364 THE FLOEAL WOKLD AND GAKDEN GUIDE. 



trade. They were planted on a slope facing south-east, about 130 

 feet above tlie level of the Medway. As a matter of course, they 

 produced no fruit in 1858, but in 1859 they gave us such a nice crop, 

 and the fruit ripened so well, that 1 began to feel quite an interest 

 in them that I had never felt in such trees before. They seemed to 

 go clean out of the shop into my heart ; at all events they went into 

 my head, and I thought a good deal about them. You will re- 

 member, of course, that 1859 was a good year. It began and ended 

 well. I have a memorandum at hand, in which it is recorded that in 

 1859 I gathered from one of my apricot trees 300 fruit ; from one of 

 the nectarines, 400. The Eoyal George peach had 100 fruit on it; 

 Late Admirable peach, 120 ; iSToblesse peach, 130. In the year 1860 

 we had no fruit, though the trees promised well, but on peach walla 

 and in orchard-houses it was much the same. The sun was scarcely 

 seen the whole season through, and peaches rotted on the bough. The 

 summer of 1861 was bright and hot, but the show of fruit was small, 

 owing to the imperfect ripening of the wood in 1860. "What fruit 

 there was, however, ripened perfectly, and was astonishingly good both 

 in colour and flavour. JS'ow, I felt persuaded that these fruits might 

 be grown in every garden south of the Trent, and perhaps far beyond 

 that line northwards, with no more trouble or risk than attend the 

 cultivation of applesandpears. Our returns vary, of course. In a cool 

 wet summer the fruit ripens very late and imperfectly. But if I 

 may consider ten years' observation and experience sufficient for a 

 judgment of the case, I should say that three years in five our trees 

 pay us well, and in the other two they make either a poor return or 

 none at all. Por example, in 1868 we had but little fruit, owing to 

 the spring frost, which caught the trees when in flower ; but in the 

 previous three years we have taken from some of our trees 500 to 600 

 fruit each, and from others a sufiicient quantity to abundantly 

 repay us. 



I should be glad to have the case confii'med by the experience of 

 other cultivators, but this mode of procedure is as yet too little known 

 to give hope of finding many witnesses. However, I can refer to 

 Mr. "W. H. Stacey, of Great Dunmow, Essex, who has lately adopted 

 this practice with satisfaction. He put out, last winter, some trees 

 that were becoming too large for his orchard-house, and they bore in 

 the past summer an abundant crop, and the quality was excellent. 

 He sold a considerable quantity at 3s. per dozen. 



The system of cultivation to be pursued for the production of 

 these fruits without the aid of glass may, I think, be summed up as 

 follows : — 1. A good but rather light and dry loamy soil ; a damp fat 

 soil would render the trees too gross to do well without a wall. 

 2. Dwarf trees are to be preferred to standards, but half standards may 

 be used in places well sheltered. In planting a quantity, maiden 

 trees would answer and be the cheapest, but for immediate results 

 well-furnished pyramids would be profitable, such, in fact, as would 

 be purchased for the orchard-house. 3. The position of the plantation 

 should be south or south-west if possible ; south-east allowable, but 

 not desirable ; noith objectionable. Shelter from north and east 

 desirable. 4. During the early part of the summer the young shoots 



