CHAP. IV VILLA GARDENING 335 



with a forward motion ouly ; never backwards, or some of the buds 

 may be injured. The thick old branches may be washed with a 

 brush. The pruning will consist in thinning out branches where 

 too thickly placed. When the trees get older this must be done 

 with a fearless hand. If the wood is well ripened very little 

 shortening will be necessary. Under glass the Peach generally 

 ripens all its wood ; therefore only the weakly parts of the 

 branches should be shortened a little, always cutting to a wood 

 bud. 



Forcing the Peach. — If the preparatory work has been well 

 done — if the blossom buds are there, strong, healthy, and vigorous 

 — nothing but gross mismanagement can prevent a crop of fruit 

 being produced. To have ripe Peaches in May the house should 

 be closed for forcing early in December. I need not say anything 

 of the importance of cleanliness in the building itself, as that 

 should be a sine cpm non in all fruit-growing houses. If the inside 

 is not painted, the woodwork should all be scrubbed with soap and 

 water, and the walls lime-washed. No one unwilling to take this 

 trouble deserves success. Insects are often troublesome in the 

 best-managed places, and to neglect the cleaning at starting is to 

 ignore the means placed in our hands for getting rid of the nuclei 

 of some of our troubles. There can be no safety when forcing 

 Peaches in extremes of temperature, especially in the early stages. 

 Too much heat or excitement at any time before stoning may 

 make the fruit drop. The first fortnight the house may be closed 

 at night, and ventilated in the daytime when the thermometer rises 

 above 55°. The borders should be examined, and if at all dry a 

 good soaking of liquid maniu-e, with the chill taken off by adding 

 wai'm water, should be given. The examination of the border 

 must not be a partial one, for dry spots, especially near the trees, 

 may exist when other parts of the border are quite moist. Stirring 

 up the surface with a fork will disclose these inequalities, and at 

 the same time a top-dressing of turfy loam, with a little of some 

 artificial fertiliser mixed with it, is beneficial, and adds force to the 

 trees and size to the fruit. Even when the trees are apparently 

 in no urgent need this assistance is desirable ; in fact, we should 

 not wait for this urgent necessity to arise. The true and right 

 course in dealing with fruit trees is to anticipate their wants, and 

 they will thus always be in a condition to do all that can reason- 

 ably be required of them Avithout loss of vigour. Fires should be 

 Ughted at the end of a fortnight, and forcing should go on steadily 

 and regularly ; but the slower and steadier the start, the stronger 

 the blossom buds will break. A night temperatm'e of 45° will be 

 high enough until the blossoms begin to expand ; then it may be 



