510 THE GARDENER. [Nov. 



a heavy coveriug which excludes the light, weakens the fertilising powers of 

 the sexual portions of the blossom, so that they fail. 



The fruit requires to be gathered by hand, and just before it is ready to 

 fall. When it falls, even although into a net, or on moss, it is somewhat 

 spoilt. Peach-fruits won't keep — a few hours only serve to spoil them ; and, 

 like Strawberries, they are never so good as jusc when gathered and eaten. 



Peaches, Cherries, and Plums are often attacked by dillerent species of 

 aphides or green-fly. Smart syringings of soapy water, at intervals of a few 

 days, if persisted in, will soon rid the trees of these pests. In hot summers 

 red-spider proves troublesome on hot soils. The same cure will suffice for it, 

 if the water is directed forcibly against the under sides of the leaves. Occa- 

 sionally scale proves a trouble on the Peaches. We never saw it out of doors, 

 but we have the highest authority — the editor of this Magazine — for saying 

 that paraffin-oil, mixed with 100 times its own bulk of water, and syringed on 

 the trees when they are bare of flower, is a perfect cure. After the application 

 has been on the trees for some hours it should be syringed off with hot water; 

 for if the application has been too strong, or has not been properly mixed with 

 the water, it might do mischief. First one syringef ul discharged into the vessel 

 containing the mixture, and then the next on to the trees alternately, will 

 keep the oil and water mixed in due proportion. 



When the previous summer has been warm and the spring favourable, it 

 often hapjjens that too many fruits set, and when these are not thinned, they 

 are inferior, and the trees made unlit to bear a crop the year following. When 

 the fruit has fairly set, manifestly inferior ones should be rubbed oil", and 

 afterwards only one left to each one-foot length shoot. Longer growths ou 

 vigorous trees may bear two or even three, but more means poor fruit. Nec- 

 tarines are just Peaches, but have smooth instead of downy skins. Some 

 w^riters range them as different species, but they are not. 



Hales s Early — an American kind — is the earliest really good kind, and is 

 therefore likely to do well in the open air. At Chiswick it ripens among the 

 first days of August. Early York is also a good early sort, suitable for out- 

 door culture. In warm districts, even in Scotland, Grosse Mignonne, and 

 Early Grosse Mignonne, do fairly well in favourable seasons. We have also 

 seen Pioyal George, Kensington, Bellegarde, and Vanguard do well in Scotland. 



Among Nectarines Lord Napier is one of the best, as it is free and early, 

 and of good flavour. Elruge, Balgowan, and Violette are also trustworthy 

 kinds. 



Aphicots. 



Much of what we have said of Plums and Peaches applies to Apricots. Like 

 Peaches, they are not recommended to those whose gardens are in northern 

 or cold localities. They are rather too tender for any but warm climates 

 and sunny walls. In this they must be placed with Peaches, although they 

 are hardier, if anything. The same kind of soil which we have recommended 

 for Peaches will suit them. Fan-training is the best form in which to train 

 them. Most of the kinds should be pruned, pinched, and trained in the same 

 way as Plums. Like Plums, they form fruit-spurs on the two and three years' 

 old wood ; and although by careful pruning and pinching older wood may, 

 like Plums, be kept furnished with bearing spurs, still, like many Plums, old 

 branches are apt to get bare ; and it is therefore wise to be always training up 

 young branches, to take the place of older ones as they get bare. Young 

 shoots when pinched in, in the way recommended for Apples and Pears, form 

 stubby spurs which produce fruit freely ; and when these spurs are well 



