The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-09-13

of May hill the dirt up to the peach trees
and destroy any egeria that may be near
the roots. In November 60 over this
again and scrape this dirt away well,
leaving the collar of the trees entirely
exposed and destroy all egeria. Never
SOW small grain of any kind in an orch
ard. Keep hogs in it after fruit ripens
they eat the wormy fruit and thereby
stop the reproduction of the curculia, so
destructive to stone fruits. 1t is often
well to SOW broadcast cow peas at the
first plowing in May, to be turned under
at the second blowing in July.
PRUNING.
Prune whenever your trees need it,
and you have sharp knife. Don't allow
an excessive and ugly growth to continue
80 long as to require hatchet or saw:
Start your trees right, make them head
low to the ground, trim them so rs to
assume well-balanced head and a pyra-
midal form, and they will not grow one
sided, bend over or require stake
Make the branches shade the body ofthe
tree 80 as not to allow the stem to be ex-
posed to the sun, nor allow any one limb
to outgrow the others. Avoid having a
double leader and distinct fork or crotch
in the tree.
GATHERING AND SHIPPING.
Gather early in the morning whilst
the fruit is cool. Never gather it for
market when it is wet. Pick the fruit
from the tree carefully with the hand I;
do not bruise it by throwing it into the
baskets nor by pressing the thumb nail
into it. Pack in boxes holding one-third
to one-half of bushel, remembering
that 2,156 cubic inches make bushel ;
you can easily regulate the size. The
neatest and best boxes for shipping are
twenty-five inches long and have octago-
nal ends, with corresponding middle
piece,) the axes of which are 9x5} inches.
The most successful shippers in Georgia
pack in live moss or cotton, the fruit
touching literally. These boxes bring
from So to 81 in New York, according to
the quality of the fruit and its condition
upon arrival. 1t costs from any point
on the Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta
Railroad three cents per pound (express)
to deliver peaches in New York. A
bushel crate filled with peaches weighs
fifty pounds. The secret of packing is to
pack as tightly as possible so as to leave
no room for jostling. To succeed in SELL
ing send to an honest dealer, in good
condition; make small, neat, light and
strong crates. The crates will cost from
eight to twelve cents, according to size
and care in making them. I use three
quarters thick and six inches wide plank
for ends and middle piece and sawed
plastering Iaths for all the side. I have
shipped with satisfaction to J. R. Hell
frich, New York; Burbage & Co., Phila-
delphia; w. G. cambridge & Co., Rich
mond, and W. M. Hale, Charleston.
SURPLUS FRUIT.
A serious question to solve and too ex-
tensive to discuss in this paper is the
utilization of our surplus fruits, domestic
and wild. The appearance now is that
the process of evaporating fruit by pat
ented evaporators as practiced extensive
ly and successfully in New Jersey and
Delaware will prove most economical
and remunerative. The great enemies
to fruit trees are COWS, sheep and goats ;
keep them out of the orchard at all times
and seasons. When you plantan orchard
instill at the same time in your heart
some fondness for its beauty and growth,
and hope for its success. As no one can
manage children without first loving
them, so no one is apt to succeed in
horticulture or Horticulture without a
fondness for it. "Even heart full of
love sometimes has to make room for a
great deal of sorrow over blunders and
failures"