathered up and destroyed. Dr. Hall, of Illinois, has a contriv- ance like a large umbrella opened and inserted upon a wheel-barrow. The umbrella or expanded portion has an opening in one side, to admit the trunk of the tree. The barrow is propelled in such a manner as to strike against the tree and jar it; the expanded canvas portion being then in a position to catch any insects or injured fruit that may fall. This may do for gardens, but what peach plant- er, with his thousand or ten thousand trees, would think of it. 2. Bandage the trees. — Some use these in the belief that the curculios climb up the stem of the tree, and that the bands arrest their progress, and detain them until they can be caught and killed. The bands are made of wool, cotton, or rope, dipped in coal or gas tar, and are INSECTS AND DISEASES. 131 tied around the main stem, just below the branches, and sometimes also around the main branches themselves. The smell of the tar may be as eifectual as the bands themselves. 3. A Trap. — We have heard of a curculio Trap^ made in the shape of a bag, and hung in the tree ; but we have neither seen nor heard it described, and are, consequently, unable to speak of its merits, 4. Offensive Odors. — It has been discovered that most insects that infest orchards are more or less affected by disagreeable odors ; hence it is proposed to hang up in the branches of trees, during the incursion of the cur- culio, cobs or some other convenient thing, dipped in gas or coal tar, and strung upon a wire, and thus drive them away. This remedy is plausible, and may be very ser- viceable in many instances of insect invasion ; but, so far, there seems to be " no enchantment " against this most pestilential of all the insect tribe. Besides, it is tedious and inconvenient when used on a large scale. 5. Destroy the Fallen Fruit. — As the injured fruit falls to the ground with the grub in it, it is a very effectu- al and convenient way to turn hogs into the orchard to eat it up. This is a remedy without objection, and may at all times be resorted to with safety and economy. If it does not prove entirely successful, it will, doubtless, greatly mitigate the evil. Let no infected fruit remain in your orchards. 6. Whitewash the ground. — Governed by instinct, it is said the curculio will never deposit its eggs where they cannot be hatched — hence, not over water or paved yards^ nor whitevmshed. surfaces. From this hint cultivators have experimented, and it is now affirmed by many that trees overhanging any of these are exempt. In view of t\n&^ whitewashing thQ ground is proposed as an infallible remedy. It is, no doubt, excellent ; for even if it should 6* 132 PEACH CULTURE. fail to drive away the curculio, it will prove an excellent fertilizer for the trees. But if it can be applied without too much expense, we think it may prove valuable as a remedy. The ground should first be plowed, harrowed and rolled, so as to make tlie surface as smooth and fine as practicable. The finely pulverized limo may then be sown broadcast, just when the trees are shedding their blossoms, or the surface m:iy be whitewashed with it in a liquid state. But we fear the trouble, expense, and lia- bility to be absorbed will deter large planters from trying it. 7. Paving and planting over water. — These rest on the same principle — that instinct teaches the insect that its seed will be destroyed if deposited above them. From whatever cause, it is claimed by some that trees hanging over the edge of a lake, or with paved yards under them, will not be visited by the curculio, but this is as emphati- cally denied by others. 8. Lime and Sulphur. — This is a mixture of eighteen double handfuls of sulphur to a barrel of ordinary white- wash, made of unslaked lime. The mixture must be re- duced by water to a consistency capable of being used with a syringe. It should be applied three times a week, for four weeks, commencing with the fall of the blossom. As the sediment falls to the bottom, more water may be poured in as the liquid part is used, until the whole be consumed. We have given these several remedies, and hope they may be found useful, but with only limited confidence in their efticiency or utility. A cheap, convenient, and certain remedy for curculio is a desideratum most earnestly wished for, but a blessing which has not yet been con- ferred. YELLOWS. The Yellows is very little known on the Peninsula ; BO little as to have given neither trouble nor uneasiness INSECTS AND DISEASES. 