PEACMES AND NECTARINES 97 



it will sa\e the grower much worry in the years to come, and in the case of a 

 private establishment, where the object is to produce perfect fruit without 

 regard to expense, the owner will certainly get greater satisfaction out of a 

 well built border. 



Growing Peaches and Nectarines under glass is not a very expensive luxury. 

 In the first place, they do not require an extremely high temperature, especially 

 with fire heat; the coal bill is therefore not a serious item. Fruit in the late 

 house can be produced with little or no fire heat and then it becomes only a 

 question of labor, which is nothing when compared with the returns and the 

 pleasure derived from the fruit, if it is a success. 



In making up a border it should be borne in mind that young trees have 

 a tendency to rank growth for the first year or so; therefore, the border should 

 not be made too rich. Use fertilizers that will not be available for sometime, 

 such as coarse or one-half inch bone; the trees will derive benefit from this for 

 years. Potash, also, is necessary for the Peach, though this may be applied 

 as a surface dressing when the trees need it. If a border is made up of sod 

 loam, the trees will make excellent growth for a year or so with little or no fer- 

 tilizer. At this time it is not necessary to use farmyard manure, but it may 

 be applied as a top dressing when the trees have passed their stage of rankness. 



Peach borders should be made on the same principle as that advised for 

 Grapes, but the soil may be somewhat lighter. Let it consist of good, turfy loam, 

 being substantial but not of a clayey, heavy nature. Peaches will thrive for some 

 years in a comparatively shallow border, but with perfect drainage two to two 

 and one-half feet of soil will be more lasting. With too shallow a border the 

 trees are in danger of drying out too often. The trees may be confined wholly 

 to the inside border. Bone constitutes one of the best ingredients for all fruit 

 borders; that known as one-half inch bone is to be preferred. Use, say, 

 at the rate of one part of bone to fifty of soil, which is a good proportion. 

 But soils vary greatly in quality. If the soil i? poor, more bone and other fer- 

 tilizers can be used to good advantage. It is difficult to give the right proportion 

 for the best welfare of the trees, as it all depends on the constitution of the 

 different soils. Hardwood ashes form a valuable ingredient when mixed in 

 about the same proportion as the bone. Good Peaches cannot be produced 

 without the aid of potash in some form. With a poor grade of soil some high 

 grade fertilizer applied near the surface will be of benefit, but I prefer a good 

 loam with less manure. Excellent results can be obtained with Thomson's 

 manure. It is high priced, but a few bags for top dressing will go a long way 

 and it is doubly valuable for being a complete fertilizer. 



While the border is the foundation of success In fruit culture under glass, 

 feeding in the years that follow also requires careful thought and good judgment, 

 as I shall explain later. An important point to be mentioned here is that the 

 soil should not be brought in or handled after heavy rains; let it first dry out 

 fairly well. The modern farmer will not handle or plow his land when over- 

 charged with moisture. Similarly, sod for the border should be in a free, work- 

 able condition — neither too wet nor yet dust dry. It should be in such a form 

 that the border can be thoroughly firmed down without injury to the soil. 



