THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 203 



excessively injurious to the established plants, for the young plants 

 exhaust the soil, and crowd up the others, and prevent that free 

 circulation amongst them which is so essential to their well-being 

 and the production of fine crops. 



In glancing over this subject thus briefly, I am perfectly aware 

 that much more may be said with advantage ; but I thiuk I have 

 said sufficient to show, that if the few necessary operations are done 

 at the right time, better results may be obtained with not so much 

 trouble and labour an is necessary when they are performed out of 

 season. I will conclude this brief epistle by observing that the 

 following are good kinds that can be depended upon : Eclipse, 

 JFrogmore, Late Fine, good for late crops ; Keen's Seedling — every- 

 body knows this, for it is one of the best for general purposes ; 

 Marguerite, fine large fruit and free bearing ; Sir Charles Napier, 

 fine bright-coloured fruit, rather sharp, but a heavy cropper. For 

 flavour, nothing beats Britisli Queen, but it requires good soil, in 

 which there is an appreciable amount of iron, and a warm situation. 



cultivatiotn" oe the peach and NECTAEIA^e. 



BY J. C. CLAEKE, 



Head Gardener at Cothebton House, Taunton. 



OSITION AND Aspect ron Peaches. — I shall begin 

 this paper by saying something on the best position to 

 be selected. Undoubtedly this should be a high and 

 dry one : first, because the atmosphere of an elevated 

 spot is less liable to influence from spring frosts, ou 

 account of its being somewhat less humid than that of a lower 

 stratum of air; and, secondly, because of the natural facility it 

 offers to secure a perfect drainage. But there are other advantages, 

 for the atmosphere of such a spot is more agreeable and better 

 suited to the constitution of the peach, as they not only grow up 

 constitutionally hardy on such elevated positions, but they will upon 

 an average maintain a more healthy and robust appearance, and, 

 consequently, usually live to a good old age. However, it is not 

 always that the cultivator has any choice ; but for those who con- 

 template building peach walls, I would seriously advise them to 

 make choice of such a spot if possible ; and if such does not offer 

 itself, why then make the best of what you have, by choosing the 

 most eligible position, and instead of placing your wall east and 

 west, so as to secure a south facing, be careful to build a portion of 

 it so as to have a south-east aspect for a portion of your trees. ^ To 

 this, no doubt, you will find some of our craft make objections, 

 because it is not yet sufficiently well known that many varieties of 

 our peaches do better on a south-east aspect than on a south one ; 

 but more of that anon. While advocating this position, I must not 

 forget to say that it should be in some measure a sheltered one, and 

 there is nothing better than a good clump of trees in the distance, 