133 SO far. What little we have seen of it, is supposed to have been introduced from New Jersey, where it has been very destructive. In consequence of this, few trees are purchased in Jersey, but reared at home. CAUSE. This, as yet, is a subject of speculation. Various opinions have been expressed, and various theories advanced. We have no sufficient data to enable us to speak unhesitating- ly, but we believe its primary cause is had cultivation. By this we mean that in its cultivation the essential con- ditions of a healthy tree and fine fruit have been overlook- ed or disresfarded. This has been throusrh iofnorance. Cultivators neither observed nor read. At an early day in tills country the Yellows was unknown ; and in newly- cleared districts, it is yet unknown, save only where it has been introduced by diseased trees. It has never prevailed or been troublesome, except in places where the peach has been long and extensively cultivated as in New Jersey, and, perhaps, a few other places. From this we may reasonably conclude that the essential condi- tions of a healthy tree and fine fruit are non-existent ; that the supply of tree nourishment is deficient, and the tree be- comes feeble and diseased, and, finally, dies of starvation. It is a case of arbor-consumption. It is then constitutional and chronic ; and not only so, but contagious, so far, that it affects those in its immediate vicinity. It is a well-known fact in agriculture, that by successive crops of one variety of grain, the soil is exhausted of the essential elements for the production of that variety, and that the crops must be changed, or the yield will gradually dwindle down to nothing, or the exhaustive process must be counteracted by fresh supplies of the aliment consumed. Hence, arises the practice of rotating crops, and also of using concen- trated fertilizers. By the first, we use a different feeder •^^^ PEACH CULTURE. to consume a different aliment ; by the latter, we use the same feeder, but introduce a new supply of the same ali- ment. But, as all plants consume a portion of the same ahment, the rotation practice can not be pursued indefinite- ly without losing the highest benefit ; but the soil must be enriched occasionally by fresh supplies of the incrre- dieuts extracted. So it is in arboriculture ; for while ft is true that the leaves and rotten wood do much to supply nourishment for the forest growth, yet it is equally true, that they are not equivalent to the special aliment con- sumed. If the whole forest were leveled at once, and allowed to rot where it fell, it would, probably, be an equivalent, and the soil would then be prepared to produce and sustain another crop of the same variety. But not so, if the forest has been cut down, and carried away. Do this, in any instance, and see if the next growth will be the same as that removed. Xot at all ; but a totally different variety. If the first was pine, the next will likely be oak, and vice versa. We have seen beautiful illustrations of this in several mstances. We will mention one. Some twenty years ago, a forest of white oak, of very heavy growth, was re- moved for the timber. Very soon after, the whole tract was covered with a thick growth of young white pme, while not a single young tree of the ''former growth could be seen ; and yet it was many miles from the pme region proper, and only a few scatterin^r trees were in the neighborhood. This effort of Nature to restore the eqiuhbrium furnishes the key to the apparent difiiculty. Ihe peach was a profitable crop, and planters were very loth to change it for anything else, and too avari- cious to return any portion of their profits to the soil that had produced them. The consequence was their orchards became diseased for the want of food, and literally died of starvation. And it is no wonder, no remedy has been dis- covered, because the nature of the disease was never INSECTS AND DISEASES. 135 known. What medicine does a famishing man want, but wholesome food ? But when a whole district is cultivated in peaches until the soil is exhausted, the tree famine be- comes general, and it also becomes almost impossible to supply the necessary food for all ; then nothing better can be done than to cease planting, and let the old and diseased die. It is only adding to, and perpetuating the calamity to bud from the diseased trees. The remedy is to plant no more trees than you can properly till. Do with them as with corn, and for the same reason, and you need not fear the Yellows. If you have good land, and the means of keeping it good, you can plant to the extent of such means. But stop at the limit of your means of fertilization. No good farmer will plant fifty acres of corn, when he has only the hands to till, or the means to fertilize, twenty-five; no more will the orchardist, peaches. The secret of success is to do no more of anything than you can do well. Planters, who have orchards already