36 GARDENING 



remain till morning, then put in enough pale brandy to cover 

 the peaches, and place it in a saucepan of boiling water over 

 a quick fire, and directly the brandy reaches simmering 

 point, which it should do in a quarter of an hour, set aside 

 to get cool. Then bottle it and fill up the bottles with brandy. 

 Tie down and store in a cool dry place. 



Frosted Peaches 



Take six ripe peaches, the whites of two eggs, whisked 

 to a stiff froth, two tablespoonfuls of water, and one cup of 

 castor sugar. Put the water and the beaten whites together ; 

 rub off the fur of the peaches with a clean soft cloth, put the 

 water and beaten whites together and dip in each peach, 

 then roll in the powdered sugar. Set them up on the stem 

 end upon a sheet of white paper on a tray in a sunny window, 

 and when half dry roll again in the sugar ; expose to the 

 sun and fresh air till quite dry; then when required they can 

 be arranged on a glass dish and garnished with green 

 leaves, 



PEARS 



The pear flourishes best in a sound loam, rather 

 Inclining to clay. In sandy loam the fruit is apt to 

 crack or become otherwise disfigured. For standard 

 trees the soil should be at least two feet deep, but 

 for espaliers, pyramids and walls, half a yard will 

 do if sound. A dry subsoil is especially necessary 

 for garden pears. 



The chief point in pear culture is to keep down 

 watery spray ; but this must not be done too early, 

 or embryo blossom buds may be driven into growth. 

 In the beginning of May disbudding should be 

 commenced, and all gross foreright shoots must 

 be stripped away and several of the more luxuriant 

 shoots, where too thick and thin, in a month or two. 



