Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1858-03-25

Dy repeated trials that 7cOOd-0SheS is tho
very substance (along with sufficient ma
nure in the soil, mind, to maintain a heal
thy, substantial, and productive habit in q
peach tree. :e--i.5E
| Don't be so foolish, tas many persons are,
when they arc going to give an .cxtraord:-
nary relish of a new-fangled manure to a
jplant,) don't be so foolish as to content
yourself with sprinkling four OF FIVE hand
fuls of ashes around peach tree and xpect
| its leaves to turn color with lease of new
life. Take half peck Of leacAe7 ashes to
a young tree, or half bushel to full
grown tree-in that proportion at least; put
not dust Of it around the trunk Chat is,
SO far as bene6ting the roots 60, but make
a calculation with your eye of how far the
roots of the tree spread it may be two feet.
it may be six feetevery way from the trunk.
Then, having satisfied yourself about where
the greater part of the young .1ibres are,
spread the ashes on the surface of tho
ground over them, and turn it under about
three inches with the three pronged spud,
or light spade. If such treatment as this
don't give You healthy trees, then your
stock is radically diseased, and only worth
IA place on the wood-pile.
That little enemy the peach worm, will
very likely have established himself in your
trees !; he is already there to dead certain
ty if you are not wide awake to his sapping
and mining habits. If, therefore, you have
not been over your trees last fall, and got
the upper hand of him for the next six
months. altogether the way of doing bust
ness with this gentleman is to Lynch him
on the spot by ferreting him out of his
hole, in the neck of the tree, just below the
surface of the ground You can do this
good turn for peach tree in FIVE minutes,
by lifting the soil around it two or three in
ches deep, laying bare the stem just be-
tween wind and water, as the old sailors
say. If'all looks clean and smooth there,
very well; if.on the other hand, you see
gum, then look out for the enemy. Scratch
a moment with your knife where the gum
oozes out, and you will get on his trail cut
into the bark till you find HMM the shape
Of white grub, three-quarters Of an inch
long-and when found, ..make no note Of
it" but settle his account as rapidly as you
can. ~. -..-... ~, ,....s---.
This grub comes from an egg laid in tho
bark, in summer, by the winged insect.
Unless the creature is wonderfully abun-
dant. it contents itself with looking about
for the tender bark at the surface 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 this
account you must clean away the pile every
fall, SO as to let the bark harden again. If
you do not, but keep it there winter and
summer, you Will find that it does no more
good than blowing against the wind-for
the very plain reason that the bark becomes
tender at the top of the pile, instead of tho
surface of the ground, as before. -.s
Some years ago good deal was said In
favor of pouring boiling water about the
neck* of the peach trees. It was said to
kill the worms and do no harm to the tree.
[ am an advocate for this practice. I do
not consider it, by any means, so thorough
a means for Kidding the tree of worms as
"war to the knife is, but still, it will in
most cases do the job for them most effectu-
ally; and many a tree that stands near the
kitchen door may be protected in this way
by her who holds the kettle for weapon,
as we'll as by the regular army" Of practi-
cal gardeners. 80 y,
Besides this. have satisfied myself, by
Though am sorry I have not
yet had time to get up the Meory) that a
dose Of hot water is means of bringing-to
many a peach tree just about giving up the
ghost. It seems to rouse the vital powers;
and if there is life enough left, a good scald-
ing at the neck seems to produce reaction
that is at times quite wonderful.
Three yeas ago had two trees, a peach
and favorite apricot, that had been failing
for couple of seasons--often Thought be-
fore that very serviceable trees They had
been rather badly treated by the worm, to
be sure, but that had been attended to in
time, and the roots appeared to be in very
fair condition. Still, the trees dwindled,
looked sickly, and bore little or no fruit
As desperate remedy, I resolved on trial
of hot water. I removed the soil directly
round the neck of the tree, making basin
three inches deep and twenty inches across.
Into this I poured twelve gallons of boiling
water. -,-' S'-
Tony great satisfaction the trees, instead
Of dying. Immediately pushed out vigorous
shoots. took healthy appearance, and
mace fine growth Of wood, and have since
borne two crops of delicious fruit. expe-
rimented last year again with equal success.
and now am ready, like old Dr.. Sangrado,
10 prescribe hot scater In all desperate cases.
Tenn. Farmsr. -..
u meau BY the NECK the bottom or the trunk.
just atthe surface Of the ground, ~dere the root.
start out.