PEA 



[ 614 J 



PEA 



j-ecommomd the practice. The Ameri- 

 cans, to he sure, raise many of their 

 orchards from the stone ; but they have a 

 very different climate to deal with, and 

 we hear, moreover, many complaints of 

 the short-lived character of their trees. 

 The peach stones may either be sown on 

 heat to expedite them, or otherwise. 

 They should be cleansed and dried at 

 the ripening period, and may be sown 

 late in the autumn, care being taken to 

 preserve them from the mice. The seed- 

 lings must be carefully transplanted like 

 other shrubs; those raised on heat in 

 pots, and those in the open ground to 

 the nursery immediately after one sum- 

 mer's growth, unless sowed to remain. 

 Their pruning must be performed as 

 other stocks, and their subsequent cul- 

 ture similar. 



$oi/.s, c. The selection of a proper 

 soil, and the securing a sound ; 

 subsoil, are of as much importance with 

 the peach as with the vine. Three-fourths 

 of the trees in this kingdom have been 

 ruined by borders too deep, too damp, 

 and too rich. Unless proper means be 

 taken to ripen the wood, all other labours 

 are vain. The first step in root culture is 

 to examine the subsoil; if this is not 

 sound and dry, it must at once be tho- 

 roughly drained. As to depth of soil, we 

 do not exceed two feet, and nobody has 

 had greater success for many years. How 

 much, however, that depth is above the 

 ground-level must depend on the charac- 

 ter of the locality : if a low and damp 

 district, we would have nearly half the 

 volume of the soil above the front walk ; 

 if a very dry and elevated spot, not more 

 than a third. The latitude of the place 

 should also have an influence ; and in 

 many parts of Scotland and the north of 

 Ireland we should raise nearly the whole 

 border above the ordinary level. No soil 

 is fitter than a good, sound, hazel loam ; 

 but, whatever be the colour, it is abso- 

 lutely essential that it be of a texture 

 slightly adhesive. We introduce no ma- 

 nure with such a soil, but generally mix 

 with it about one-third of ordinary dark, 

 light garden-soil, adding about one-sixth 

 of ordinary tree or shrub leaves with the 

 whole. We generally make an artificial 

 subsoil, planting on what we term " pre- 

 pared stations." _ The site being drained, 

 and the excavations formed, brick-bats, 

 or any imperishable rubbish, is strewed 

 over the bottom, and then covered with 



cinders ; the latter have a couple of 

 barrows of half-decayed ^ leaves spread 

 over them. This comprises the whole 

 of our preparations. As for manures, we 

 top-dress systematically every year ia 

 31 ay : this forms an essential accompa- 

 niment of the shallow border system. 



Culture during the Growing Period. 

 Protection to the blossoms is the first 

 thing in early spring. (See PROTECTION.) 

 The next point is disbudding. Healthy 

 trees are sure to produce a host of little 

 shoots, which must not be retained. Dis- 

 budding is best performed by degrees, 

 and about three periods two or three 

 weeks apart suffice. At the first, which 

 should be when the young shoots are 

 from two to three inches in length, those 

 shoots only need be removed which pro- 

 ject nearly at right angles from the wail; 

 as, also, those which shoot between the 

 wall and the branch. Nothing can jus- 

 tify the reservation of any of these but 

 bare spaces of walling ; such should be 

 covered, even if by shoots of inferior 

 character. At the second disbudding a 

 sort of "singling out" may be practised. 

 At the third thinning a clever selection 

 should be made, and in doing so we 

 would direct especial attention to the 

 preservation of the lowest-placed young 

 shoots all over the tree, for on these 

 mainly depends the supply of succes- 

 sional wood. By the fan mode of train- 

 ing, which is at least equal to any other 

 mode, acute angles, of course, are formed 

 by every two branches when they meec. 

 The lowest shoot in this angle, then,mu>;i: 

 be carefully preserved, and if overtopping 

 the next shoot a-head, it may at once bo 

 pinched. Our practice is to turn next to 

 all the extreme points, and to set the 

 leading shoot free. It is of no use suf- 

 fering any side-shoots to compete wita 

 the leading ones ; therefore, all within 

 four or five inches may be stripped away, 

 or, if doubtful, pinched. And now a 

 regular thinning or disbudding must La 

 carried out between the bole and the ex- 

 tremities of the branches ; and the only 

 requisite is not to suffer, if possible, two 

 young shoots to proceed side by side 

 from any given point. Thus, training 

 from any young shoot at the base, we 

 would not reserve another nearer than 

 four or five inches up any given line, and 

 so on, all over the tree. One thing may 

 be observed ; if the operator is at any 

 time doubtful about a young shoot, let 



