The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1850-05-13

PEACH TREES. The Horticulturist for April
has the following recipe for supplying peach trees
with the nourishment they require given by an sold
Digger: %
81 have found by repeated trials that wood ashes
is the very substance (along with sufficient manure
In the soil, mInd,) to maintain healthy substantial
and productive habit in peach tree
''Don't be so foolish, (as many persons are when
they going to give extraordinary relish of new
tangled manure to plant) don't be so foolish as to
content yourself with sprinkng four or five handfuIs
of ashes around peach tree and expect its leaves to
turn color with a lease of new life. Take half a
peck of eached ashes to young tree, or half bush
ell to full grown tree-in that proportion at least
put not dust of it around the trunk Chat is, so far
as benehting the roots go,) but make a calculation
with your eye of how far the roots of the tree spread
1t may be two fee, 1t may be six feet every way
from the trunk. Then Having satisfied yourseifabo1
where the greater parts othe young bres are spread
the ashes on the surface Of the ground, over Them
and turn under about three inches with the three
pronged spud, or a light spade. If such treatment
as this don't give you healthy trees then your stock
is radically diseased, and only worth place on the
wood pile.
''That little enemy, the peacl worm, will very
likely have established himself in your trees; he Is
already there to dead certainty if you are not wide
awake to his sappIng and mining habits. IT, there
fore, you have not been your trees last "a and
and got upper hand Of him for the next six months
altogether the best way of doing business with this
gentleman is to lynch him ON the spot, by ferrettng
him out of his hole in the neck of the tree lust be-
low the surface of the ground You can do this good
turn for peach tree in five minutes by lifting the
soil around 1t two three inches deep, laying bare
the stem just between wind and water, as the old
sailors say fall looks clean and smooth there very
well; replace the soil again. If, on the other hand
you see gum, then look out for the enemy Scratch
moment with your knife where the gum oozes out,
and you will get on his trail; cut into the bark till
you lind HMM the shape of white grub three
quarters OF AN inch ong-and when found, make no
note oiit, but settle his accounts as rapidly as YOU
can.
This grub comes from an egg laid in the bark in
summer, by the winged insect Unless the creature
Is wonderfully abundant, it contents itself with look
ing about for the tender bark at the surace Of the
ground. On this account it is good plan TO outwit
the rascal by heaping up little cone or pile of wood
ashes, tan or sand say six inches high, around the
trunk The sole object Of this is to guard the soft
place IN the bark at the neck of the tree On tb;s
account you must clear away the pile every fall 40
as to let the bark harden again. ifyou do not hu,
keep 1t there winter and summer, YOU will find thai
1t does no more good than Blowing against the wind
for the very plain reason that the bark becomes
tender at the top the pile instead of the surface Of
the ground, as before.'