84 THE BOOK OF THE PEACH. 



the writer had hitherto seen were staged by Messrs. 

 Thomas Rivers & Son at the famous Shrewsbury 

 (Shropshire Horticultural Society's) show in August 

 1891. The exhibit included, in addition to peaches 

 and nectarines, black and w r hite grapes, pears, plums, 

 cherries, and apples, one and all bearing evidence of 

 high cultural skill having been bestowed upon them 

 during the six previous months, between the hours 

 of sunrise and sunset, in the orchard-house at 

 Sawbridgeworth, the birthplace of so many grand 

 varieties of the peach, nectarine, plum, etc. The 

 peach trees in the above-mentioned exhibit varied 

 in height from six to ten feet, and w r ere pyramidal in 

 shape, the top two or two and a half feet of growth 

 constituting the pyramidal forms consisting of the 

 current year's growth. 



Zinc bands, about three inches broad, with three 

 label-like projections on the bottom edge for insert- 

 ing in the soil close to the rims of the individual 

 pots, may be easily and quickly made by any tinplate 

 worker to fit the size pots indicated above. These 

 are easily attached to the pots, and afford ample 

 room for liberal top-dressings of sheep-manure or 

 horse-droppings being made from time to time when 

 the trees are swelling their crops. 



