AMYGDALACE^. II. Persica. 



489 



?..> 





r 



lion's that the mode of management above suggested is recom- spring, when the blossoms are about to expand. In addition to 

 mended. The spurs must not be shortened in the winter or unfastening the trees, a wedge is put in behind the main stem 



spring till it can be ascertained what parts of them are provided 

 with leaf-buds." In a very cold and elevated situation, C. Har- 

 rison (Hort. trans. 2. p. 14,) prunes and nails his peach and 

 nectarine trees in December and January, taking away two- 



to throw it forward, in order that the tree may receive as little 

 protection from the wall as possible. {Caled. mem. 3. p, 25.) 



Ripening peaches on leafless branches. — Whenever the part 

 of the bearing branch which extends beyond the fruit is without 



May foliage, the fruit itself rarely acquires maturity, and never its 

 and July, he leaves the lowest and weakest shoots for a succes- proper flavour and excellence. This Knight conjectures to be 

 sion in the year following, pinching off the leading and other owing to the want of the returning sap, which would have been 

 shoots. The chief rule which he follows, is never to allow the furnished by the leaves, and he proved it experimentally by in- 

 shoots that are left for bearing fruit to run to any length from arching a small branch immediately above the fruit. The fruit 

 the strong wood, for which reason, when the trees are pruned in consequence acquired the highest degree of maturity and per- 

 in autumn, the bearing branches for the next year are shortened, fection. {Hort. trans. 2. p. 25.) t 



taking care not to leave more fruiting-buds than he thinks will Insects and diseases^ ^c. — The leaves of the peach tree are 



liable to the attacks of the acarus, its greatest enemy, and also 

 to be devoured by the chermes, aphis, and even a much smaller 

 insect, the thrips. These are to be kept under by the usual 

 means of watering over the leaves, and fumigation with tobacco 

 smoke. The honey-dew, mildew, gum, and canker are chiefly 

 to be kept under by regimen ; dusting with sulphur has been 

 found to destroy the mildew, but the only certain way of rcme- 



come to perfection. 

 Training. — The peach is almost universally trained in the 



fan-manner, either straight-lined or wavy, though some allege 



that it bears better in rich soils, when two leading branches are 



encouraged, and the bearing shoots trained outwards from 



these, so as to form a sort of horizontal training. 

 Thinning the fruit. — ** In favorable seasons the blossoms ^ , ^ ....^ 



often set more fruit than the trees can support, or than have dying it is by a renewal of the soil, which will commonly be 



room to attain full growth, and if all were to remain it would found old mould long in use and too rich, and by abundance of 



[l^^^^^h^ trees in their future bearing, therefore they should be air. J. Kirk (Caled. hort. mem. 4. p. 159.) has tried renewing 



the soil for 50 years, and always found it an effectual remedy. 



The young wood of the peach tree is liable to be covered 

 with black spots or blotches, which Kenment proved to be pro- 

 duced by over rich soil (Caled. hort. mem. 2. p. 79 and 80.). 

 The fruit, when ripe, is very liable to the attacks of the wasp, 

 the large fly, and especially the earwig, &c., the two first may 

 be excluded by nets, or enticed by honied bottles, and the latter 

 caught by the beetle-trap, reeds or bean-stalks laid in behind 

 the leaves, and examined every morning. 



Gathering. — Use the peach-gatherer, and gather one day or 



timely thinned, when of the size of large peas or half-grown goose- 

 berries. There should be a preparatory thinning before the 

 time of stoning, and a final thinning afterwards, because most 

 plants, especially such as have overborne themselves, drop 

 maiiy fruit at that crisis. Finish the thinning with great regu- 

 l*nty, leaving those retained at proper distances, 3, 4, or 5 on 

 strong shoots, 2 or 3 on middling and 1 or 2 on the weaker 

 snoots, and never leaving more than one peach at the same 

 ^ye. The fruit on weakly trees thin more in proportion." 

 ^bercronibie. 



