106 THE MINIATURE FRUIT GARDEN. 



been neglected by European nurserymen. The truth 

 must be confessed, that nurserymen, as a class, have 

 but little taste for pomology ; they take to flowers and 

 plants eagerly, because they give a quick return ; and 

 thus Pomona and her gifts are always placed in the 

 shade as to experiments, " they do not pay." There 

 are some free growing kinds of apricots which, when 

 budded on the plum, and the young apricot budded 

 with a peach or nectarine, produce the most favor- 

 able effects on the peach tree, the union being perfect 

 and the duration of it much lengthened. There are 

 also one or two kinds of plums which, being budded 

 on a wild kind of plum, furnish when double budded 

 a most favorable stock for the peach, giving it hardi- 

 ness and fertility. We are still very backward in our 

 knowledge of the effects of stocks on fruits ; the sub- 

 ject requires much time and research, and 110 rushing 

 to conclusions like some of our writers, who write on 

 every thing and nothing well, only because they have 

 not the necessary patience to master a few subjects 

 thoroughly. 



HOW TO PREPARE A PEACH TREE BORDER IN LIGHT 

 SOILS. 



In our southern counties, where light sandy soils 

 abound, the difficulty of making peach and nectarine 

 trees trained to walls flourish is well known ; in spring 

 they are liable to the curl and the attacks of aphides, in 

 summer they are infested with the red spider, so that 

 the trees are weakened, and rarely give good fruit : 

 they seem, indeed, to detest light soils. The follow- 

 ing method of preparing borders for them in such 



