473 CULTURE OF THE PEACH UNDER GLASS 



sary to distinguish the one description from the other. The flower- 

 buds are plump and roundish ; the wood-buds are more oblong and 

 pointed, and one of these is generally situated between two flower- 

 buds in the case of .triple buds occurring at the same node. It is 

 therefore expedient in pruning to shorten a shoot to these triple eyes, 

 or in their absence to a leaf-bud. The mode of bearing is solely on 

 shoots of the preceding summer's growth. 



Culture of the Peach under Glass in British Gardens. 



Construction of the Peach-house. The form of the peach-house need 

 not differ much from that of the grape-house, but in general it is 

 made narrower and not so high at the back wall. It may, however, 

 be made of any height or width, with either a lean-to or a ridge-and- 

 furrow roof; from ten to fifteen feet, are good widths for lean-to 

 peach-houses, with a height in front of four feet, and at back of ten 

 feet. Of much more consequence than the form of the houses is the 

 keeping of the trees near to the glass, and the provision for ventila- 

 tion. There is no better mode of training peach-trees, so as to gather 

 the finest, highest-coloured, best-flavoured fruit, than that of spreading 

 them over a roof trellis, at a distance of fifteen inches to thirty inches 

 from the roof, though under clear glass they will do well as bushes 

 or standards, or trained on the back wall, or bent over arches. 



Peaches best adapted for Forcing. The sorts of peaches best adapted 

 for forcing are: Grosse Mignonne, Royal George, Red Magdalen, 

 Bellegarde, Early York, Stirling Castle, Chancellor, Noblesse, Rivers' 

 Early New White, Dr. Hogg, Lord Palmerston. To these may 

 be added such sorts as the Salway, Late Admirable, and the Bar- 

 rington, when it is desired to prolong the succession under glass. 

 These sorts ripen in the order in which they are placed ; the two 

 latter kinds being late peaches, are only proper to be planted where a 

 prolonged succession is required. The Bellegarde is not so subject to 

 the attack of mildew as many others are that have serrated glandless 

 leaves. 



Nectarines. Among the best varieties of nectarines for forcing are 

 the Violet Hative, Elruge, Pitmaston Orange, Downton, Rivers' 

 Orange, Victoria, Pine-apple, and Murray. 



Plants and Modes of Training. Time is gained by procuring from 

 the nurseries, or from the open walls of the same garden trees which 

 have been three or 'four years trained, which may be removed in 

 November. The fan mode of training is unquestionably the best for 

 forced peaches. In lofty or wide houses it may be necessary to intro- 

 duce riders in order more speedily to cover the upper part of the 

 trellis or walls, and these also should be three or four years trained ; but 

 . where the peach has been properly treated on a garden-wall, and its 

 roots encouraged to run near the surface of the border, trained trees 

 of almost any size may be transferred from the open wall to the 

 forcing-house at once, so as even to bear a tolerable crop of fruit the 

 first year. 



