HORTICULTURE. 



203 



: ' ;. 



were suffered to remain on each tree: from sow in? the 

 stones of these, he obtained his nr . The si- 



tuation of Downton being rather high and late, it may 

 reasonably be presumed that fruits produced < 

 will <ucceed in all places not less favourably situated 

 a* to climate. Two of these new peaches deserve par- 

 ticular notice ; 1. The Acton Scott Prach ; the fruit ri- 

 pen* early, and uniformly attains perfection ; it is juicy 

 and sweet, with a rich, flavour ; where secluded from 

 the sun's rays, the skin is very white : the tree is an 

 abundant bearer, and not subject to mildew : and Mr 

 Knight considers it as calculated to succeed in many 

 cold and unfavourable situations, where the more de- 

 licate varieties would certainly fail. 2. The Spritp 

 Graft Peach has a firm flesh, but not hard; the 

 exterior colours are bright yellow and dark red ; it 

 melts in the month, resembling a nectarine in consist- 

 ence as well as taste, having a remarkably rich, brisk, 

 and vinous flavour ; the stone parts readily from the 

 flesh, which is of a greenish cast: it never becomes 

 over-ripe or mealy, but is apt to shrivel a little, and is 

 then most perfect : the tree prow? slowly, but the wood 

 is healthy, and acquires maturity early in the season : 

 It succeeds better on an apricot than a plum stock. 



By persevering in the track pointed out by Mr 

 Knight, we mar hope, in time, to obtain peach-trees 

 sufficiently hardy to produce their fruit in almost every 

 situation in Britain, perhaps even a* standards. In 

 Maryland and Virginia, peach-trees are propagated 



chard contain*, of course, numerous varieties. Among 

 these a few are always of superior quality ; with the 

 fruit of the rest, pigs are led. One of these American 

 seedlings possessed of good properties, is now growing 

 in the garden of Mr Braddkk at Thsmrs Drtton : it 

 has produced fruit, whi. .1 m the second vo- 



lume of the London Horticultural Transactions, under 

 the title of Bradd.ck'. American Peach. 



In arranging the different varieties) of peach-trees in 

 a new garden, the late kinds, especially the pavief, 

 mut have the full south aspect ; the others may be a 

 point or two to the east. The ', pn nearly 



at the same lime should, a* far as possible, be placed 

 together, a* this afterwards save* much trouble in col- 

 lecting for the dewrrt, especially in a large garden. 



The fan mode of training is considered a* beat 

 I to pejch-trees, and b the plan generally adopt- 

 rhesa trees may. to a certain extent, be consider- 

 ed as constantly in a state of training. In pruning 

 them, the great object U, to keep every part of the tree 

 equally furnished with bearing wood, that is, with a 

 iiinrasiinn of new shoots, laid in to the wall every year. 

 This is to be attended to in April, and especially in 

 for, the wood and young iboota laid in after- 

 wards, seldom ripen sufficiently to stand the winter. 

 Besides, at that early seaion, the superfluous shoots can 

 be pinched or rubbed off, without the use of the knife. 

 ' losson-buda, it may be remarked, rie imme- 

 d.ately from the eyes of the shoo- 

 short, and prominent; while the leaf and shoot buds 

 are oblong narrow and flattuh. The winter pruning 

 u performed any time from the rod of October till the 

 end of February ; but the ewly part of winter is gene- 

 rally thought best. Where the tree* are well managed, 

 there is not a great deal of winter pruning required. 

 In shortening branches, it is a rule to rut behind a 



wood-bud, which may become a leader, to attract nour- 

 ishment toward-; the shoot ; for a shoot possi 

 flower-buds, but having no wood-bud to act as a lead- 

 er, may blossom, but will produce no perfect fruit. 

 Branches which arc considered as too weak to ripen 

 fruit, are commonly cut, as they must tend to rob the 

 other parts of the tree. When the trees have com- 

 pletely filled die spaces allotted to them, the principal 

 shoot* are not shortened unless with the view of filling 

 vacancies, or when the extremities of the shoots have 

 remained unri|>e and been checked by the frost. 



Mr Knight has explained the nature of what are 

 called luxuriant sltouls, and also the ri^ht mode of ma- 

 naging them. Most gardeners have directed the short- 

 ening of these in uminer, or the cutting of them out in 

 the following spring : Hut Mr Knight has experienced 

 great advantages from leaving them wholly unsliorten- 

 ed, but trained with a considerable inclination to the 

 horizon : for, in this way, they have uniformly produ- 

 ced the finest possible bearing wood for the succeeding 1 

 year ; and so far is this practice from tending to render 

 naked the lower or internal parts of the tree, whence 

 these branches spring, that the stronge-t shoots they 

 afford, invariably issue from the buds near their bases. 

 The laterals from luxuriant shoots, it' stopped at the 

 first leaf, often afford very strong blossoms, and fine 

 fruit in the succeeding season. 



92. In the milder parts of England, the blossom of 

 the peach-tree scarcely requires protection : in less fa- 

 voured places, it u protected by some of the means al- 

 ready specified. iJr Noehden, in the second volume 

 of the London Horticultural Transactions, has mention- 

 ed rather a singular mode of preventing the liml effect* 

 of frost on the blossom or young fruit of the peach- 

 tree. It i this : after a frosty night, the first business 

 of the morning is to sprinkle cold water over the trees 

 by means of the garden engine, takin : tin- 



blossom or young fruit receive their -V.n-, and that the 

 operation be performed some time before the rays of 

 the tun strike the trees. Whether the water is useful 

 merely by promoting a gradual thawing, has not been 

 ascertained. 



n the fruit has attained the size of large peas, or 



of small hazel-nuts it is thinned, to the distance of five 



or tix inches between each fruit. In this way it ac- 



a larger size, and the tree is not exhausted. The 



picking off of leaves which overshadow the fruit, u 



recommended by Niool and other*, is not a good prac- 



mu*t not be pushed to any considerable 



extent ; for the flower-bud for the succeeding year be- 



ing lodged in the axilla of the leaf-stalk, must greatly 



> the leaf for its nourishment 



In dry season*, and especially in soils naturally dry, 

 a Itollow bason, about six feet i r, is sometimes 



formed around the root ni with 



mulch (small dung moiUencd, mixed with a little loam, 

 and worked together like mortar,) and water is occa- 

 sionally added according to the state of the weather. 

 practised only while the fruit is growing, and 

 the intention is, to keep it always in a state of pro- 



Kruit 



Mr Knight seems to think, that in the milder parts 

 .land plentiful crops of fruit might be procured 

 from the hardier sorts of peach-trees trained as espa- 

 liers : he suggest* that they should be planted in rows 

 in the direction of north and south ; that they should 



Mr 



* ia*y arc steal* ajstost a tomb wall. Il9,tocctt4 



to UMgmnUo oTHrGwrg. Msckniteat Coul, in n -blr*. 

 well In IBM latitude they win ptvrt s gnat acquUiiion to Scotland. 



