92 THE FLORIST. 



If I ever find an old Peach tree becoming unhealthy, I always con- 

 clude its roots have got too deep. After transplanting and adding a 

 portion of fresh turf to the border, they generally recover again. 



When the Peach wall is flued (and it is of little use attempting to 

 grow Peaches in the open air in the north unless they are so), gardeners 

 generally apply fire heat to the walls only in the autumn to ripen the 

 wood, but I consider that it is of much more service in the spring ; just 

 as the blossom buds begin to open, I set the fires going, and conthiue 

 them every night for six weeks or two months till the nights become 

 warm ; I then leave off the fires by degrees. By applying fire heat in 

 the spring I have never failed to get the fruit to set weli, although the 

 ground has sometimes been covered with snow five or six inches deep at 

 the time the trees were in flower. The trees also make their growth 

 much earlier, and ripen their wood sooner, so much so that I have very 

 rarely had occasion to use the fires in the autumn. Under this treat- 

 ment curl never troubles us ; I have only seen three curled leaves 

 during the last six years ; their foliage is always clean and healthy, the 

 fruit large and well flavoured, although the crops have alv/ays been 

 heavy. Many gardeners wash their trees with the garden engine late 

 in the afternoon ; this, I consider, is a very bad time for the operation, 

 as it cools the wall and keeps it cold and damp all through the night. 

 When the trees require washing, I consider the morning the best time 

 for getting it done, just as the sun's rays begin to reach the wall. 



As soon as the fruits get as large as Peas it is time to begin thinning 

 them, leaving at this time for a future thinning as many more as will 

 ultimately be required for a crop. I have often observed the same 

 tree continue opening fresh flowers for eight or ten days, and I always 

 try to preserve a number of the late set fruit as well as the first, so as 

 to prolong their season of ripening as much as possible ; this will be 

 found to give a difference of three weeks to the fruit season. 



Disbudding the trees may be done at the same time the fruit is being 

 thinned ; it is better, however, to do this gradually — a little every day 

 or every other day — than to be too severe on them at once ; they should, 

 however, never be allowed to become too thick of wood. I never 

 remember having seen trees in good health too thin of wood, but I 

 have often seen them left far too thick. The shoots as they advance 

 in growth should always be kept close to the wall with small wooden 

 pins, the winter prunings of Privet hedges and Jasmine bushes are. 

 excellent for the purpose ; they should therefore be carefully preserved 

 in some dry shed till they are wanted. 



Should green -fly make its appearance at any time, it should be 

 immediately destroyed, which is very easily done in this way. Get 

 two gallons of tobacco-water from a tobacconist's shop ; this will be 

 sufficient to mix with a garden-engine full of clean water ; wash the 

 trees affected with this mixture, next morning give them a good 

 washing with clean water, and the green gentlemen will have disap- 

 peared ; should they again make their appearance the dose must be 

 repeated. 



If the trees have been well thinned of wood during the summer, 

 there will be but very little pruning required in winter ; it is always 



