NECTAllINE. 



257 



mrly nectarine, which is the earliest : it is a round fruit not 

 larger than the nutmeg peach, of a beautiful red colour* 

 and ripens about the end of July or beginning of August. 



The Newington nectarine is esteemed the finest fla- 

 voured of all the varieties ; and when thoroughly ripe, it is 

 thought by many persons not to be second to any fruit. 

 It has a beautiful red colour next the sun, and a bright 

 yellow towards the wall. The Scarlet, the Brugnon, 

 the Roman red, the Golden, and several other varieties, 

 are all more or less admired as they are suited with soil 

 and situation to ripen. The latest ripe is the Peter- 

 borough, or late green nectarine, which generally ripens 

 about the middle of October. 



The flowers have an aromatic bitter taste, and, when 



jsh, an infusion of half an ounce in water, or a dram 

 when dry, and sweetened with sugar, is a useful laxative 

 for children. (Brookes, vol. 6.) 



We particularly recommend these trees to be protected 

 in the spring by sliding shutters of glass or oiled paper; 

 the richness of the fruit when at the dessert will vvell^ repay 

 the small expense, and a more regular crop may be an- 

 ticipated, for, as Speechly justly remarks, " The decay of 

 peach and nectarine trees almost uniformly commences 

 on the upperside of the large branches : the cause of this 

 defect, as I have constantly observed, is brought on by 

 snow being permitted to lodge on the horizontal branches 

 during the winter and spring months, but more particularly 

 at the time of the rising of the sap in the spring. Snow 

 lodging on the branches during that period, generally 

 proves highly detrimental to them. In a severe season, 

 the snow goes off by slow degrees, and what is dissolved 

 by the rays of the sun by day, is constantly congealed 

 into ice by the frost at night. Now, the capillary ves- 

 sels which are thus exposed, being surcharged with 

 moisture in the evening, the frost which comes on at 



