70 THE BOOK OF THE PEACH. 



in mind that the individual fruits of nectarines do 

 not attain to such large dimensions as the peaches 

 do under the same conditions of treatment. The 

 fruits should therefore be left closer together on 

 the trees say, at from six to nine inches every way, 

 according to the size which the varieties cultivated 

 are known to attain to under ordinary and special 

 cultural treatment. Of course the size, vigour, and 

 general condition of the individual peach and nec- 

 tarine trees must be considered in determining the 

 number of fruits to be left on each tree for a crop. 



As a matter of fact, I have frequently picked 

 prize-winning fruit at the Crystal Palace and lead- 

 ing provincial fruit shows from trees upon which 

 the fruits when ripe were little more than six inches 

 apart. The trees, it is true, were in extra fine con- 

 dition, the result of cultural treatment detailed in 

 this book. The borders, too, were mulched to 

 the thickness of two or three inches with horse- 

 droppings or well-decayed stable dung, renewed 

 once or twice during the time the fruit was 

 swelling, the virtues of the manure being washed 

 down to the roots in watering the borders. Thereby 

 liquid food is supplied at the roots in addition 

 to the moisture necessary to promote and maintain 

 a vigorous and healthy growth in root and branch, 

 every third watering or so consisting of diluted 

 liquid-manure. 