afflicted, we coun- sel to eradicate the trees at once, and plant no more near them. If a new orchard is to be planted, get healthy trees, and plant them on the other side of the farm — by no means near the old orchard. SYMPTOMS. The symptoms of the Y'elloif^s are principally two : 1. Premature Ripening is first in order of time. On their first appearance, a few peaches, and, it may be, very few, will ripen a few days before the proper time. Gen- erally, their color will be bright, and their appearance beautiful, without any symptom of disease that would strike the uninitiated ; but the experienced planter is not deceived. He notes the fatal sign as quickly as the skil- ful physician does the hectic blush on the pale cheek of the fair consumptive, and as soon divines its cause. 136 PEACH CULTURE. The more violent the attJick, the more early and numer- ous will be the prematures. If it is slight, only a few will be affected, and they will ripen but a few days before the proper time; but if the disease is violent, tlie whole crop may be injured, and the ripening take place weeks in advance of the season. In the former case, the tree may survive several years, sinking into a gradual decay, the fruit growing smaller, and ripen- ing earlier every successive season; while in the latter, the decline will be rapid, ending in death the first or second crop after the attack. 2. Abnormal Shoots.— The second and infallible symp- tom of Yellows is the striking out of unnatural shoots from the main branches, and sometimes from the stem of the tree. They are very slender, and often quite long. Usually, they issue from the upper side of the branch, and are often quite numerous. They have a sickly look, yet they are tough and elastic. The leaves are very small, slender, and pale. Premature ripening may be caused by accidental injury, or the borer; but these long, slender, sickly looking twigs are infallible symptoms of Yellows, and, from the moment of their appearance, the fate of the tree is sealed. REMEDIES. 1. Plant xo diseased seed or trees. — We have al- ready cautioned planters against planting seed that is not perfectly healthy. This advice cannot be too emphati- cally expressed. Neither should they plant trees unless they know that they have been propagated from good seed ; and also that the huds have been taken from thrifty, healthy trees. This i^ preventive^ and is better than cure. 2. Do not plant in foul ground. — We do not mean by this, rough ground. Peaches may, and will do well in any soil, no matter how rough it may be, provided it con- # INSECTS AND DISEASES. 137 tains the essential elements of tree food. But ground is foul — in the sense in whicli we use the term — when it is poisoned by unhealthy matter, such as injurious or de- structive mineral or vegetable substances, or undue pro- portions of ingredients, innocent enough when properly combined. Hence, exhausted lands should not be planted until they have been restored by proper tillage or fertiliza- tion. And especially should not old peach orchards be replanted until they have been cultivated for a period of years in other crops. Clover and lime are excellent re- storatives. Under the head of foul land may be included wet, springy, or miry land, which is altogether unsuited to the peach, but very conducive to disease. 3. Pull up the diseased trees. — When the Yellows has once been allowed to make much headway, the best remedy yet discovered is to pull up the trees by the roots, and haul them out of the orchard. And this should be done before flowering, as it is supposed by some the disease is spread by the carrying of the pollen from one tree to another while in blossom. 4. Lime and Manure. — If the symptoms are mild in character, and limited in extent, and the planter cannot consent to lose his trees entirely, let him lime and manure them vigorously. Stir the ground thoroughly around the trees, and plow the entire orchard, and keep it in a mellow state. Then, if the trees are full grown, apply from half a bushel to a bushel of lime to a tree. This should be sown uniformly over the surface as far as the roots extend, and not piled around the neck of the tree. If the land has already been well limed, enrich it with muck, manure or ground bones, always striving to add some neio ingre- dient to the soil. The ground should be rich and mellow. Additional vigor may also be given the tree by scraping the stem and lower branches with a blunt-edged instru- 138 PEACH CULTURE. ment, like a currying-knife, used by tanners in dressing their leather. This will remove all old, rough bark, and tend to loosen the principal coat, which is often of great advantage. A still further benefit will accrue by washino- the stem and