I873-] PEACH AND NECTARINE. 173 



THE PEACH AISTD nSTECTABINE. 



{Continued from p. 122. ) 

 DRAINAGE, DEPTH, AND WIDTH OF BORDEE. 



When the Peach-house occupies a site where the soil and subsoil are 

 uncongenial, such as poor sand, an irony gravel, or a cold stiff clay, the 

 whole should be removed to the depth of 3 feet, and the site surfaced 

 with a 3-inch, layer of concrete, giving it an even slope from the back 

 wall to the front of the outside border in the case of lean-to houses ; 

 the slope to be from the middle of span-roofed houses to the front on 

 each side. Over the concrete run tile-drains at right angles across the 

 border, 8 feet apart, into a main drain in front, and below the level of the 

 cross drains. Over these drains and the whole concrete lay 8 or 9 inches of 

 broken bricks, or coarse gravel with the sand sifted out of it, and blind 

 the whole with finer gravel ; over this lay a thin turf, grassy side down- 

 wards, and the site is ready for the soil. This leaves about 2J feet up 

 to 3 inches above the front lintels or arches of the house for soil ; and 

 allowing for the necessary slope of the border, at the extremity or front 

 it will be a little less than 2 feet. I am not an advocate for very shal- 

 low borders, when the drainage is as efficient as has been described. 

 This matter should, however, be decided to a certain extent by the 

 nature of the soil and the amount of rain that falls in the locality. 

 AVhen the soil is heavy and the locality very wet, the borders will 

 be deep enough at 2 feet. Their width should be regulated by the 

 width of the house. A lean-to house 16 feet wide will require an out- 

 side border 16 feet wide, thus giving 16 feet for each of the two sets 

 of trees, the one set on the back wall and the other on the front trellis. 

 Where the subsoil consists of a clean open gravel, concreting is not 

 necessary, and the natural drainage being good, less artificial drainage 

 will suffice. 



SOIL. 



It is an established fact that all stone-fruits can be grown to the great- 

 est perfection in strong-holding soils. This fully applies to the Peach, 

 for it is on a strong calcareous loam, resting on a dry bottom, that it 

 thrives best. The healthiest Peach-trees on open walls we have ever 

 seen were grown in a deep strong loam, resting on an immense depth 

 of chalk ', and, generally speaking, the limestone districts of England 

 produce the finest outdoor Peaches and other stone-fruits. These facts 

 apply with equal force to the culture of the Peach under glass. To 

 produce the most healthy, fruitful, and long-lived trees, the best soil 

 with which to form a Peach-border consists of the top spit of some old 

 pasture-land of a calcareous nature. It should be taken to the depth 

 of 6 inches, inclusive of the short verdure peculiar to such land. 



