Eating Peaches In Our Orchards
Makes Them Come Up So Thick From The Kernel, That We Are Forced
To Take A Great Deal Of Care To Weed Them Out; Otherwise They Make Our Land
A Wilderness Of Peach-Trees.
They generally bear so full,
that they break great part of their Limbs down.
We have likewise
very fair Nectarines, especially the red, that clings to the Stone,
the other yellow Fruit, that leaves the Stone; of the last,
I have a Tree, that, most Years, brings me fifteen or twenty Bushels.
I see no Foreign Fruit like this, for thriving in all sorts of Land,
and bearing its Fruit to Admiration. I want to be satisfy'd about
one sort of this Fruit, which the Indians claim as their own, and affirm,
they had it growing amongst them, before any Europeans came to America.
The Fruit I will describe, as exactly as I can. The Tree grows very large,
most commonly as big as a handsome Apple-tree; the Flowers are of a reddish,
murrey Colour; the Fruit is rather more downy, than the yellow Peach,
and commonly very large and soft, being very full of Juice.
They part freely from the Stone, and the Stone is much thicker
than all the other Peach Stones we have, which seems to me,
that it is a Spontaneous Fruit of America; yet in those Parts of America
that we inhabit, I never could hear that any Peach-Trees were ever found
growing in the Woods; neither have the foreign Indians, that live remote
from the English, any other sort. And those living amongst us
have a hundred of this sort for one other; they are a hardy Fruit,
and are seldom damaged by the North-East Blasts, as others are.
Of this sort we make Vinegar; wherefore we call them Vinegar-Peaches,
and sometimes Indian-Peaches.
{Apricock.}
This Tree grows to a vast Bigness, exceeding most Apple-Trees.
They bear well, tho' sometimes an early Spring comes on in February,
and perhaps, when the Tree is fully blown the Cloudy North-East-Winds
which attend the end of, that Month, or the beginning of March,
destroy most of the Fruit. The biggest Apricock-Tree I ever saw,
as they told me, was grafted on a Peach-Stock, in the Ground.
I know of no other sort with us, than the Common. We generally
raise this Fruit from the Stone, which never fails to bring the same Fruit.
Likewise our Peach-Stones effect the same, without so much as once missing,
to produce the same sort that the Stone came from.
{Plum.}
Damson, Damazeen, and a large round black Plum are all I have met withal
in Carolina. They thrive well enough; the last to Admiration,
and becomes a very large Tree, if in stiff Ground; otherwise they will not
do well.
{Figs.}
Of Figs we have two sorts; One is the low Bush-Fig, which bears a large Fruit.
If the Winter happens to have much Frost, the tops thereof die,
and in the Spring sprout again, and bear two or three good Crops.
The Tree-Fig is a lesser Fig, though very sweet. The Tree grows
to a large Body and Shade, and generally brings a good Burden;
especially, if in light Land. This Tree thrives no where better,
than on the Sand-Banks by the Sea.
{Cherries.}
We have the common red and black Cherry, which bear well.
I never saw any grafted in this Country, the common excepted,
which was grafted on an Indian Plum-stock, and bore well.
This is a good way, because our common Cherry-Trees are very apt
to put Scions all round the Tree, for a great Distance, which must needs be
prejudicial to the Tree and Fruit. Not only our Cherries are apt to do so,
but our Apples and most other Fruit-Trees, which may chiefly be imputed
to the Negligence and Unskilfulness of the Gardener. Our Cherries are ripe
a Month sooner than in Virginia.
{Goosberry.}
Goosberries I have seen of the smaller sort, but find they do not do so well
as in England, and to the Northward. Want of Dressing may be
some Reason for this.
{Currants.}
Currants, White, Red, and Black, thrive here, as well as any where.
{Rasps.}
Rasberries, the red and white, I never saw any Trial made of.
But there is no doubt of their thriving to Admiration,
since those of the Country do so well.
{Mulberry.}
The Mulberries are spontaneous. We have no others, than what I have
already mentioned in the Class of Natural Fruits of Carolina.
{Barberry.}
Barberry red, with Stones, and without Stones, grow here.
{Strawberry.}
Strawberries, not Foreign, but those of the Country, grow here
in great Plenty. Last April I planted a Bed of two hundred Foot in Length,
which bore the same Year.
{Medlar.}
Medlars we have none.
{Walnut.}
All sorts of Walnuts from England, France, and Maderas,
thrive well from the Nut.
{Filbert.}
No Filberts, but Hazle-Nuts; the Filbert-Nut planted,
becomes a good Hazle-Nut, and no better.
{Vines.}
As for that noble Vegetable the Vine, without doubt, it may
(in this Country) be improved, and brought to the same Perfection,
as it is, at this Day, in the same Latitude in Europe,
since the chiefest part of this Country is a deep, rich, black Mould,
which is up towards the Freshes and Heads of our Rivers,
being very rich and mix'd with Flint, Pebbles, and other Stones.
And this sort of Soil is approv'd of (by all knowing Gardeners and Vigneroons)
as a proper Earth, in which the Grape chiefly delights; and what seems
to give a farther Confirmation hereof, is, that the largest Vines,
that were ever discover'd to grow wild, are found in those Parts,
oftentimes in such Plenty, and are so interwoven with one another,
that 'tis impossible to pass through them. Moreover, in these Freshes,
towards the Hills, the Vines are above five times bigger than those
generally with us, who are seated in the Front-parts of this Country,
adjoining to the Salts.
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