A M Y 



AMY 



it in the course of the second fortnight to 50", 

 and afterwards gradually to 55° ; at which point 

 it should be kept till the stoning is over, and then 

 increased to 60"; and in the time of the fruit's 

 ripening to 65°, which it should never pass, as 

 it would draw the young shoots up in a weak 

 growth. In conducting the business, the greatest 

 regularity and steadiness should be preserved ; 

 as the trees are impatient of sudden checks of 

 all kinds, especially in the time of setting and 

 stoning the fruit. 



A free circulation of air is constantly necessa- 

 ry, Mr. Nicol thinks, from the time the trees are 

 planted, in the day-time, from sun-rise to sun-set 

 the first season, and afterwards occasionally in the 

 second, the house being shut up at night from 

 the beginning of March, and the same in the rest. 

 At the time the forcing begins, it should be shut 

 up at night from the middle of January, and have 

 a full and free circulation through the day till the 

 beginning of February ; after which it may be 

 admitted in a more moderate degree, according 

 to the weather, respect being paid to its tempera- 

 ture till the bloom begins to open. After this, 

 less or more must be admitted every day, if pos- 

 sible ; as the setting of the fruit in a kindly man- 

 ner depends much on fresh air being applied, 

 and a free circulation of air kept up. In sun- 

 shine it may be admitted at this time to the ex- 

 tent that the thermometer may not stand at more 

 than five or six degrees above the fire-heat medi- 

 um ; and at no time, till the stoning is over, 

 above ten degrees ; but afterwards, in the mid- 

 dle of the day, it may be suffered to rise to the 

 height of fifteen. When the fruit begins to co- 

 lour, the house should be opened by sun-rise, 

 and not shut till sun-set, unless to defend the 

 fruit from heavy rains ; no respect being paid to 

 sun-shine, air being equally essential to the fla- 

 vour of the fruit as the rays of the sun. 



This sort of fruit, when in a growing state, 

 requires plentiful waterings ; and the border should 

 always be kept in a moist state : only restrain- 

 ing a little in the time of setting and stoning, and 

 totally when the fruit begins to colour. 



It may be necessary to wash the house thrice a 

 week from the commencement of the forcing till 

 the flowers begin to open, then withholding till the 

 petals begin to decay, when wash again till the 

 fruit begins to ripen; and then finally withhold, 

 unless the trees are afflicted with the red spider, 

 &c. in which case, wash every day till they are 

 quite cleaned from the insects. And, in the in- 

 tervals of the washings, steaming night and 

 morning may be practised, as at the blossoming- 

 season Mr. Nicol thinks it " of infinite benefit to 

 the trees, as it encourages the setting of the 

 fruit, and prevents the breeding of insects; and 



the engine cannot be employed, for fear of hurt- 

 ing the bloom." 



It is necessary to thin the fruit in many kinds 

 of peaches, to prevent the trees bearing them- 

 selves to death. The operation should, however, 

 be performed with caution, and never be done 

 perfectly till after the stoning is past; as till 

 then all danger of the fruit dropping is not over. 

 Mr. Nicol's rule for final thinning is, "a fruit 

 for every foot square of the surface of the tree 

 for the large kinds, and for every nine or ten 

 inches of the small kinds of peaches, for trees in a 

 healthy and vigorous state." 



Mr. Nicol observes that it is customary to 

 let the fruit drop of its own accord when ripe ; 

 and for this purpose the border is covered with 

 moss, and nets or mats are hung against the 

 trellis to catch them; but he is of opinion that 

 all kinds of fruit, except grapes, lose much of 

 their flavour if suffered to remain on the plant 

 till dead ripe ; and has, of course, always made it 

 a practice to pull his peaches, as in this way not 

 one half as many are lost or bruised as when 

 suffered to fall ; and the fruit, from not being 

 dead ripe, is much fitter for carriage. He also 

 recommends this practice, as the border being 

 covered with moss emits a bad flavour ; and no- 

 thing is so conducive to a good one as the sur- 

 face being kept clean, and frequently stirred 

 while the fruit is in a ripening state. 



The Scotch Forcing Gardener supposes, that 

 by having " two peach-houses, and a few trees 

 planted against the open wall in a south aspect, 

 the season may be prolonged from the first or 

 middle of June to the first of November in con- 

 stant succession, by beginning to force the first 

 house on the first of February, and the second 

 about the middle or latter end of March ;" and 

 that, " where there are three or fourhouses, and 

 a flued wall, the season may be successively pro- 

 longed from the first of May to the first or mid- 

 dle of November." His mode is, to begin to 

 force his first house on the first of December, 

 and, as it is not much to be depended on at that 

 early season, his second on the first of January; 

 his third on the first of March; and the 

 fourth left without the aid of any fire heat. He 

 never applies fire to "flued walls until the first 

 or middle of August, and that in order to ripen 

 the wood, and hasten the maturity of the late 

 fruit." And, by never reversing the successive 

 orderof the peach-houses, he thinks, they will al- 

 ways be " ready to vegetate at the same time of the 

 year on the application of tire heat, with much less 

 injury to themselves than if they were changed." 



If peach-trees be force;! every year, they will, 

 he supposes, " wear out in the course of twelve or 

 fourteen ; therefore about the eighth or tenth 



