26 PEARS, PEACHES, ETC. 



hear such complaints about their failure out-doors ; and that too 

 by men of first-rate practice, who perhaps possess two or three 

 Peach-houses in their forcing establishments, in which, on the 

 average, they succeed admirably. Does not this point to the 

 extra precautions necessary in dealing with out-door matters in 

 Britain ? Not in making deep and rich borders, but in avoiding 

 them. The out-door borders here are just ten inches deep, but 

 then they have had a surface-dressing of six inches. These trees 

 always bear a very full crop of first-rate Peaches ; so good that 

 they command the highest price in the market : my note-book 

 tells of more than one hundred dozen from a space of wall fifty yards 

 long by three yards high ; all first-rate Peaches and Nectarines. 



Here again, the trees on shallow platforms ; top dressings 

 resorted to occasionally by anticipation in the original plan, and a 

 total absence of all cultural operations to a distance of six feet 

 from the wall ; with the exception of the surface-dressing, which 

 is a part of the system. 



One other point may be adverted to, and that is the protection of 

 the blossoms ; I here must allude to the retarding principle of 

 covering very early in the spring, in order to throw the blooming 

 period later, and thereby increase the chances as regards atmo- 

 spheric conditions. If there be any merit in this practice, I must 

 lay claim to a considerable portion of it. There can be no 

 question now, that such practice, rightly carried out, will suit well 

 the average of seasons : it will, to use a parliamentary phrase, 

 " command a majority." I must here candidly confess, that my 

 attention was mainly directed to this view of the question, 

 originally, by the marginal remarks in the Society's fruit cata- 

 logue. Many years since, my attention was attracted to such 

 marginal notes as these : — "bloom late, escape the spring frosts," 

 &c. Such should naturally suggest the idea of retardation, if it 

 could be practically and economically carried out ; and all I can 

 say is, that if it depended on a vast amount of labour it would 

 long since have fallen through. As it is, we stick lots of fir 

 boughs, the spruce if possible, amongst the branches early in 

 February, and by such means we seldom miss a crop. This 

 of course refers to the Espalier Pears, as also most of those on 

 walls : the Peaches are covered in the end of January with 

 canvas, which is withdrawn two or three times a week on dull 

 days, in order to keep the bud hardy ; they are, however, sedu- 

 lously closed during sunshine, in order to carry out the retardation 

 principle. 