main branches with a strong solution of whale-oil soap, or soap-suds, which are not only good fer- tilizers, but cleanse the tree, and drive away insects. An ordinary whitewash will also be beneficial. Follow this up with a little judicious pruning, and you have done all that seems at present practicable towards preservino;, if not curing, your aftected trees. In pruning, all weak and unhealthy, as well as all dead limbs, should be removed. Those left may also be shortened in the operation if you are not quite sure the supply of nourishment from the roots will be quite abundant to vigorously sustain the top. The object of all this treatment is to obtain and maintain a constant and healthy circulation of sap throughout the tree, and tlius give such strength and tone to its vital powers as shall be able to resist and repel disease. CHAPTER XXVII. SPECIAL CULTURE. ESPALIER. In the peach growing districts proper, nothing but field or garrDER. Veiy Early ; gathered at Dover, Delaware, and shipped to New York June 25, 1880 ; size below medium ; form oblong ; highly colored ; flesh greenish-white, presenting a somewhat unripe appearance near the stone ; pleasant VARIETIES. 165 but not rich taste. Tree a fine grower and great bearer. It was observed that the first picking was wormy. Ke- garded as a valuable acquisition. Early Louise. Very Early, closely following the Amsden- Alexander. Ripened, gathered, and marketed out of the same orchard the same season, July 6th. Fruit small, long, slender, and ill-shaped, with a green, unripe appearance at com- plete maturity. Flesh greenish- white, very sweet, ad- hering to the stone. Tree a good grower, and quite pro- ductive so far as tested. Early Rivers. The best of the Early peaches. Comes in immediately after and with the Louise, and a few days in advance of the Hale. Picked by Dr. Ridgely July 9, 1880. Medium to large ; round and handsome ; pure white, rarely with a faint blush when ripening in hot, dry weather. Stone small. Flesh rich, tender, sweet, of high flavor, but very slightly stringy. Flowers large. Tree a fine grower and fair bearer. The skin and flesh are so tender that it requires the most careful handling, and does not bear shipping well. Foster. Origin near Boston. Yellow freestone. Very large, round, and of good quality. Ripens with, or a little in advance of, the Early Crawford, and is regarded by some as superior to that peach. Lord Palmerston". Very large ; skin creamy white, with a pink cheek ; flesh firm, melting, juicy, and rich. Middle to end of August. Mouittai:n" Rose. Origin, Morris County, New Jersey. Large, roundish ; 166 PEACH CULTURE. skin whitish ; nearly covered with dark red ; flesh white, juicy, and good. Tree vigorous and productive. August. Piquet's Late. A Georgia freestone variety of great size. Yellow, with red cheek; flesh yellow, melting, sweet, and highly flavored. Season, last of September. PRii^^cEss OF Wales. Very large and beautiful ; creamy, with a rosy cheek ; rich, melting, excellent. Snow. A beautiful peach of medium size ; clear, creamy white throughout ; very desirable for preserving. Hardy and productive ; blossoms white and shoots greenish. August and September. Steadlt. A new freestone variety of western origin, not yet suf- ficiently tested to speak decisively. Hardy and produc- tive. Fruit large, round ; greenish color ; flesh white to the seed, and of good flavor. October. Waterloo. A seedling originating with Mr. Henry Lisk, of Water- loo, N. Y. The owner describes it thus : *' Size, me- dium to large. Form, round, with a deep suture on one side, from stem to apex ; stem in a deep cavity ; apex slightly depressed. Color, pale whitish green in shade ; marbled red, deepening into dark red or crimson, in the sun. Flesh, greenish- white, with abundance of sweet, vinous juice ; adheres to the stone." Season, first of July, or with the Amsden- Alexander. Many other new varieties might be added to this list ; but we do not believe that any good result will be attained by doing so. Amateurs who wish to experiment will find DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 167 an ample field by consulting the catalogues of the leading nurserymen of the country. In our next chapter we will speak more in detail of va- rieties for planting. CHAPTER XXX. DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. "We have already cautioned the young planter against the common error of planting too many varieties. We now propose to advise him in regard to those he should plant. Having given due weight to what we have said on soil, climate, and location, he will still further have re- gard to the markets, time of ripening, and number of trees he is to plant. If he is near a