490 



AMYGDALACE^E. II. PERSICA. 



* ding-stones. 



1 Late admirable. 2 Old Nenington. 3 Portugal, 4 Golden, 

 5 Catharine. 6 Pavie de Pompone. 



* * Free-stones. 



7 White Nutmeg. 8 Grosse Mignonne. 9 Belle Chevreuse. 

 10 White Magdalen. 11 Red Magdalen. 12 Double Mon- 

 tagne. 13 Chancellor. 14 Early Admirable. 15 Malta. 16 

 Royal George. 17 Noblesse. 18 Late Admirable, 19 Z/ate 



M'Phail says, " The names of the peach trees fit for forcing 

 are the Magdaleine, Double Montague, Royal George, and 

 Noblesse. Nicol recommends the following: 1 Red Magdalen. 

 2 White Magdalen. 3 Royal George. 4 Noblesse. 5 Double 

 Montagne. 6 Early Admirable. 7 Late Admirable. 8 Late 

 Purple. 9 Grosse Mignonne. 10 Smith's Nenington. \\Early 

 purple, and orange. 



Choice of plants. " Before a house for forcing peaches and 

 nectarines be built," M'Phail observes, " trees to plant in it had 

 best be got in readiness, and if they be growing on the premises 

 it will be an advantage. If it can be avoided, no tree should be 

 planted in a forcing-house until the fruit of it has been seen 

 and tasted. The trees should be well trained ones, 4 or 5 feet 

 high ; indeed, it is of no consequence what their age be, pro- 

 vided they are healthy, well rooted, and in a bearing state ; and 

 if they have been transplanted several times since they were 

 budded, they will be the fitter for transplanting again ; and if 

 the work of taking them up and of planting them in the peach- 

 house be carefully and methodically done, the trees, by their 

 removal, will be but little retarded in their growth. When 

 every thing in the forcing-house is got in readiness for the re- 

 ception of the trees, loosen them from the wall to which they 

 were fastened with nails and shreds, and dig a wide semi-cir- 

 cular trench, 4 feet distant from the stem of each tree, and a 

 little deeper than their spreading roots, then, by little and little, 

 with a pointed stick, work the earth out among their roots, 

 taking care to break as few of them as possible. In this manner 

 the roots of the plants are to be divested of earth in a careful 

 manner, so as to undermine the stem, that the tree may be lifted 

 out of its place without straining the roots of it. Having holes 

 previously prepared, about 8 or 1 inches deep and 4 feet wide, 

 set the trees into them one after another, training their roots 

 out in a regular horizontal manner at full length, and after let the 

 ends of the roots be cut, so as to take the ruggedness off, cover 

 them not deeper than about C inches at their extremities, and at 

 the stem of the tree about 4 inches. Clean healthy dwarfs, 

 that have been one or two years trained, Nicol prefers to older 

 plants, and riders three and even four years trained ; because, 

 being temporary, it is desirable to have them produce fruit as 

 soon as possible, for if the dwarfs thrive, the former will have 

 to be removed in three or at most in four years. In a house 35 

 feet long, 3 dwarfs should be planted, and in a house 35 or 40 

 feet, 4 dwarfs; in both cases with riders between them." 

 Kal. 323. 



Situation of the plants in the house. Permanent occupants, 

 intended to be forced early, Abercrombie plants in a front 

 border, training them on a trellis just under the roof. In late 

 forcing-houses, he trains them to an upright trellis near the 

 back wall. M'Phail plants so as to train under the glass, and 

 Nicol's practice concurs with that recommended by Abercrombie. 



For a late peach-house, dwarfs should be planted in front, to 



be trained about half-way up the roof; and dwarfs, with riders 



between them, against the back wall, to be trained to the top. 



In this case, the trees on the back trellis would not be shaded 



1 



by those in front, provided they are not trained to more than 

 half way up the sloping-glass ; and thus the greatest possible 

 extent of unshaded surface, and the greatest quantity of un- 

 shaded fruit may be obtained. A house planted in this manner, 

 about 40 or 45 feet in length, may have 4 dwarfs in front, and 

 4 dwarfs and 5 riders at back, and when in a full bearing state 

 would produce a large quantity of nectarines and peaches. If 

 only 30 or 34 feet in length, 3 dwarfs in front and 3 dwarfs 

 and 4 riders at back, would be trees enough to fill it. Pract. 

 gard. 



Season of planting. Abercrombie recommends November 

 and December as preferable, if not February and March ; which 

 practice is also agreeable to that of Nicol. 



Training. All seem agreed in recommending fan-training 

 for peaches and nectarines, which being the simplest and most 

 natural training, is always to be preferred. 



Pruning. This, according to Abercrombie, may be performed 

 at the fall of the leaf, but should be completed before the blos- 

 som-buds are considerably advanced. M'Phail says the best 

 season is in the spring, when the blossom-buds can be distin- 

 guished. In the case of a newly-planted house, Nicol heads 

 down the maiden plants, or cuts the trained trees about the 

 end of March or beginning of April. With respect to the dwarfs, 

 the shoots on the lower branches should be cut back to 2 or 3 

 buds, that the trellis may be furnished from the bottom with 

 young wood. The shoots on the upper or further extended 

 branches may be shortened back to half or one-third of their 

 lengths, according to their strength, provided they have been 

 well ripened, and are free from canker ; but if the tree be any- 

 ways diseased, let them be cut so far back as to get rid of the 

 cankered or mildewed part, but it would be adviseable that no 

 diseased tree should be planted, unless of a particular kind that 

 cannot be easily obtained. The riders need not be headed so 

 much in as the dwarfs, the object being rather to throw them 

 into a bearing state than to cause them to push very strong 

 shoots, which would not be fruitful. If they make moderately 

 strong shoots, and if these be well ripened in autumn, a good 

 crop may be expected on them next year. Let the young 

 shoots be laid in, as they advance, at the distance of about !J 

 inches from each other, that is of the dwarfs ; those of the riders 

 may be laid in considerably closer, it not being intended they 

 should grow so vigorously as those of the dwarfs. In a bearing- 

 house the winter pruning is supposed to take place in November, 

 and if the summer shoots have been regularly trained and laid 

 in at the distances of 9 inches in the dwarfs, and rather less in 

 the riders, they will not require much pruning at this time. A 

 few of the shoots may be shortened about the lower and middle 

 parts of the tree, for the purpose of providing a supply of young 

 wood in these parts, and thinning out such shoots here and there 

 as have been left too thick ; for others should not be shortened, 

 but should be laid in at full length, that is, such as are short, 

 stout, nearly of an equal thickness, and have a bold wood-bud 

 at the extremity, as from these may be expected the best fruit 

 next season. In some parts of the tree, perhaps, or in some 

 particular trees, it may be expedient to cut out such old branches 

 as have but few young shoots on them, provided there be neigh- 

 bouring branches better furnished, whose shoots may be spread 

 out so as to fill, or nearly to fill, the vacancy occasioned by such 

 lopping. In this case, the shoots borrowed as it were for this 

 purpose, must be shortened more or less, according to the size 

 of the vacancy to be filled up, and according to their strengths, 

 in order that the plant may appear complete in all parts as soon 

 as possible. In summer Nicol pinches off foreright shoots as 

 they appear, and all such as are ill-placed, weakly, watery, de- 

 formed, or very luxuriant, leaving a leader to every shoot of last 



