492 



AMYGDALACEJE. II. PERSICA. 



roots once in two or three days, increasing the quantity as the 

 fruit begins to swell, and as the shoots advance in growth. Also 

 continue the operation of the engine regularly, and do not be 

 afraid to hurt the foliage if the red spider appear upon them, 

 and more particularly towards the top of the house, as it is there 

 the red spider is fostered by the extreme heat. Withhold water 

 from the border, and cease to exercise the engine on the foliage 

 when the fruit are swelling. Gard. kal. p. 401. 



Insects and diseases. The red spider is the great enemy to 

 peach and nectarine trees, but they are also attacked by blight, 

 mildew, the aphis, thrips, and sometimes even the coccus. The 

 blight, Abercrombie says, is caused by a small insect, very per- 

 nicious both to the trees and fruit in their growth ; this is appa- 

 rent by the leaves curling, and often by the ends of the shoots 

 being bunched and clammy. In this case it is advisable to 

 take off the distempered leaves, and cut off the diseased ends 

 of the shoots. Further to check the mischief, if the weather 

 be hot and dry, give the trees a smart watering all over the 

 branches by a garden engine, and repeat it two or three times a 

 week in the afternoon when the power of the sun is declining. 

 These waterings will clear the leaves, branches, and fruit, 

 refresh and revive the whole considerably, and conduce greatly 

 to exterminate the vermin. When the plants have begun to 

 expand their blossoms and leaves, the aphis or green-fly makes 

 its appearance ; in which case M'Phail directs to fill the house 

 full of tobacco-smoke once a week or oftener. If there be any 

 appearance of mildew, dust a little sulphur on the infected parts, 

 and if the gum or canker be seen on the shoots, or on any parts 

 of the trees, open the bark and cut out the dying wood. In- 

 spect the trees in every part minutely, and if you perceive the 

 bark dying or the gum oozing out of any part of the stem, cut 

 off the bark as far as it is dead or decaying, and if the branches 

 be strong, that you cannot well effect it with your knife, take a 

 chisel with a semicircular edge and a mallet and cut out the 

 wood as far as you see it is affected ; you need not be afraid of 

 hurting the tree, even if the branches or stem are cut halfway. 

 This method exposes the old wood to the sun and air, by whicli 

 it is dried, and the tree is thereby assisted in casting off the 

 unwholesome juices, or those kept in it too long for want of a 

 more dry genial climate (Gard. rem. 131.). J. Michell, of 

 Moncrieff House, Perthshire, hangs on his peach trees, when 

 the fruit are ripe, large white glass phials, with a little jam 

 or jelly in them, in order to entice large black flies, which he 

 finds very destructive to peaches. Wasps he destroys by find- 

 ing out their nests in the day time, and going in the evening 

 with a candle, he introduces a burning stick smeared with wet 

 gunpowder, which stupifies the wasps, and causes them to fall 

 nearly dead, when he crushes them (Caled. hort. mem. 1. p. 

 194.). Nicol strongly recommends watering for keeping down 

 insects, especially the red spider. If the green fly or thrips 

 make their appearance, recourse must be had to fumigation. 

 Shut the house close at night, and fill it as full of tobacco- 

 smoko as possible. If this be repeated the next evening 

 they will be completely destroyed. Calm cloudy weather is 

 the most favorable for this operation (Gard. kal. p. 340 and 

 350.). The coccus and chermes, he says, are not so immediately 

 hurtful, and unless very numerous need not be much minded 

 at this season, but they must be more particularly attended to at 

 the time of pruning in November. The males, which have 

 wings and are active, will be dislodged by the operation of the 

 engine, and the females, which are stationary and adhere to the 

 shoots and branches, if very numerous, may readily be crushed 

 by the finger, or by a small flattish stick. In November, the 

 winter pruning being finished, the plants and trellis are to be 

 anointed with the composition recommended for vines, see vol. 1. 

 p. 708. 



Gathering of the fruit. M'Phail advises laying moss or some 

 soft material over the borders, to save those from being injured 

 which drop of themselves. Sir Joseph Banks, quoting from a 

 French author, states that peaches are never eaten in perfection 

 if suffered to ripen on the tree; they should be gathered just 

 before they are quite soft, and kept at least 24 hours in the 

 fruit chamber. Hort. trans, vol. 1. append. John Williams of 

 Pitmaston says, " should the season prove wet when the peaches 

 are ripe, they should be gathered, and placed for about two days 

 in a dry airy room before they are eaten." Hort. trans. 2. 

 p. 113. 



Ripening of the mood. Abercrombie says, " on account of 

 the fruit of most sort of peaches ripening somewhat earlier than 

 grapes, and the growth of the shoots stopping sooner than the 

 runner-wood of vines, it is not so often necessary to assist the 

 plant in September or October by artificial heat ; but in some of 

 the late kinds, if, by the time the external air is down to 60, the 

 shoots have not taken a greenish-brown tint as high as several 

 eyes from the origin, and if the blossom-buds on these, when 

 full swelled, are not distinguishable from the oblong wood- 

 buds, apply a little fire heat, and continue it till the leaves 

 fall." Nicol directs attention to be paid to the ripening of the 

 wood of peach trees in September. " A little fire heat may be 

 necessary fully to mature the shoots, especially of young trees. 

 Fire heat should be continued till the growth of the smaller 

 and middle-sized shoots stop, their bottom parts become green- 

 ish-brown, and the flower-buds upon them appear turgid, so as to 

 be distinguishable from the wood-buds. The stronger, and more 

 extreme shoots, of the dwarfs in particular, will continue to grow 

 later than the above shoots, which as they are to be considerably 

 shortened back in November for the production of wood to fill 

 the trellis next season, is not very material, provided the bottom 

 part be pretty well hardened." 



Resting of the mood. The management of the peach-house 

 when at rest, Abercrombie says, " should be nearly the same as 

 for the grape-house, except when there is but one set of frames 

 to serve both an early peach-house and a late grape-house ; in 

 which case, as soon as the young wood of the vine is perfectly 

 ripened, the glasses should be brought back to the peach-house ; 

 for although the fruit of the grape is to be set and ripened in a 

 higher heat, the peach tree as a plant is more tender than the 

 vine, and independently of forcing comes into blossom about two 

 months sooner." M'Phail keeps on the glasses from the time 

 the fruit is gathered till he begins to force, in order to keep the 

 wood dry ; but gives them all the air he can. Gard. rem. p. 367. 

 Nicol exposes the house fully day and night, only shutting up 

 in the time of heavy rains. Gard. kal. p. 420. 



Forcing the peach tree in pots. " All the varieties of peaches 

 and nectarines," Abercrombie remarks, " are extremely well 

 suited for forcing in large pots. Small plants intended to come 

 in before or after those in the borders may be excited in the first 

 stage in a distinct house, so as the temperature of that in which 

 they are brought to finish fruiting be suited to their progress." 

 The pots or tubs should be such as not to contain less than a 

 cubic foot of earth, the soil should be lighter and richer than 

 that recommended for the borders, and liquid manure should be 

 plentifully supplied to make up in some degree for the confinement 

 of the roots. They are best forced in a peach-house, but suc- 

 ceed in a vinery or succession stove ; best of all, however, in a 

 pit or Dutch frame, where the temperature can be regulated at 

 pleasure, and where they are near the glass. Great care must 

 be taken to supply them regularly with water, for which purpose 

 some place saucers under the pots, others cover their surface 

 with moss, or what is better, fresh cow or rotten horse dung. 

 Casing the pots with ropes made of moss is also a very good 

 method, as it not only preserves an uniform degree of moisture, 