great city, it will generally be for his inter- est to get into market as early as practicable, and, there- fore, the early sorts will suit him best. But this may not always hold good ; for the same motive that influences him will likely impel many others, and thus the competi- tion may be so great, as to reduce the price below profit. When there is danger of this, a later variety may be preferable. These remarks apply with equal force to all late kinds, and for the same reason. If the grower has to send to a distant market, he should have some regard to that, and select the kinds that will bear carriage. If he is going to raise fruit fi:)r canning, then the season is not so much an object as the quality of the fruit, and its special adaptation to this purpose, and this will influ- ence his selection. Again, the planter should consider whether he will plant for a supply during the entire season, or only a part 168 PEACH CULTURE. of it. The peach season proper, on the Delaware Penin- sula, continues two months from the first of August. To supply this, it requires eight or ten varieties, at least, ri- pening consecutively ; and they must be carefully selected with this view, for, if tliey overlap or run into each other, that number will not be sufficient. But when there is a full crop, when all varieties are fruitful, the season often commences earlier, and runs clear through October, add- ing five or six weeks to its duration. Now, if the planter wishes to avail himself of this entire period, he will have to plant accordingly, commencing with the very eatliest, and closing with the very latest. And again, he may bo afraid to rely on a single variety in each progressive step of the course ; and, if so, he will plant double — that is, he Avill plant two varieties, ripening as nearly together as practicable, and thus guard against the failure of either to produce a crop, or to command an adequate price. This, of course, will largely increase his list. But the reflective planter may think that a few well chosen sorts will pay him better than many — some of which are not first-rate — and confine his selection to these. This will do very well if nobody leads or follows him. But suppose all come to the same conclusion, and act ac- cordingly ? It is easily seen tJie peach season would soon be reduced to a few days only, and then there would be such a glut, that transportation could not be found, even if pickers and buyers could. The folly of running away after a few special favorites has been seen in several in- stances. A few years ago, the rage was for very early fruit, because very early fruit had sold exceedingly high. Nurserymen were beset by anxious (mquirers after early trees. The old, favorite kinds, they could only sell in small quantities, if at all, and at reduced prices. To meet this urgent demand, they sought out and propagated the earliest varieties almost exclusively. The market was soon supplied with trees ; they were planted by hundreds DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 169 of thousands, and the anxious planters could hardly wait their coming-in, so eager were they to realize the large fortunes their fancies had promised them. The time soon flew by. The trees, whose growth had been watclied with almost maternal care, bore, and abundantly, large crops of beautiful and delicious fruit. Now their golden dreams of great and sudden fortune were to be realized. But, alas, " Disappointment lurlvs in many a prize, As bees in flowers, and stings us with success." It was soon found there was " too much of a good thing." The market was fully supplied, or overstocked with early peaches, and the inexorable laws of trade soon reduced the price to mere remuneration, or, at best, to a small profit. The consequence was, that early peaches were pronounced a cheat by many who had been most enthusiastic in their favor. Again, it was found that very late peaches brought high prices one or two seasons, and immediately a rush was made on them, but not so general or so intense as the former. Some had been enlightened, and learned to be prudent. Still later, during the season of 1869, it was discovered that some varieties, ripening just in the midst of it, brought the best prices, and forth- with the young trees of these varieties soon disappear, and the perplexed nurseryman stands aghast to see his large stock, both of early and late^ on his hands. All this proves that the planter should be cautious and prudent in his selections, and observant of the laws of trade, especially so far as supply and demand usually af- fect prices. One thing, however, he should not do.