AMYGDALACE^. II. PERSICA. 



489 



lions that the mode of management above suggested is recom- 

 mended. The spurs must not be shortened in the winter or 

 spring till it can be ascertained what parts of them are provided 

 with leaf-buds." In a very cold and elevated situation, C. Har- 

 rison (Hort. trans. 2. p. 14.) prunes and nails his peach and 

 nectarine trees in December and January, taking away two- 

 thirds of the young shoots ; and in two hand-dressings in May 

 and July, he leaves the lowest and weakest shoots for a succes- 

 sion in the year following, pinching off the leading and other 

 shoots. The chief rule which he follows, is never to allow the 

 shoots that are left for bearing fruit to run to any length from 

 the strong wood, for which reason, when the trees are pruned 

 in autumn, the bearing branches for the next year are shortened, 

 taking care not to leave more fruiting-buds than he thinks will 

 come to perfection. 



Training. The peach is almost universally trained in the 

 fan-manner, either straight-lined or wavy, though some allege 

 that it bears better in rich soils, when two leading branches are 

 encouraged, and the bearing shoots trained outwards from 

 these, so as to form a sort of horizontal training. 



Thinning the fruit. " In favorable seasons the blossoms 

 often set more fruit than the trees can support, or than have 

 room to attain full growth, and if all were to remain it would 

 hurt the trees in their future bearing, therefore they should be 

 timely thinned, when of the size of large peas or half-grown goose- 

 berries. There should be a preparatory thinning before the 

 time of stoning, and a final thinning afterwards, because most 

 plants, especially such as have overborne themselves, drop 

 many fruit at that crisis. Finish the thinning with great regu- 

 larity, leaving those retained at proper distances, 3, 4, or 5 on 

 strong shoots, 2 or 3 on middling and 1 or 2 on the weaker 

 shoots, and never leaving more than one peach at the same 

 eye. The fruit on weakly trees thin more in proportion." 

 Abercrombie. 



Renovating old decaying trees. Head down, and renew the 

 soil from an old upland pasture, and if the bottom of the border 

 is moist, or if the roots have gone more than 2 feet downwards, 

 pave the bottom, or otherwise render it dry, and impervious to 

 roots at the depth of 20 inches or 2 feet from the surface. This 

 plan will be found almost universally successful, in restoring suffi- 

 cient vigour to resist insects and diseases, and produce abundance 

 of fruit. 



Protecting the blossoms. This may be done by various modes. 

 Forsyth recommends old netting as the best covering. C. Har- 

 rison protects his trees from the frost in the month of January 

 by branches of broom ; these are previously steeped in soap- 

 suds mixed with one-third of urine for 48 hours, in order to 

 clear them from insects, and when dry are disposed thinly over the 

 whole tree, letting them remain on only until the trees begin to 

 break into leaf. At the time of the blooming and setting of the 

 fruit, he applies cold water in the following manner, viz. if, upon 

 visiting the trees before the sun is up in the morning after a 

 frosty night, he finds there is any appearance of frost on the 

 bloom or young fruit, he waters the bloom or young fruit 

 thoroughly with cold water from a garden-engine, and he affirms 

 that even if the blossoms or young fruit are discoloured, this 

 operation recovers them, provided it be done before the sun 

 comes upon them. Dr. Noehden remarks, Hort. trans, vol. 2. 

 " that this operation of watering before sun-rise, in counteract- 

 ing the frost, seems to produce its effect in a manner analogous 

 to the application of cold water to a frozen joint or limb, which 

 is injured by the sudden application of warmth." J. Carr, of 

 St. Ann's, near Leeds, protects his blossoms by retardation ; 

 and the means used are, detaching the branches of the trees 

 from the walls in autumn, and not refixing them till late in the 

 VOL. n. 



spring, when the blossoms are about to expand. In addition to 

 unfastening the trees, a wedge is put in behind the main stem 

 to throw it forward, in order that the tree may receive as little 

 protection from the wall as possible. (Caled. mem. 3. p. 25.) 



Ripening peaches on leafless branches. Whenever the part 

 of the bearing branch which extends beyond the fruit is without 

 foliage, the fruit itself rarely acquires maturity, and never its 

 proper flavour and excellence. This Knight conjectures to be 

 owing to the want of the returning sap, which would have been 

 furnished by the leaves, and he proved it experimentally by in- 

 arching a small branch immediately above the fruit. The fruit 

 in consequence acquired the highest degree of maturity and per- 

 fection. (Hort. trans. 2. p. 25.) 



Insects and diseases, fyc.- The leaves of the peach tree are 

 liable to the attacks of the acarus, its greatest enemy, and also 

 to be devoured by the chermes, aphis, and even a much smaller 

 insect, the thrips. These are to be kept under by the usual 

 means of watering over the leaves, and fumigation with tobacco 

 smoke. The honey-dew, mildew, gum, and canker are chiefly 

 to be kept under by regimen ; dusting with sulphur has been 

 found to destroy the mildew, but the only certain way of reme- 

 dying it is by a renewal of the soil, which will commonly be 

 found old mould long in use and too rich, and by abundance of 

 air. J. Kirk (Caled. hort. mem. 4. p. 159.) has tried renewing 

 the soil for 50 years, and always found it an effectual remedy. 



The young wood of the peach tree is liable to be covered 

 with black spots or blotches, which Kenment proved to be pro- 

 duced by over rich soil (Caled. hort. mem. 2. p. 79 and 80.). 

 The fruit, when ripe, is very liable to the attacks of the wasp, 

 the large fly, and especially the earwig, &c., the two first may 

 be excluded by nets, or enticed by honied bottles, and the latter 

 caught by the beetle-trap, reeds or bean-stalks laid in behind 

 the leaves, and examined every morning. 



Gathering. Use the peach-gatherer, and gather one day or 

 two before the fruit is to be used, and before it be quite ripe, 

 laying it on clean paper in a dry airy part of the fruit-room. 



Use of hot walls. The ripening of the peach may be acce- 

 lerated in the open air, when planted against a hot wall, by the 

 application of gentle fires in cold moist weather, in August and 

 September. This will ripen the fruit and wood ; but no attempt 

 should ever be made to accelerate the blossom early in spring, 

 as without the protection of glass they are almost certain of 

 being cut off. 



* * Culture of the Peach-house. 



Soil. Abercrombie uses the same soil as for those grown in 

 the open air. The border or bed to be 30 inches or 3 feet deep. 

 The nectarine wants the warmer and richer and deeper soil, if 

 any difference be made. The soil for peaches that are forced, 

 M'Phail recommends to be, " fine, loamy, well prepared earth, 

 of a medium texture, neither very light nor of a strong binding 

 quality, well mixed with some good manure. The border to be 

 4 feet deep and so broad that the roots cannot get into a bad 

 soil" (Gard. Rem. 18.). The bottom of the border being made 

 comfortable by draining and paving, if not naturally dry. 

 Nicol directs the breadth of the border to be the width of the 

 house within, and to the extent of 10 or 12 feet without. The 

 average depth 30 inches at the least ; but if a yard it would not 

 be too much. The soil to be thus composed : three-fourths 

 strong loam, one-eighth part of light sandy earth, and an eighth 

 part of rotten stable-yard dung, with a competent quantity of 

 lime and marl, all being properly mixed before planting. 

 Kal.p. 291. 



Choice of sorts. Select from the catalogue given, according 

 to quality. The following list is given by Abercrombie as the 

 most proper for forcing : 

 3 R 



