The puberty, or fruit-bearing age of fruit trees, varies according to variety, climate and cultivation. Peach trees very often bear some fruit the second year from the seed, provided they are well cultivated and well cared for in all respects, and on the third year a good crop may be expected. Apple trees will begin to bear fruit nearly as soon in this climate as the peach. There will not be more than one or two years difference, (I mean grafted or budded apple trees.) The apple, however, is much longer than the peach in developing its fruit-bearing powers fully, and, unlike the peach, it does not bear its fruit generally on the wood of the previous year's growth, but on spurs coming out from the limbs, of two or three years growth or more. Some varieties, however, bear some fruit on the wood of the previous year, generally from the terminal buds of the young limbs.

The apricot is about one year longer than the peach in coming into bearing, and bears its fruit on the young wood of the previous year, and also on spurs coming out from the older wood. I have no doubt but the apricot will succeed well in our climate with proper management. I am aware that the common opinion about Mobile is, that it will not succeed. I do not think, however, that this common opinion has been founded on the results of full and proper experiments. The apricot is a fine and very early fruit, and I shall very reluctantly quit trying to produce it. The tree blossoms very early indeed, in the spring, and on this account is quite liable to lose its fruit from the effects of frost. Some plan, I think, can be adopted, by which its blooming time may be retarded somewhat. The trees, if possible, should be planted on the north sides of buildings or fences - where this cannot be done, a thick covering of straw or something of the kind over the roots of the tree would, I think, keep the ground cool, and retard vegetation.

The proper soil for the apricot is a rich loam, and where this cannot be obtained naturally, it should be supplied artificially. This can easily be done by preparing a proper compost, and putting it in place of the natural soil. I know of no fruit tree that equals the apricot in rapid, handsome growth; indeed, it is so rampant that the most of the surface

The apricot thriven well on peach stolen but our common or Chickasaw plum, is deci dedly the best stock for it. I have about twenty young seedling apricots, from which I expect to derive a good deal of pleasure; some are from seed grown on my own trees, and I hope from these seedlings to obtain varieties that will do as well as I could wish.

In speaking of the apricot, I have said much more than I should have done if it was a tree in common cultivation, as the peach, etc. I do not pretend to know much about the cultivation of it, but have been trying, and shall continue to try, until I do know something about it. I fully believe that apricots may be raised here in great perfection, and I hope that many will give a full and fair trial, who have never yet done so.

The pear tree, unaided by art, is the most tardy of any of our fruit trees, in arriving at a fruit-bearing state. At the north, when grown from seed, from 6even to twelve years is generally allowed for trees to commence bearing fruit; from grafts or buds, from five to seven years would be about the proper time. Some varieties will bear much earlier than others. I have some small trees which I think were two years old when I received them from the north, and this is their third year's growth with me, and several of them fruited this season. The above refers to pears on pear stocks. On quince stocks they may be safely expected to begin to fruit the second or third year from the graft or bud; their fruit-bearing capacity annually increasing for quite a number of years. Pears bear their fruit very much like the apple, on spurs or blossom-buds coming out from the old wood; the Duchess d'Angouleme, and a few other kinds, bear fruit on spurs, and also on the wood of the previous year's growth. I have had as many as fifteen fine Duchess d'Angouleme pears, on one limb of the previous year's growth, the tree on a quince stock.

The fine kinds of cherries will begin to fruit in from three to five years from the bud or grafts. In our climate, from three to four years may be properly set down as the time or age, when most varieties of the Duke, Bigarreau, and Heart cherries, will come into bearing. The above named kinds of cherries bear their fruit exclusively on spurs coming out from the old wood.

All fruit trees, provided they are well attended to, will come into a fruit-bearing state fully, from one to three years sooner here, in our warm climate, than they will in any of the northern states.

Pruning Fruit-Trees - There are but few kinds of fruit trees that require much pruning, farther than to keep the heads of the trees in proper shape. Peach trees should be shortened-in every winter. This consists in taking off from one-third to one-half of the current year's growth of the surface limbs, as well as all such of the inside limbs as need to be shortened.

This shortening-in, or surface pruning, very greatly promotes the vigor and productiveness of the peach tree, supplying it annually, with plenty of young fruit-bearing wood in the interior of the head, which never can be the case when trees are permitted to grow in their own way. All dead and decaying branches, should be carefully taken away from the heads of all fruit trees. In all cutting or pruning operations, great care should be taken to cut the limb immediately above a bud, and in cutting peach trees, the cut should always be made just above a leaf bud; if made above a fruit bud, the limb cannot elongate from the fruit bud, and is compelled to die down to a leaf bud, which often happens to be a foot or two. Where there are three buds together, the middle one is a leaf bud, with but few exceptions; and where the fruit buds are single, they can readily be recognised by their plump, whitish appearance, while the leaf buds are slim and pointed.

I scarcely ever attempt to prune any of my fruit trees, except my peach trees, unless it be to give the head a shape to suit me; and this shaping of heads ought to be done while the tree is young.

In our fine climate, pruning may safely be done in almost any month in the year, but wounds inflicted on trees in the summer! heal much sooner than at any other time.

Robert Harwell.

Cottage Hill, Mobile, Nov. 9,1850.