**' No hope of temporary profit should ever tempt him to plant an in- ferior sort if a really more valuable one can be substituted. Were we going to plant an orchard, and restricted to six varieties, we would select three white and three yellow sorts, and these should form our list : 170 PEACH CULTURE. White. Yellow. Amsden, Crawford's Early, Old Mixon Free, Reeve's Favorite, Stump the World. Crawford's Late. And if we enlarged it to twelve, they should be these : White. Yellow. Amsden, Crawford's Early, Early York, Yellow Rareripe, Moore's Favorite, Reeve's Favorite, Old Mixon Free, Crawford's Late. Red Rareripe, Smock. Stump the World, Ward's Late. Beyond this we should not seek to go ; but if compelled to increase our list to twenty varieties, they would run thus: White. Yellow. AiDsden, Crawford's Ear^', Troth's Early, Reeve's Favorite. Early York, Yellow Rareripe, Grosse Mignonne, Crawford's Late, Large Early York, Susquehanna, Moore's Favorite, Red Cheek, Old Mixon, Sal way. Red Rareripe, Noblesse, Stump tlie World, Morris' White, Druid Hill, Ward's Late. Some of these we can recommend from observation and experience, as well as from the almost universal testimony of planters in all parts of the country. So far as our per- sonal knowledge goes, it must be remembered that it is confined principally to the Peninsula, where the peach reaches its highest perfection, both in size and flavor ; and some of those that do well here, may not do so well else- where, and vice versa. We would further remark, in passing, that in the varieties we have named, there is the m M DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 171 greatest difference in merit. The order in whicti they are named does not indicate, in any degree, our opinion of their relative worth, but rather the order of their coming in. We give a more or less brief description of the vari- eties named, adding a few others. WHITE PEACHES. Troth's Early. We have placed this variety in our largest planting list, but we cannot really recommend it at all in respect of its quality, for this we consider very inferior. It is neither rich nor paUitable ; neither is its size such as to make it showy and attractive. But it has several good traits, in a marketable point of view, which have enabled it, for many years, to maintain itself as a leading variety. The most prominent of these was its early maturity. Before the introduction of Hale's Early ^ it was the first in market. This alone w^as sufficient to commend it to planters, for some people will buy the first fruit that makes its appearance, of whatever quality, and at what- ever price. Besides being early, it has a handsome bright red ch^eh^ and this was greatly in its favor. Add to these, wonderful productiveness and good carrying qualities, and it is not strange that it held its place so long. But it lacked two essential merits — size and flavor — and as 172 PEACH CULTURE. soon as an earlier one was discovered, it was vanquished, and almost driven from the field. In 1869, it scarcely paid the expenses of picking and shipping, and now may be regarded as abandoned on the Peninsula, Where an earlier variety does not succeed, it may be planted mod- erately, in order to supply an early market, provided, al- Avays, that there is no other of better quality, and equally early, within r^ch. Tree a moderate grower, with firm, compact wood, and a fan-shaped head; branches numerous, and rather slender; very productive. Flowers small. Xe^^^es glandular. Fruit small round, or nearly so, red ; flesh white, slightly red at the stone ; quality poor. Season, 1st of August. F. Early York. Earl}' Pui-ple, Serrate Early York. Pouri)reo Ilativc, An old and well-known variety. Size medium ; form roundish oval ; suture slight. Skin thin ; color pale or white in the shade, but richly mantled with red in the sun. Flesh white, with reddish tinge at the stone, rich, juicy, melting, vinous, and sprightly excellent ; ripens about the 10th of August. 7ree a moderate grower, but of firm, close-grained wood ; round head ; very Httle sub- ject to disease. Flowers large. Leaves serrate, without glands. A justly poi)ular variety. F. Grosse Mignonne. Royal Kensinuton, Vineuse de Fromeutin, Grimwood's Royal George, Mi^nonue, New Royal George, Veloutee de Merlet, Large French Mignoune, Vineuse, French Mignonne, Pourpree de Normandie, Swiss Mignonne, Belle Beaute, Purple Avant, Belle Bansse, Early Purple Avant, La Royal, Early May, Pourpree Hative, Early Vineyard, Ronald's Seedling Galande, Neil's Early Purple, Royal Sovereign, Johnson's Early Purple, Superb Royal. 8 DESCRIPTIYE CATALOGUE. 