BOOK I. PEACH. 715 



4488. Selection of sorts. Abercrombie says, " Except the situation be completely fa- 

 vorable as to climate, aspect, and shelter, forbear to plant very early or extreme late fruit ; 

 the frost will almost inevitably cut off the former when blossoming and setting ; and 

 the latter will hardly ripen under the declining heat of autumn." 



4489. The peaches proper for a small garden, according to Forsyth, are 



The early avant I Royal George I Early Newincton I Nivpttp 



Small mignonne Royal Kensington Gaflande ^ Catherine 



Anne (Noblesse I Karly purple Chancellor | Late Newington. 



4490. The peaches in the Dalkeith garden, and which ripen in the order in which they 

 are placed are as follows ; those marked (H.) being planted against hot- walls : 



'.) Smith's early Newington 



(W.) Red Magdalen 



(H.) Millet's mignonne (W.) White Magdalen 



Royal George 



The best varieties for forcing, according to Oldacre, are, the violet, native, mignonne, 

 and Maryborough. 



4491. Propagating to procure new sorts. The peach is raised from the stone ; and this 

 mode is pursued in America, even for procuring trees for common purposes. In Mary- 

 land and Virginia, Neill observes, " peach-trees are propagated from the stones without 

 budding. Every peach-orchard contains of course numerous varieties. Among these, 

 a few are always of superior quality; with the rest of the fruit pigs are fed." The 

 peaches (Nos. 38, 39.) in the table, mentioned as produced by Knight, were thus 

 originated : the parent trees were dwarfs planted in large pots ; these being brought into 

 a state of vigorous health, the pistils of the blossom of one sort were impregnated with 

 the pollen of another ; only three peaches were suffered to remain on each tree ; and 

 from sowing the stones of these, the Acton scott, and spring grove, and other varieties, 

 were produced : the male parent of the latter was the large French mignonne ; and the 

 female, the little red nutmeg ; which choice is consistent with the general principle, that 

 the most perfect and vigorous offspring will be obtained of plants, as of animals, when 

 the male and female parent are not closely related to each other. (Neitt.} 



4492. Knight has some excellent observations on this subject in various papers published in the 

 Hort. Trans. ; but especially in Observations on the Method of producing new and early Fruits, and 

 on some Varieties of the Peach, (vol. i.) In the latter paper he thus concludes, " I entertain little 

 doubt that the peach-tree might, in successive generations, be so far hardened and naturalised to the 

 climate of England and Ireland, as to succeed well as a standard in favorable situations. The peach does 

 not, like many other species of fruit, much exercise the patience of the gardener, who raises it from the 

 seed ; for it may always be made to bear when three years old. I will not venture to decide whether it 

 might not possibly produce fruit even at the end of a single year. In prosecuting such experiment*, I 

 would recommend the seedling peach-trees to be retained in pots, and buds from them only to be inserted 

 in older trees ; for their rapid and luxuriant growth is extremely troublesome on the wall, and pruning is 

 death to them." He afterwards succeeded in producing blossom-buds the first year : the means used were, 

 leaving on the laterals near the extremities of the shoots, and exposing the leaves as much as possible to 

 the sun, in order to promote the growth, and ripening of the wood. 



4493. Miller says, the best sorts for sowing, are those whose flesh is firm and cleaves to the stone ; and 

 from amongst those, you should choose such as ripen pretty early, and have a rich vinous juice. These 

 stones should be planted in autumn, on a bed of light dry earth, about three inches deep and four inches 

 asunder ; and in the winter the beds should be covered to protect them from the frost, which, if permitted 

 to enter deep into the ground, will destroy them. After remaining two years in this bed, they may be 

 transplanted into nursery rows, three feet asunder, and one foot distant, plant from plant, in the rows; 

 mulching the surface, and watering during summer in very dry weather. After being two years in this 

 nursery, transplant them where they are to remain to produce fruit. Plant them as standards till you see 

 their fruit ; cut off bruised roots, but give their tops no other pruning than cutting out decayed or very 

 irregular branches. 



4494. Propagation to perpetuate varieties. The peach is generally budded on damask plum-stocks, and 

 some of the more delicate sorts on apricot-stocks, or old apricot-trees cut down, or on seedling peaches, 

 almonds, or nectarines. Knight recommends growing almond-stocks for the finer kinds of nectarines, and 

 apricots, as likely to prevent the mildew, and as being allied to the peach. He says, " almond-stocks 



should be raised and retained in the nursery in pots, as they do not transplant well." Dubreuil, already 

 mentioned (4387. 4441.), recommends a plum-stock for a clayey soil, and the almond for such as are light, 

 chalky, or sandy. The same opinion is held by the Montreuil gardeners. " Perform the budding in July 



or August, in the-side of the stock, one bud in each, inserted near the bottom, for principal wall-trees ; 

 and at the height of three, four, or five feet, for riders. The bud will shoot the following spring, and 

 attain the length of three or four feet in the summer's growth. After the budded trees have ripened the 

 first year's shoot, they may either be planted where they are to remain, or be trained in the nursery for 

 two, three, or four years, till in a bearing state. Whether the plants be removed into the garden at a 

 year old, or remain longer in the nursery, the first shoots from the budding must be headed down, either 

 early in June the same year, to gain a season, or in the March following, to four, five, or six eyes, to produce 

 lateral shoots, with one upright leader, to begin the formation of the head in a fan-like expansion : 

 the second year's shoots should also be shortened to a few eyes at the return of June or March ; and 

 those also of the third year in such degrees as may seem expedient." At Montreuil, almond-stocks are 

 used because the soil is dry ; but Mozard prefers plum-stocks where the soil is strong and black. (Hort. 

 Tour, &c. 429.) The Flemish nurserymen graft both the peach and nectarine on the Mirabelle plum, 

 a very small cherry-shaped fruit. 



4495. Soil. A good soil for peach-trees, according to Abercrombie, " is composed of three parts mellow 

 unexhausted loam, and one part drift sand, moderately enriched with vegetable mould, or the cooler 

 dungs. If the soil be lean and poor, and at the same time light, have the borders improved with decom- 

 posed dung and fertile mellow earth (new top-spit loam, if attainable) ; if the ground be strong and heavy, 

 add some light earth or dung; if very gravelly, remove the grossest part, excavating to a proper depth ; 

 and in the same proportion apply a compost as above. Let the soil be made good to the depth of thirty 

 inches or three feet. The nectarine wants the warmer, richer, and deeper soil, if any difference be made. 

 Bad cold ground, or an exhausted mould, is often the cause of the trees gumming." Forsyth says, 

 " Peaches require a lighter soil than pears and plums, and a light mellow loam is best." 



4196. Choice of plants. Abercrombie, Forsyth, Nicol, and most authors, agree in recommending the 

 choice of trees, two, three, or four years trained. Forsyth says, " they should be procured in the latter 

 end of October, or beginning of November, as soon as the leaf begiils to fall." 



4497. Final planting. The peach is almost universally planted against walls in Britain ; in some few 

 warm situations they have been tried as dwarf standards, and Knight (Hort. Trans, vol. ii. p. 219.) " thinks 



