266 ^aLLA GARDENING 1'ART hi 



Varieties. — The following are excellent varieties : — 

 Peaches. — Early Crawford, Hale's Early, Royal George, 



Noblesse, Condor, Goshawk, Lady Palmerston, Princess of Wales, 



Golden Eagle. 



Nectarines. — Lord Napier, Rivere's Early Orange, Elruge, 



Humboldt, Pine Apple, Victoria. 



CHAPTER VI 



The Apricot. — The best walls for training fruit trees on are 

 built with bricks, and they may vary in height from 10 to 14 

 feet, according to the size of the garden. Hollow walls are 

 drier and consequently warmer than if built solid ; they should 

 be of sufficient thickness and strength to stand without pier 

 or buttress. Where the foundations are properly laid, a 14-inch 

 hollow wall will stand without support. The best soil for 

 Apricots is a good sound loam of medium character as to stiffness, 

 and, w4iere possible, shoidd be obtained from the side of a hill con- 

 taining limestone — where possible I say, but of course in many 

 places it is not possible. In my remarks on the Peach I have re- 

 ferred to the importance of lime to stone fruits, and the necessity 

 for adding it in some form where it is deficient in the soil. 

 When Apricots or Peaches drop at stoning time, it generally arises 

 from a deficiency of lime in the border. The question is often 

 asked, What is the right depth for borders 1 and various answers 

 have been given. But on this as on most other matters concerning 

 gardening we must take into consideration local circumstances, and 

 the treatment the trees are to receive must carry weight. For 

 instance, if the siuface of the borders is to be digged with the 

 spade and cropped with vegetables, it will be of no use for 

 fruit-growing, and the roots of the trees must be compensated 

 by having a greater depth given to them ; but an extra foot in 

 depth will not compensate for the loss of a foot on the surface, 

 with the end of the spade grinding against the roots whenever 

 they attempt to rise after the solar warmth they so much need 

 to make the wood produce plenty of healthy blossoms. Besides, 

 the suckers, which are such an annoyance sometimes, are mainly 

 caused by tlie spade iujm-ing the thick roots by scraping ofi the 

 bark in iligging. In diy jjorous ground there should be a gi"eater 

 depth of soil than where the drainage is less perfect and probably 

 the rainfaU greater. In my own mind I have not a shadow of 

 a doubt that, rightly managed, borders for stone fruits, especially 

 the choicer kinds, such as the Peach and the Apricot, should not 