Renovating old decaying trees. — Head down, and renew the tw^o before the fruit is to be used, and before it be quite ripe, 

 soulrom an old upland pasture, and if the bottom of the border laying it on clean paper in a dry airy part of the fruit-room. 

 IS moist, or if the roots have gone more than 2 feet downwards. Use of hot walls. — The ripening of the peach may be acce- 



pave the bottom, or otherwise render it dry, and impervious to lerated in the open air, when planted against a hot wall, by the 

 Ir?!^ ^1^^^^ depth of 20 inches or 2 feet from the surface. This application of gentle fires in cold moist weather, in August and 



^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^.^ ^.j^ ripen the fruit and wood ; but no attempt 



should ever be made to accelerate the blossom early in spring, 

 as without the protection of glass they are almost certain of 



^ *^^^*-*« x^A, .*** V AXl^Xl^O \Jl. /V AW\^lri XA\/ill L1.1U. OUl-At^W^V ^. Alio 



P an Will be found almost universally successful, in restoring suffi- 



ent vigour to resist insects and diseases, and produce abundance 

 01 fruit. 



being cut off*. 



Culture of the Peach-house. 



Totecting the blossoms. — This may be done by various modes, 

 ^orsyth recomrnends old netting as the best covering. C. Har- 



protects his trees from the frost in the month of January * uuiv. — xxucreiuuiuic usc» mc &uiiic auii aa lui tuuot; j^iuun m 



y branches of broom ; these are previously steeped in soap- the open air. The border or bed to be 30 inches or 3 feet deep. 



1 ^ ^Jxed with one-third of urine for 48 hours, in order to The nectarine wants the warmer and richer and deeper soil, if 



, 1 insects, and when dry are disposed thinly over the any difference be made. The soil for peaches that ^re forced, 



Soil. — Abercrombie uses the same soil as for those grown in 



br L ^^^^^ letting them remain on only until the trees begin to 



fru't l!"^^ '^af. At the time of the blooming and setting of the 



] , be applies cold water in the following manner, viz. if, upon 



fy ' '"g the trees before the sun is up in the morning after a 



y night, he finds there is any appearance of frost on the 



tlio^^ n ^^y"o ^^"'*» ^^ waters the bloom or young fruit 



roughly with cold water from a garden-engine, and he affirms 



even if the blossoms or young fruit are discoloured, this 



^^ation recovers them, provided it be done before the sun 



•/*u^^^P^^ ^^^"1- Dr. Noehden remarks, Hort. trans, vol. 2. 



M*Phail recommends to be, " fine, loamy, well prepared earth, 

 of a medium texture, neither very light nor of a strong binding 

 quality, well mixed with some good manure. The border to be 

 4 feet deep and so broad that the roots cannot get into a bad 

 soil" (Gard. Rem. 18.). The bottom of the border being made 

 comfortable by^ draining and paving, if not naturally dry. 

 Nicol directs the breadth of the border to be the width of the 

 house within, and to the extent of 10 or 12 feet without. The 

 average depth 30 inches at the least ; but if a yard it would not 

 be too much. The soil to be thus composed : three-fourths 



in v! operation of watering before sun-rise, in counteract- strong loam, one-eighth part of light sandy earth, and an eighth 



to^th -^^ ^^^"^^ *^ P^^^"^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ in a manner analogous 



. .^ application of cold water to a frozen joint or limb, which 



St'^A^^^ V the sudden application of warmth." J. Carr, of Kal. p. 291. 



part of rotten stable-yard dung, with a competent quantity of 

 lime and marl, all being properly mixed before planting. 



•nd ih^ ^* "^^^ Leeds, protects his blossoms by retardation ; 



from if ^^^"s used are, detaching the branches of the trees 



^"e walls in autumn, and not refixini? them till late in the 



VOt. IT ° 



Choice of sorts Select from the catalogue given, according 



to quality. The following list is given by Abercrombie as the 

 most proper for forcing : 

 3R 



