THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 143 



THE MANAGEMENT OF PEACH TREES. 



BY A SUBSCRIBER. 



IJN the management of the Peach, it must be borne in mind 

 that the Peach is a native of Persia, whose climate is 

 hotter than that of Britain ; and in order to grow it 

 well, it mast have a favourable situation, good aspect, 

 soil, and drainage. The most important of these is 

 situation ; if this can be provided, the gardener will have overcome 

 his great difficulty ; for any locality will furnish a suitable aspect, 

 the best of which is that facing the south, or if slightly inclined 

 towards the east, so much the better. The Peach should not be 

 situated so high as to be injured by cutting winds, nor so low as to 

 render the tree liable to be hurt by spring and summer frosts. The 

 precise course to be followed, however, must be influenced by the 

 circumstances under which the trees are placed rather than by any 

 fixed rule. In Cornwall it is easier to produce good fruit under the 

 most ordinary treatment, than it is in some localities to produce fruit 

 of even second-rate quality under the most skilful management; and 

 why ? because the climate of Cornwall is most suitable to the nature 

 of the Peach. I have been convinced by experience of this truth. 

 The summers of Cornwall are sufficiently long to allow of the wood 

 being thoroughly matured, and the average temperature there is less 

 variable. The gardeu of which I lately had charge, was situated at 

 the bottom of a wide and beautiful valley in Shropshire, on the banks 

 of the River Corve. Here the trees suffered so much from the 

 effects of late and early frosts, that it was only in fine hot seasons 

 the wood ripened. 



Spring and summer frosts are the worst enemies a gardener has 

 to contend with in Peach growing, and any locality susceptible of 

 frosts early in autumn must be highly injurious to Peaches, causing 

 the leaves to fall before they have discharged the duties of their 

 office, the buds in their axils are left unripeued, and the shoots on 

 which they grow are green and full of uuelaborated sap. In such a 

 state they cannot be expected to bear with impunity the rigour of 

 a severe winter. There should be flued walls in all treacherous 

 situations in order that the ripening process of the wood might be 

 assisted by artificial means, whenever circumstances required it. 

 As a proof that climate much affects the Peach, I may state that the 

 fruit produced in the houses in my locality were equal to any I ever 

 saw. The late Mr. Knight predicted that peaches and nectarines 

 would never do any good in situations like that alluded to, and 

 experience confirms the truth of his predictions. I do not mean to 

 say that there were no fruit produced in the place I have mentioned, 

 but I can say that it was inferior and deficient of that sugary flavour 

 so essential to the quality of the Peach. I have no doubt, however, 

 but that Peaches might have been grown pretty successfully at a 

 slight elevation on the south side of the valley. 



Bad I continued in the situation I was in, I would have tried the 



May. 



