THE PEACH AND NECTARINE. 163 



bole of the tree, or as far up as the check that is 

 desirable would demand. Unless it be some roots 

 very much out of proportion to the others, they should 

 not be cut back, but be all carefully laid in the border 

 again with some sound fresh loam under and over 

 them, making the soil all firm about them again. 

 This operation I prefer doing just as the leaves are 

 nearly all dropping off. If done earlier, the wood is 

 apt to shrivel instead of ripen. 



FORCING AND GENERAL MANAGEMENT. 



Time to commence forcing. The time when ripe 

 peaches are required must, of course, regulate the 

 time when forcing has to be commenced. As the 

 peach and nectarine will not submit to hard forcing, 

 especially in their earliest stages of progress, it takes 

 about five and a half months to ripen a crop when 

 forcing is commenced late in November. This may 

 be termed very early forcing. On referring to my 

 note-books, I find that trees started by being shut 

 up without fire-heat for the first fourteen days on 

 the 15th November, ripened their first dishes of fruit 

 from the 24th to the 30th April. Those started in 

 January and February take fourteen days less time, 

 but the character of the season has much to do with 

 the exact time required to produce ripe fruit. Un- 

 less where there are several peach-houses such early 

 forcing is not desirable, and if the trees are not in 

 good condition it should never be attempted. From 

 the beginning to the end of January is a good time 

 to start the earliest house, where there are, say, 

 three peach -houses, allowing the interval of a month 

 between the starting of each house. These early 



