Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-08-14
Concerning Peach Orchards.

There is great com pla ,nss made in Delaware
and New jersey and in certain PARTS Of
MARYLAND, especially In those dtstricts where
the peach was ~ one time largely and prof.
taely cultivated, that the peach trees are dying
out The prevailing disease IL the yellows,
be known. Winoat venturins 70 speak
authorItatively on the subject, we are inclined
to believe that the many failures Of peasn or.
Gu ltiyation rather than from any other canse.
We know there are some descriptions OF soil
on which the peach cannot be grown to adj
vantage. Hut on the soils that are usuaiiy
well slapped to their srow,h-,he sandy and
light loamy and gravelly soils-they ought 10
flourish now qaite Is we'll as they 0id years
ago. Two canses have co.operased in injuriug
the permaneBce OF our peach orchards-the
first being the common custom Of planting only
grated trees, and the other the rapid impov-
erishment Of the soil where peach orchards
ion, partakee largely Of the nature Of the par
ent stock, and il that is diseased the graft
VIII also be sickly likewise. There are few
orchards known to us which are entirely Of
see ding frait, and altneuGn it REQUIRES more
pains when the trees are in the nursery TO
discriminate between those that will bear
large, PUPPY fruit, and those that produce
nothing better than the conmonest kind. yet a
careful study of the leaf Of the tree will indi.
cate whether the fruit which the tree will
pear Will be excellent or worthless. II the
seeds OF choice fiuit have been planted, tue
chances are that trees bearing similarly
choice fruit will be the result IL has been 80
win us IN majority Of instance s, and we see
no reasons why 1t should not be 50 with
Others. Seeding trees are invariably longer
lived than grated trees, and are subject TO
fewer diseases. But no peach orchard Will be
tended 10. The trees must be regularly EXAM
ined twice year tor worms at the base OF the
tee. and the worms cut out from the bark, or
they will girdle il and the tree will die. The
orchards must be ploughed regularly every
spring. and no clover or grass suffered 10 grow
up among the trees or they will be seriously
injured thereby, and the fruit will ripen
badly. Hoed crops, well MANFRED, may be
planted in young peach orchard not only
without danger, but to the manifest ad vantage
Of the trees; but these hoed crops should be
restricted to turnips, beets and potatoes. Corn
grows too close. covers the ground too much,
and robs the soil Of so large portion Of the
potash, hat It's cultivation in peach orchard
should be avoided. Nevertheless every
peach orchard should be broken mp with the
plough each spring, and if not cultivated in
light noeS crops should be left fallow. But
herein lies the cause OF the rapid deterioration
OF the soil that is best adapted to the growth Of
the peach in our climate. All such soils are of
light texture. aud the constant exposure year
after year of the raw earth to the hot suns
and heavy rains is certain to exhaust it Of
those subs stances that constitute the chief
nufriment OF the peach trees. In sells con-
tanning potash and the phosphates the psach
ihrives. But potash and the phoephates are
readily exhausted by hot suns and teaching
rains, and as they fail the peach languishes
An ann ual broadcastine of bone dust and wood
ashes would be found # immense service In
supplying the annual loss, and would render
the same land capable of bearing peaches tor
many years. An instance in illustration OF
this fact Is " thin our own knowledge and may
be cited here. A peach orchard twelve years
old came in possession ofa new proprietor. The
orchard showed signs Of failing, and he was
warned by the neighbors that he had better
commence planting new orchard, as the old
one would not live more than year or two
longer. He thought the matter over, and
finally concluded he would Try an experiment
he caused the q onnd to be broken up deeply
In the fall. and Just before winter set in he
removed the earth for q foot In depth around
the root Of! each tree, and in tbs basin so
formed deposited peck of leached ashes In
the spring he caused the holes to be filled up
The ground near 10 the hills that had been LETT
unbroken by the plough was we'll loosened
mattock, and after narrowing the winter fall
narrowed, and planted IN well anpred drills
Wild potatoes and sugar beets. The change
IN tue trees was remarkable. That summer
they bore heavily. The following spring
the same orchard was heavily top dressed
with wood ashes, pioughed and left to lie fall
low. Nothing more was done for several years
exceptt 10 plough the land annually and take OF |
an occasionally crop OF beets or turnfps or
potatoes. But there were no longer al y signs
OF decadence. The peach trees seemed to nave |
taken new lease Of life, and although ia the |
course OF me next ten years some thirty or |
ferty OF them that had suffered most died ont |
the remainder Of the four hundred of which |
the orchard was composed continued in vigor- |
Gus health and bore annually heavy crops
AT the end of that time d change of proprietors |
took place-the orchard fell into neglect and
five years later there was scarcely hundred |
trees aliye.-AdryIasd Farmer.