320 [ THE PEACH AND THE NBCTAMNE 



long to the action of the wind and the sun before the time 

 comes when they should start into vegetation, particularly 

 when the graft is made well above the ground for the 

 rearing of standards of 50 c. m. to i or i-J- meters. 



The peach may be budded or grafted also on suckers 

 of the almond as well as on the roots, as mentioned in 

 the case of the almond. Budding on the wild plums or on 

 peach stock may be done from March to September, and 

 grafting is done in the same period as above mentioned. 



The young trees grown on own roots or on the wild 

 plums can be transplanted from the nursery to their final 

 quarters in winter, from December to February. How- 

 ever, it should be remembered that the great majority of 

 peaches and nectarines grown by our gardeners are 

 budded or grafted on the almond, and that this stock is 

 already in movement by January, and therefore it is not 

 advisable to postpone the operation beyond the close of 

 January as otherwise the stock will receive a check so 

 severe that recovery may be difficult or impossible. 



CULTIVATION. The peach and the nectarine are 

 planted 3 to 5 metres apart according to the quality of 

 the soil and the sort planted. The early peaches grafted 

 on plum stock may be planted 2 metres apart, but if 

 grafted on almond stock a distance of 3 metres should be 

 allowed from one tree to another. Specially vigorous 

 sorts of peaches or nectarines, such as peaches Teton de 

 Venus and Reine des Vergers, and the Malta red nectarine 

 grafted on almond stock, may be allowed a space of 5 or 

 6 metres if planted on good deep soils in sheltered situa- 

 tions. The land should be deeply trenched and manured 

 in November, and about a month afterwards the trees 

 may be planted. The expense incurred for trenching and 

 manuring may be fully recouped by growing some crop, 

 such as potatoes or peas or winter vegetables which do 

 not interfere unduly with the development of the trees. 

 Where the land is not trenched a pocket will be dug 

 large enough to receive the roots in their natural position 



