PEACHES AND NECTARINES CASTING BLOSSOM BUDS. 103 



lights should be removed, as there is nothing so beneficial to the trees as exposing 

 them freely to the natural atmosphere. Trees ripening their fruit in May will have the 

 wood and buds matured for exposure by the middle of July, those cleared of their crops 

 early in July may be exposed at the end of August, and so on successively. Where 

 such exposure is impracticable, forced-peach houses should be left open day and night 

 when the wood is properly matured. 



The routine management of forced trees is similar to that given for those in cool 

 houses, and the sooner they are pruned and dressed after the leaves fall the better. The 

 house, also, ought to be thoroughly cleansed, the surface soil removed from the borders, 

 and a top-dressing applied. The outside borders should be covered 3 or 4 inches thick 

 with dry leaves and a little long stable-litter over them, in early winter where the trees 

 are started before February ; but a light mulch suffices for the borders of later houses. 



Trees Casting their Buds. Outdoor trees are not so prone to cast the blossom buds 

 as those in cool houses, and those planted in borders are not so liable to this defect 

 as are trees in pots. The chief cause of the misfortune is an insufficiency of water 

 during the growing and resting periods. By the first the buds are imperfectly formed, 

 and by the latter they are deprived of sap. Over-maturity of the buds is also a source 

 of the blossom buds being cast in forced trees, and is best avoided by removing the roof 

 lights directly the buds are fairly formed in early-forced trees. Varieties with large 

 flowers, such as the Early York, Grosse Mignonne, and Noblesse races, cast their buds 

 more freely than do the small -flowered peaches, such as the Early Albert, Royal George, 

 and others. Bud casting is also induced by excessive bud formation, as occurs in 

 Elruge nectarine, Bellegarde and Barrington peaches forced and borne so that weak 

 wood is produced. If the dropped buds are examined they will be found defective. 

 The preventives are : 1, adequate supplies of water and nourishment, with freedom 

 from insects during the growing season, and properly moist soil during the resting 

 period; 2, cutting out weak growths and encouraging sturdy, moderately long, and 

 well-matured wood ; 3, lifting refractory trees and making the soil firm about the roots 

 in re- planting. 



Fruit not Setting and Stoning. These evils occur through immature wood and 

 imperfect bud formation, having its outcome in blossoms with defective organs of fructi- 

 fication. Such flowers cannot set fruit ; therefore, no effort should be spared to secure 

 perfect blossom buds on thoroughly ripened wood. Stoning chiefly depends on the 

 ripening of the wood ; if the growths are strong or long-jointed there is more danger 



