490 



AMYGDALACE^. II. Persica. 



Cling- stones. 



by those in front, provided they are not trained to more than 

 half way up the sloping-glass ; and thus the greatest possible 



1 Late admit able. 2 Old Newington. S Portugal. 4 Golden, extent of unshaded surface, and the greatest quantity of un* 



S Catharine* 6 Pavie de Pompone. 



* * Free-stones^ 



shaded fruit may be obtained. A house planted in this manner, 

 about 40 or 45 feet in length, may have 4 dwarfs in front, and 

 4 dwarfs and 5 riders at back, and when in a full bearing state 



7 White Nutmeg. 8 Grosse Mignonne. 9 Belle Chevreuse. would produce a large quantity of nectarines and peaches. If 



10 White Magdalen. 



13 Chancellor. 



11 Red Magdalen. 



12 Double Mon^ only 30 or 34 feet in length, 3 dwarfs in front and 3 dwarfs 



tagne. 13 Chancellor. 14 Early Admirable. 15 Malta. 16 

 Royal George. 17 Noblesse. 18 Late Admirable. 19 Late 

 Purple. 



M*Phail says, " The names of the peach trees fit for forcing 

 are the Magdaleine^ Double Montagne, Royal George^ and 

 Noblesse. 



2 White Magdalen. 



Nicol recommends the following: 



4 Noblesse. 



1 Red Magdalen. 



Montagne. 6 Early Admirable. 



S Royal George. 



7 Late Admirable. 



8 Late 



Purple. 9 Grosse Mignonne. 10 Smith'' s Newington. 11 Early 



purple^ and orange. 



and 4 riders at back, would be -trees enough to fill it. — Pract. 

 gard. 



Season of planting. — Abercrombie recommends November 

 and December as preferable, if not February and March ; which 

 practice is also agreeable to that of Nicol. 



Training, — All seem agreed in recommending fan-training 

 5 Double for peaches and nectarines, which being the simplest and most 



natural training, is always to be preferred. 



Pruning. — This, according to Abercrombie, may be performed 

 at the fall of the leaf, but should be completed before the blos- 

 som-buds are considerably advanced. MThail says the best 

 season is in the spring, when the blossom-buds can be distin- 

 guished. In the case of a newly-planted house, Nicol heads 

 down the maiden plants, or cuts the trained trees about the 

 end of March or beginning of April. With respect to the dwarfs, 

 the shoots on the lower branches should be cut back to 2 or 3 



Choice of plants. ** Before a house for forcing peaches and 

 nectarines be built," M*Phail observes, " trees to plant in it had 

 best be got in readiness, and if they be growing on the premises 

 it will be an advantage. If it can be avoided, no tree should be 

 planted in a forcing-house until the fruit of it has been seen 

 and tasted. The trees should be well trained ones, 4 or 5 feet 

 high ; indeed, it is of no consequence what their age be, pro- buds, that the trellis may be furnished from the bottom with 



vided they are healthy, well rooted, and in a bearing state ; and 

 if they have been transplanted several times since they were 



young wood. The shoots on the upper or further extended 

 branches may be shortened back to half or one-third of their 



budded, they will be the fitter for transplanting again ; and if lengths, according to their strength, provided they have been 



the work of taking them up and of planting them in the peach- w-ell ripened, and are free from canker ; but if the tree be any- 



house be carefully and methodically done, the trees, by their ways diseased, let them be cut so far back as to get rid of the 



removal, will be but little retarded in their growth. When cankered or mildewed part, but it would be adviseable that no 



every thing in the forcing-house is got in readiness for the re- 

 ception of the trees, loosen them from the wall to which they 



diseased tree should be planted, unless of a particular kind that 

 cannot be easily obtained. The riders need not be headed so 



were fastened with nails and shreds, and dig a wide semi-cir- much in as the dwarfs, the object being rather to throw them 



cular trench, 4 feet distant from the stem of each tree, and a 

 little deeper than their spreading roots, then, by little and little, 

 with a pointed stick, work the earth out among their roots, 

 taking care to break as few of them as possible. In this manner 

 the roots of the plants are to be divested of earth in a careful 

 manner, so as to undermine the stem, that the tree may be lifted 

 out of its place without straining the roots of it. Having holes 

 previously prepared, about 8 or 10 inches deep and 4 feet wide, 



into a bearing state than to cause them to push very strong 

 shoots, which would not be fruitful. If they make moderately 

 strong shoots, and if these be well ripened in autumn, a good 

 crop may be expected on them next year. Let the young 

 shoots be laid in, as they advance, at the distance of about 9 

 inches from each other, that is of the dw^arfs ; those of the riders 

 may be laid in considerably closer, it not being intended they 

 should grow so vigorously as those of the dwarfs. In a beanng- 



set the trees into them one after another, training their roots house the winter pruning is supposed to take place in Novemberj 



out in a regular horizontal manner at full length, and after let the and if the summer shoots have been regularly trained and lai 



ends of the roots be cut, so as to take the ruggedness ofl?) cover in at the distances of 9 inches in the dwarfs, and rather less m 



them not deeper than about G inches at their extremities, and at the riders, they wjU not require much pruning at this time. 

 the stem of the tree about 4 inches. Clean healthy dwarfs, few of the shoots may be shortened about the lower and niiau e 

 that have been one or two years trained, Nicol prefers to older parts of the tree, for the purpose of providing a supply ot youUp 

 plants, and riders three and even four years trained ; because, wood in these parts, and thinning out such shoots here anal e 

 being temporary, it is desirable to have them produce fruit as as have been left too thick; for others should not be shortene , 



but should be laid in at full length, that is, such as are short, 

 stout, nearly of an equal thickness, and have a bold wood-bu^ 

 at the extremity, as from these may be expected the best trui 

 next season. In some parts of the t^^-^ T.*.rhans. or m som 

 particular trees, it may be expedient to 



soon as possible, for if the dwarfs thrive, the former will have 

 to be removed in three or at most in four years. In a house 35 

 feet long, 3 dwarfs should be planted, and in a house 35 or 40 

 feet, 4 dwarfs; in both cases with riders between them." 

 Kal. 323. 



'Situation of the plants in the house. — Permanent occupants, 

 intended to be forced early, Abercrombie plants in a front 

 border, training them on a trellis just under the roof. In late 

 forcing-houses, he trains them to an upright trellis near the 

 back wall. MThail plants so as to train under the glass, and 

 Nicol's practice concurs with that recommended by Abercrombie. 

 For a late peach-house, dwarfs should be planted in front, to 

 he trained about half-way up the roof; and dwarfs, with riders 

 between them, against the back wall, to be trained to the top. 

 In this case, the trees on the back trellis would not be shaded 



1 



tree, perhaps, or m sum^ 



r-— ., .. xua^ u..^p.v.t.w..o cut out such old branches 



as have but few young shoots on them, provided there be neig 

 bouring branches better furnished, whose shoots may ^^^P'^^^ 

 out so as to fill, or nearly to fill, the vacancy occasioned by sue ^ 

 lopping. In this case, the shoots horrowed as it were tor ^^ 

 purpose, must be shortened more or less, according to the s| 

 of the vacancy to be filled up, and according to their ^^^^^^^ 

 in order that the plant may appear complete in all parts as s 

 as possible. In summer Nicol pinches off foreright shoots^^ 

 they appear, and all such as are ill-placed, weakly, ^^^^^^^'n^^^ 

 formed, or very luxuriant, leaving a leader to every shoot ol 



-s! 



