Encyclopaedia of Gardening 155 



paratively few places where orchard -house cultivation is practised 

 they are often included in the collection of pot trees and grown as 

 open bushes. In the old days Peaches and Nectarines were generally 

 grown outside, but they are now given glass in most places, if only 

 in the form of what is technically known as a " case " that is, a 

 narrow corridor-like structure. It may be that with the greater 

 prevalence of glass houses the modern school of gardeners does not 

 fully learn the art of Peach culture in the open air; be that as it 

 may, failures are common, and it becomes more and more the rule 

 to grow this delicious fruit under cover. Outdoor culture : It must 

 not be assumed, however, that Peaches and Nectarines cannot be 

 grown satisfactorily in the open air. Some gardeners are con- 

 spicuously successful with them, especially in the south of England. 

 The most important matters are shelter, care in the early stages of 

 training, and freedom from insects and fungi. The Peach is an 

 early grower and bloomer, and its foliage is delicate. If exposed to 

 cold spring winds the sap is checked, and a terrible disease called 

 blister attacks the trees, which are seriously retarded, or even killed 

 outright. The blister, which appears in the form of large swellings 

 on the leaves, and causes them to shrivel and fall, is the work of a 

 fungus called Exoascus deformans. Bordeaux Mixture (see Bor- 

 deaux) is a good preventive, if sprayed on as soon as the leaves un- 

 fold, but it is desirable to avoid the attack if possible by providing 

 shelter. Where possible the Peaches should be grown on the inner 

 face of kitchen-garden walls. Blister may appear on indoor Peaches 

 if the ventilators are left open when a cold wind is blowing from a 

 quarter which causes it to cut through them on to the trees. Out- 

 door Peaches are sometimes crippled by black fly, which establishes 

 itself in force on the young shoots and sucks out the life-giving sap. 

 This pest must be kept under or the trees will be spoiled. It can 

 be destroyed by syringing with a solution of paraffin oil and water, 

 or with almost any of the proprietary washes offered by florists and 

 seedsmen. A mistake often made with outdoor (and sometimes 

 indoor) Peaches is to plant them in rich, loose soil, and provide no 

 restriction of the luxuriant growth that follows. The result is that 

 the wood made in the summer runs 4 or 5 ft., and is as thick 

 as a walking-cane; in 2 or 3 years the base of the wall is nearly 

 bare, and the tree bears fruit only on the smaller wood on the 

 upper part of the wall. Ordinary kitchen-garden soil is generally 

 rich enough for Peaches, as they are naturally vigorous growers, 

 and more often need curbing than accelerating. In any case, half 

 a barrow-load of manure is likely to be enough for each tree. Wood 

 ashes and lime rubble are suitable materials. It is wise to start with 

 a two- or three-year-old tree and shorten the branches back to one- 

 third of their length. The following year prune to half the length 

 of the branches. This insures the lower part of the wall being 

 well furnished with wood. The growths then secured will form the 

 skeleton of the tree, and should be fastened in quite clear of each 

 other, so as to admit of young fruiting side shoots being laid in 

 between them. There should be no crossing of shoots, and no shoot 

 must be allowed to grow out from the face of the 'wall; all that 

 spring from the front of the branches should be cut clean out. 



