The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-11-06


and their presence may be easily detect
ed by thick gum exuding from the
color of the tree, at or near the surface
of the ground, and they should always be
promptly removed by the knife. There
is no region of the world where the
peach can be more easily and successful
~ grown than in South Carolina. Com
pare the growth Of the tree, the elongevity
of it and the superior size and flavor of
fruit to that grown in the best portions of
the Middle States, and all the advantages
are in favor of those grown in this State.
No fruit is grown so extensively as the
grape, which is native of all temperate
aud tropical climates, and has been
highly appreciated ever since Noah
planted vineyard. Wine WAS one of
the promised blessings of Canaan, both
for its fruit and the wine made therefrom.
One great mistake has been in attempt
ing to cultivate European varieties or
seedlings from them, instead of improv-
ing our native varieties both by planting
seed and hybridizing; fiom which such
sorts as the Delaware, the Concord, the
Hartford Prolific and the Palmetto
Chester have been produced, and should
be in every garden. But the most valua-
BILE grape for US to grow is the Scupper-
nong, and its varieties, such as the Thom-
as and the Flowers, which in any deep,
porous soil, even in our poorest sand
hills, produce enormous crops of good
fruit. One vine of the Flowers grape,
not more than from 20 to 80 years old, in
Bladen County, N. c., produced one
year over 300 gallons of wine.
We believe that Nature HAS not been
more lavish of her gifts to any other por-
tion of the world than she has been to
the Southern States. All the cereals and
all the fruits grown in the Middle and
Northern States are grown easily and sue
cessfully in the South, except the cherry
aud some of the small fruits, and even
these do we'll in our mountains, and many
of the most valuable tropical fruits are
successfully grown in our seacoast re-
gion. But we do not properly appreci.
ate and improve our advantages. Fruits
produced and shipped North are sold for
large profits, long before the great mass
of our farmers have them for their own
consumption, and those which they do
have are ordinarily of the most inferior
kinds, produced from seedlings scattered
about in the cotton or corn fields, or in
the fence jams. The very ease, cheap
ness and abundance with which the best
fruits might be grown are leading causes
why we do not do it. Of late years more
attention is paid to planting grated
and budded trees, but too many of them
are purchased from travelling tree ped
oilers. But it is too often the case they
are planted out in rudest manner, and
then, Just as soon rs they will bear it,
their limbs are cut off so high that the
tallest horse or mule on the farm may
pass under them without touching the
lower branches. The next thing is to
see that there shall not be stalk of
corn or cotton less grown on the land
because trees have been planted out on
it. Then the crops are to be ploughed
exclusively for their benefit, and regard
less of the roots Of the trees, and finally
the stock of the farm are turned into
the fields, so they may have the run of
them and of the trees during the fall and
winter; and then the poor farmer will
tell you that our climate and soil do not
suit fruit growing. In my section of tie
State there was more attention paid to
raising apples and peaches fifty years ago
than there is now. They then planted
entirely Seeding trees, and she great mer-'
it of their fruit was that it pretty much
all ripened at the same time, that is just
after their crops were laid by, when they
had happy time generally. We still
have too many of their seedlings, without
the good times-all owing tc the fact
that The energies and intellects Of our peo-
pie are devoted to the production Of too
much cotton, corn and small grain
With the same energy and skill applied
that was in former years devoted to the
cultivation of indigo, rice and long
cotton, l believe the South would surpass
in fruit growing any other portion of the
world