PEACHES AND NECTARINES loi 



Winter months, and this will be much better for the roots than watering. But 

 this depends on circumstances, as some soils will dry out much more quickly 

 than others. So long as the soil is slightly moist everything will go well, but 

 if the trees are allowed to dry out, there may be serious trouble. Not that 

 they will die, but when root action starts in the Spring, and the blossoms are 

 due to expand, the fruit buds w ill be drooping instead of swelling away, causing 

 failure and annoyance for the whole season. 



Whether the trees are planted crosswise of the house or in any otiicr way, 

 they should get the same care. In a comparatively narrow leanto house plant 

 them alcng the front wall and train them up the roof on trellis about eighteen 

 inches from the glass. If they are grown crosswise in a narrow structure, they 

 have no room for development. If trained up the roof, they may be planted 

 along the front about six inches from the wall, and at least twelve feet apart; 

 but fifteen feet would be none too much to allow for the proper expansion of 

 the branches on each side. There is nothing to be gained by overcrowding. 



In growing Peaches under glass, the same principles apply as when Nature 

 takes care of them, as to how long a tree will remain in a healthy, vigorous 

 condition. Of a dozen trees planted in a house, all receiving the same treat- 

 ment, some will give out before others, for reasons not easy to explain. Then, 

 again, the Peach borer may get into some with its deadly work, weakening the tree 

 to a certain extent. As soon as a tree shows signs of failing health, whether 

 it be eight, ten or twenty years old, remove it and replace it by a young tree. 

 I have seen excellent fruit gathered from trees that have been planted fifteen 

 or sixteen years. This is a pretty good record for a Peach tree under forced 

 treatment. If we see a tree begin to fail in health, we have a chance to prepare 

 another tree, so that it will yield results at once when planted, whereas in planting 

 a small tree, the space would not be filled up for a year or so. 



CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 



The eastern States are admirably adapted for the successful growth of the 

 Peach and Nectaiine under glass. We can get much quicker results here than 

 in some other climates with less sunlight. While rankne^s in young trees should 

 not be encouraged, yet if the wood is thoroughly ripened by the Fall, an abun- 

 dant crop is produced in the following season on wood that it would be im- 

 possible to ripen in England or Scotland sufficiently to yield fruit, and with good 

 judgment there should be a continuous crop from year to year. 



The great secret of success lies in the management of the house and the 

 treatment of the trees when the heat is first turned on. Do not excite the buds 

 with too much heat, but give them time. The Peach tree does not need much 

 coddling. Fresh air, also, is important. The first aim now is to get strong, 

 healthy blossoms. Though progress may seem slow, it is better for the fruit. 

 After the fruit is set and begins to swell it will make up for lost time. In 

 a house started the loth or 15th of December the earliest varieties should be 

 ripe about the first week in May. If forced to ripen much before that time, 

 the fruit will be premature. It is a serious mistake to try to force newly planted 



