Jannar; S8, 1875. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



69 



WEEKLY CALENDAR! 



PEACH FORCING. 



I T must be said, though it were superfluon.s 

 to repeat what everybody knows, the Necta- 

 rine requires the same treatment as the 

 Peach, and in no way that I know of do 

 the two differ, except that the Peach has a 

 downy skin and the Nectarine a smooth 

 one, yet the flesh and flavour are dissimilar. 

 Peaches diverge occasionally into Necta- 

 rines — i.e., a Peach tree produces fruit with 

 downy and smooth skin, or Peaches and 

 Nectarines ; but an instance of a Nectarine producing fruit 

 with downy skin is not, I think, recorded. From the 

 stone of a Nectarine a tree has arisen producing 

 Peaches, but this does not throw any light upon 

 the origin of the Nectarine, which I consider only 

 a variety, as pointed out in Dr. Hogg's " Vege- 

 table Kingdom," page '299, " distinguished," 

 says the author, " by the name of Amygdalus 

 persica lasvis ; . . . and there can be no doubt 

 that it originated in a mere freak of nature, as 

 we have seen instances of Nectarines being pro- 

 duced on the branch of a Peach tree without 

 having been budded." It is clearly a variety due 

 to culture, and one, like those of most other 

 fruits which in variety of the originals have 

 the saccharine juice most highly developed, are 

 smaller in size. Peaches attain to 1'2 inches in 

 circumference, but it is a magnificent Nectarine 

 of which the girth is 10 inches. I have an Early 

 Alfred Peach which the past three seasons has 

 borne only Nectarines some lOi inches in cir- 

 cumference. Can it be that the Plum stock 

 exerts an influence over the Peach scion, causing 

 the fruit to partake partly of the nature of the 

 Plum and partly of the Peach, resulting from 

 working upon a foreign stock ? When was the 

 Plum first used as a stock for the Peach ? Were 

 they first introduced upon their own roots, the 

 Almond, or Plum ? 



In forcing the Peach the house is a con- 

 sideration of no mean importance. For early 

 forcing there is nothing surpassing the old lean- 

 to with a good substantial back wall. The wall, 

 whatever may be said against its expense, is a 

 great absorber of heat and moisture, and reser- 

 voir of the two. The wall absorbs heat when 

 it is colder, and moisture when it is drier than 

 the atmosphere it is presented to, and gives them 

 out again when the atmosphere is colder and 

 drier. It also catches the sunbeams, and when 

 not them, light whenever there is any, for 

 the foliage of trees rarely is so dense as to obscure the 

 back wall from the sun's influence ; and the rays of light 

 by the wall are reflected back into the house, just as the 

 angle of incidence shall determine. The lean-to, at least 

 its back wall, is not nearly so .sudden in its changes from 

 cold to heat, or the contrary, as glass, which is the best 



No. 722.— Vol. XXVIII., New Seeies. 



of all for allowing a heated atmosphere to be cooled by 

 external cold. The back wall will not be of any use for 

 Peach trees, as the roof will be occupied by trees planted 

 in front, and though they grow, wUl not fruit satisfac- 

 torily. A house of about 9 feet width over all, and 12 feet 

 of back wall, wUl answer, and give about 10 feet of trellis 

 in height. This kind of house (fig. 16) wastes 2 feet of 

 the back wall (upper part), as we have only 10 feet of 

 trellis, but 12 feet of wall. " The trees might as weU 

 be against the back wall," I have no doubt some may 

 suggest, " and have the front fitted with shelves — not so 

 high as to obstruct the light to the trees on the wall — for 

 Strawberries, &c. It is only reasonable !" But it ain't. 

 Forced Peaches, forced anything wanted to flower and 



Fig. 16. 



finit, does not want to be 6 feet or more from the glass, 

 but as near thereto as is consistent with the prevention of 

 the leaves scorching and the avoidance of chills. If too 

 near the glass the leaves are liable to be blistered or 

 scorched when the sun's rays are powerful and the leaves 

 wet ; and there is danger of chills when the trellis ia 



No. 1S74— Vol. LIII., Old Seeies, 