173 This has been a favorite variety in both France and England for more than a century, and has elicited the highest praise from these quarters. It has also been very popular in some parts of our own country, but is not now extensively cultivated on the Peninsula ; but whether this is owing to a want of adaptation to our soil or climate, to the superiority of other sorts of its season, or to the lack of friends to disseminate it, we will not say. Its undoubt- ed popularity in some localities, and for a long time, is fully attested, not only by the cumulative testimony of many witnesses, but by an unusually long list of syno- nyms. Of these there are more than twenty. In New England, it is a favorite for cultivation under glass, and in Georgia, in the orchard. Tree medium, or large, hardy, and a regular bearer. Fruit large, roundish, somewhat depressed, with hollow at the top ; skin, pale, greenish-yellow, mottled with red, with a red cheek, sometimes taking a purple tinge. JBlesh yellowish-white, red at the stone, melting, juicy, rich, and vinous. Stone small and rough. Flowers large. Season^ August 10th to 15th. Labge Early York. Early Rareripe, Livingston's Rareripe, Haines' Early Red, New York Rareripe, Honest John, Walter's Early. This is a very popular peach wherever known, and its popularity is well deserved. It comes in immediately after the Troth, and by many is regarded as the very best of its season. Tree large, vigorous, and healthy. Leaves large, with globose glands, sometimes obscure. Flower's small. Fruit above medium, round, divided into unequal halves by a well defined suture ; skin pale, yellowish-white, deli- cately dotted with bright red, deepening and thickening into a fine blush on the side next the sun. Flesh pale 174 PEACH CULTURE. white, reddening towards the stone, melting, juicy, rich, luscious. Season^ middle of August. Moore's Favorite. This is, in all respects, one of the very best peaches in the whole catalogue ; and for the health, vigor, hardhiess, and productiveness of the tree, as well as for the size, beauty, and richness of the fruit, we know none that ex- cels it. It is, by many, supposed to be identical with the Old Mixon Free ; and, indeed, it differs very little from that old, superb, and far-famed peach ; and the differences are so slight, as only to be detected by a connoisseur, and not certainly in any case except by comparison of the fruit. The trees, in their growth, appearance, and habit, are precisely alike, and the fruit, in size and quality, also. The only distinctive features that the planters most fa- miliar with both varieties have been able to detect, are two. Moore's Favorite, on the same soil, in the same orchard, ripens tvo or three days be/ore Old Mixon, and the fruit, although of the same size, shape, and color, has a more delicate^ transparent, and wax-like skin, heighten- ing its beauty, and increasing its attractions. Its striking resemblance to the Old Mixon, leads us to believe that it is either a seedling of that excellent peach, or an acci- dental variation in its propagation. It is a native of Delaware, and originated with Mr. J. y. Moore, of Odessa, whose name it bears. Tree hardy, vigorous, fruitful, and a tolerable grower ; wood close-grained, and elastic. Leaves globose-glandu- lar. Flowers ^wvSW. Fruit large, roundish, slightly oval; suture obscure, except at the apex ; color white, mingled with pale green, changing into a beautiful clear red as it becomes fully exposed to the sun ; skin waxy, and almost transparent. Flesh white, red at the stone, rich, excel- lent ; Season, August 12th. F. DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 175 Old Mixon Free. Old Mixon Freestone, Old Mixon Clearstone. This superb old peach is the delight of all planters worthy of the name. It is witliout fault, and blameless. Not to admire it when gracefully supporting its enormous burden of large, choice, rich, beautiful, melting and lus- cious fruit in a bright, hot day in August, would be to acknowledge one's self insensible to the charms of nature and of grace. No Christian could be so callous. The tree is much inclined to spread into numerous long, slender, tough, graceftd l)ranches, thus giving it a some- what elm-shape ; and these branches hardly ever break, it matters not what weight they bear. They are so tough, so slender, and so weU proportioned, that they will bend like a bow under their rich load of precious fruit, until the lower ones rest upon the ground, and thus form sup- portino- columns for those above them, when they present a most" charming sight— a spectacle worthy the admiration of a prince. We never get tired looking at one of these noble old trees when thus clothed in its native grace and dignity ; it supports the weight of many hundred fine, ripe, red-cheeked peaches, which seem to hide their beau- tiful blushes in a sheen of waving green. And in driving throu